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  Discussion on Managing psychological well being for horses
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Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 8:04 am:

While attending a equine behavioral seminar last year I was surprised to see that in one research paper presentation they did not find a good correlation between cribbing and weaving and long term stalling. However when I thought about many of the confirmed cribbers I knew there often was a history of confinement and food deprivation. This is not a piece of research so much as the thoughts of an equine behaviorist that I strongly agree with.
DrO

J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2007;10(4):309-29.
Don'T fence me in: managing psychological well being for elite performance horses.
Henderson AJ.
Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada.

This article posits that stereotypical behavior patterns and the overall psychological well being of today's performance horse could be substantially enhanced with care that acknowledges the relationship between domesticated horses and their forerunners. Feral horses typically roam in stable, social groups over large grazing territories, spending 16-20 hr per day foraging on mid- to poor-quality roughage. In contrast, today's elite show horses live in relatively small stalls, eat a limited-but rich-diet at specific feedings, and typically live in social isolation. Although the horse has been domesticated for more than 6000 years, there has been no selection for an equid who no longer requires an outlet for these natural behaviors. Using equine stereotypies as a welfare indicator, this researcher proposes that the psychological well being of today's performance horse is compromised. Furthermore, the article illustrates how minimal management changes can enhance horses' well being while still remaining compatible with the requirements of the sport-horse industry. The article discusses conclusions in terms of Fraser, Weary, Pajor, and Milligan's "integrative welfare model" (1997).
Member:
chance1

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 12:48 pm:

Hi Dr. O,
I was talking with a behaviorist from U.C. Davis a year or so ago and she said that there is no evidence of cribbing in the wild. It is found only in the domesticated horse. I don't know what she based this statement on. Is it true that it is a learned behavior and often imitated by other horses?

Thanks! Ruth
Member:
amara

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 7, 2007 - 8:46 pm:

i read an article many many years ago in Equus about how their seemed to be certain genetic lines that were predisposed to cribbing and other bad habits.. it also did a study that grouped cribbers and non cribbers together and very few of the non cribbers took up cribbing... there was also a section that told of a group of prezwalski's horses that had shown no evidence of cribbing while in the wild, but upon being captured and penned a few had taken up cribbing, one so bad that i believe he/she was cribbing on a buddie's back..i dont believe they had access to other cribbing horses...
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Nov 8, 2007 - 6:36 am:

Hello Ruth,
We discuss likely mechanisms including the "monkey see, monkey do" hypothesis in the article.
DrO
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