The Social and Reproductive Challenges Faced by Free-Roaming Horse (Equus caballus) Stallions

Górecka-Bruzda, Aleksandra; Jaworska, Joanna; Stanley, Christina R.

doi:10.3390/ani13071151

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 148 publications

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“…Die Forscherinnen verweisen auf nicht artgerechte Haltungsbedingungen für Hengste als Ursache gehäuften Auftretens von Verhaltensstörungen und beschreiben die Haltungsform von Hengsten als sozial isoliert (vgl. Górecka-Bruzda et al, 2023, S. 1151. Von nutzungsbedingten Ursachen stereotyper Verhaltensstörungen bei Pferden kann aufgrund des deutlich häufigeren Auftretens von Stereotypien bei Sportpferden ausgegangen werden (vgl.…”

Section: Wissenschaftliche Studienlage Zu Ursachenunclassified

And What the Horse Wants to Tell Us – Stereotypy of the Horse

2024

TIERethik

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This paper deals with risk factors and preventive measures of stereotypic behavior disorders of the horse. The definition, classification and forms of equine stereotypic behavior disorders as well as analogies to human behavior disorders are presented. In addition, current scientific studies on the prevalence and causes of equine stereotypic behavior disorders will be reviewed, addressing human-animal interaction disorders and inappropriate housing and utilisation conditions. Preventive measures are presented as an approach to improving the human-animal relationship and animal welfare.

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Section: Wissenschaftliche Studienlage Zu Ursachenunclassified

And What the Horse Wants to Tell Us – Stereotypy of the Horse

2024

TIERethik

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Rewilded horses in European nature conservation – a genetics, ethics, and welfare perspective

Lovász,

Sommer‐Trembo,

Barth

et al. 2024

Biological Reviews

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In recent decades, the integration of horses (Equus ferus) in European rewilding initiatives has gained widespread popularity due to their potential for regulating vegetation and restoring natural ecosystems. However, employing horses in conservation efforts presents important challenges, which we here explore and discuss. These challenges encompass the lack of consensus on key terms inherent to conservation and rewilding, the entrenched culture and strong emotions associated with horses, low genetic diversity and high susceptibility to hereditary diseases in animals under human selection, as well as insufficient consideration for the social behaviour of horses in wild‐living populations. In addition, management of wild‐living horses involves intricate welfare, ethics and legislative dimensions. Anthropocentric population‐control initiatives may be detrimental to horse group structures since they tend to prioritise individual welfare over the health of populations and ecosystems. To overcome these challenges, we provide comprehensive recommendations. These involve a systematic acquisition of genetic information, a focus on genetic diversity rather than breed purity and minimal veterinary intervention in wild‐living populations. Further, we advise allowing for natural top‐down and bottom‐up control – or, if impossible, simulating this by culling or non‐lethal removal of horses – instead of using fertility control for population management. We advocate for intensified collaboration between conservation biologists and practitioners and enhanced communication with the general public. Decision‐making should be informed by a thorough understanding of the genetic makeup, common health issues and dynamics, and social behaviour in wild‐living horse populations. Such a holistic approach is essential to reconcile human emotions associated with horses with the implementation of conservation practices that are not only effective but also sustainable for the long‐term viability of functional, biodiverse ecosystems, while rehabilitating the horse as a widespread wild‐living species in Europe.

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Are Users Good Assessors of Social Dominance in Domestic Horses?

Jastrzębska,

Siemieniuch,

Bizio

et al. 2024

Animals

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Horse users and caretakers must be aware of the risks of mixing social groups. The current study investigated whether eight equine practitioners can assess the social dominance rank of 20 horses. The horses’ feeding time and agonistic/aggressive and submissive behaviours were observed during the feed confrontation test, and the dominance index (DI) was calculated. Kendal’s W, Spearman correlations and factor analysis were applied to test the raters’ agreement, the relationship between dominance ranks and the behavioural variables, and to determine the clustered behaviours. The agreement between all raters in the classification of dominance order ranged from moderate to perfect. The ranking by every rater was strongly and negatively correlated with the time of eating in feed confrontation tests and with the DI, evidencing shorter feeding times for more submissive horses. The withdrawal of the horse when threatened was the behavioural variable that was most often correlated with raters’ ranking. The current study confirmed the abilities of practitioners to categorise the horses under their care according to their social interactions. Additionally, rolling when denied access to feed was proposed as frustration-releasing (redirected) behaviour.

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The Social and Reproductive Challenges Faced by Free-Roaming Horse (Equus caballus) Stallions

Cited by 3 publications

References 148 publications

And What the Horse Wants to Tell Us – Stereotypy of the Horse

And What the Horse Wants to Tell Us – Stereotypy of the Horse

Rewilded horses in European nature conservation – a genetics, ethics, and welfare perspective

Are Users Good Assessors of Social Dominance in Domestic Horses?

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