Equine Behavior Ask-the-Vet

These are the last days to ask Dr Sid your equine behavior questions through the AAEP Ask the vet! Know thy horse!!
http://www.aaep.org/info/askthevet?category=Behavior#atv455

Dr Gustafson is a practicing veterinarian, equine behavior educator, and novelist. The application of behavior science enhances optimum health, performance, soundness, contentment, and longevity in animal athletes. Behavioral and nutritional strategies enrich the lives of stabled horses. Training and husbandry from the horse's perspective result in content, cooperative horses who are willing to learn and perform.

Ethical Horsemanship Favors the Horse

Hello learners,

The Science of Equine Behavior provides the Basis of Ethical Horsemanship

In consideration of the horse's nature and behavior, horsewomen and horsemen are obligated to provide horses an appropriate environment, unconstrained neonatal development, formation and fulfillment of the mare-foal bond, adequate nutrition, sufficient sociobehavioral circumstances, as well as training and horsemanship modalities based on the horse's innate perspectives and sensitivities.



By nature the horse is a precocious grazer of the plains, a social and herd animal, and flighty. Horsemanship and training are best accomplished through behavioral appreciation of the horse and facilitation of the horse's nature, rather than by force or coercion. Horses are best trained in a relaxed, calm state. Training that puts the horse into the flight or sympathetic state generated by fear and punishment while restricted by rigs or round pens is discouraged, and not in accordance with acceptable standards of animal training. Horsetraining and horse teaching methods are best based on scientific studies regarding the nature of the horse. Horses learn preferentially in a relaxed state from a calm experienced handler with adept communication skills.
Social behavior in natural feral settings is the 'natural' behavior that 'natural' horsemanship utilizes to appreciate the nature of the horse.
As to dominance, the science reveals that free-ranging horses form social hierarchies that are complex and rarely linear. Under natural open range conditions with adequate resources, horses seldom have the equivalent of an alpha individual because the roles of leadership and defense are more critical than domination. Dominance theory as a training modality is not only discouraged, but appears inappropriate. The formation of order in horse groups sustains collective welfare and enhances group survival, and reflects leadership rather than domination.[1] It is important veterinarians and students of equine behavior appreciate this science.
There is no alpha. Leadership is shared and alternated and variable and context dependent in established harems in natural settings. Dominance is rare, and certainly not prevalent. When present at all, it facilitates group protection and stability. Horses share leadership. Survival is herd based, rather than individual based. The lead mare leads the horses to water and grazing and resting places. She drinks first to make sure the water is safe, rather than because she dominantes the others. Students of equine behaviour appreciate shared leadership and herd stability. Horses seek competent leadership and are willing to accept competent leadership from humans.
The horse is special in retaining the ability to thrive in feral conditions independent of man. This allows us to study their true nature versus their stable nature and to apply that knowledge to their welfare as it pertains to training.
Horse retains the ability to survive without us, and survive well.
It behooves humankind to take care with horses. Sensitive horsefolk respect the 60 million year development of the horse's social behavior and development. They appreciate equine intelligence in regard to both training and husbandry, and what the future might hold.
Stabling is unnatural. Horses graze and walk together 60-70% of the time under natural circumstances, eating and moving from spot to spot independently but within a few meters of the next horse. Stable managers and horse owners should make every effort to accommodate or recreate these long-evolved herd grazing and life-in-motion preferences for proper physiological function and mental health.

Horses require other horses for proper health and prosperity. Horses prefer the constant companionship of other horses. A horse should seldom be kept alone. Horses being mixed with other horses and expected to share resources should be properly acclimated socially, and be given the required space to adjust to new herds without injury or undue stress. Every effort should be made to provide horses with the social benefit of appropriate companion horses through times of stress and illness.
Horsewomen and men need to appreciate the sensual nature of the horse, and understand the physiological needs of the horse. Horses prefer the open view. If they cannot be in physical contact with other horses, they need to see and smell other horses for proper behavioral functioning and responsiveness.
Water is the most important nutrient, and must be provided in consideration of equine behavioral preferences. Salt is the most important mineral, and should be provided daily in some fashion.
Grazing while moving is the preferred predominant equine activity. Horses did not evolve to metabolize grains and non-structured carbohydrates, or to remain stationary for even short periods of time. Serious metabolic issues develop when horses become sedentary grain eaters, and this lifestyle should not be imposed on horses.
Play and sleep are naturally occurring preferences that require accommodation however horses are housed or stabled, as sleep deprivation results in behavioral deterioration.
Horses are physiologically dependent on shared social grooming and sensual contact companionship. If stabling precludes these preferences from fulfillment, then every effort need be applied to replace or recreate these needs on a daily basis.
These behavioral considerations apply to horses in transport, and for those horses too, however unwanted, man is obligated to provide the proper environment, social functioning, nutrition, medical care, and exercise to sufficiently assure health and comfort.
As to performance, every care and precaution need be taken to avoid exceeding the adaptability of the horse. All of the horse's normal natural sensation should remain fully intact and functional without undue pharmaceutical influence. The horse's metabolic, physical, medical, and behavioral limitations are best be monitored by equine veterinary professionals on an intense comprehensive basis.
Professional veterinary societies and organizations are encouraged to provide education regarding equine behavior.

References

McGreevy, Paul, (2004) Equine Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians and Equine Scientists Philadelphia: Elsevier Limited. ISBN 0 7020 2634 4

Olsen, Sandra, Horses and Humans, The Evolution of Human-Equine Relationships, 2006, Sandra Olsen, Grant, Choyke, and Bartosiewicz, BAR International Series 1560, Archeopress, England, ISBN 1 84171 990 0

McGreevy, Paul; McLean, Andrew, Equitation Science, Wiley Blackwell, UK, ISBN 2009048321

McGreevy, P.D. et al, (2007) "Roles of Learning theory and ethology in equitation" Journal of Veterinary Behavior 2, p. 108-118.

McGreevy Paul D., (2006) "The advent of equitation science" The Veterinary Journal 174 p. 492-500.

Waran, N., McGreevy, P., & Casey, R.A., (2002) "Training Methods and Horse Welfare", in Waran, N., ed., The Welfare of Horses, Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers (2002) 151-180.

Magner, D. (2004.) Magner's Classic Encyclopedia of the Horse. Edison, New Jersey: Castle Books, 2004.

Dr Gustafson is a practicing veterinarian, equine behavior consultant, and novelist. The application of behavior science enhances optimum health, performance, soundness, contentment, and longevity in animal athletes. Behavioral and nutritional strategies enrich the lives of stabled horses. Training and husbandry from the horse's perspective result in content, cooperative horses who are willing to learn and perform.

Vibrissae, etc ~Equine Behavior Q&A

Question: I recently rescued a 16.2hh Warmblood gelding, and he is sweet as pie. However, as a yearling, he was left in a pasture by himself for 4 years. He suprisingly has no problems with seperation from other horses, but when I (and only I) leave, he gets very nervous. Also, he follows with or without a lead, but either way keeps his nose against my back. It\'s not a hard press either, just a slight touch. He doesn\"t bite or nip, so is this behavior okay? Also he is in training to be a jumper. I have read about horses getting very hot from that. How can I help retain his sweet nature?

It seems you and he are pair-bonded! Horses form strong pair bonds with other horses and humans.

Please make sure you leave his vibrissae intact. The vibrissae are the long whiskers on the nose and over the eyes. Horses use their specialized and treasured vibrissae to identify objects they cannot easily visualize. Horses use vibrissae to drink and graze. You hear from the veterinarians about all the eyelid and nasal lacerations they sew up, and all of them are on horses with clipped vibrissae. Think of the vibrissae as eyes, as they help the horse feel (see) everything around their lips, eyes, nares, and chin. As well, the whiskers detect the rate of acceleration, lead, and location of horses running in close company with other horses. We like to leave all sensations in the horse intact for safety reasons. If your horse had intact vibrissae, he could sense where you are without touching you as he does when being led. The behavior is not too big a problem, however, and as such, need not necessarily be corrected. Let him have his vibrissae, however, please. They are essential sensory organs.

Sid Gustafson DVM

Question: I have a 10-year-old thoroughbred x connemara (3/4 x1/4) gelding that was left in a herd but was bred for cross country/eventing. I purchased him two years ago. When I purchased him he didn’t know what Velcro was and spooked at it and other things. He is extremely smart and learns quickly. I work at his speed as I believe he has potential.  

The issue is: For the last year I have tried to back him but he almost panics when something is higher than his head. He will line drive, lunge (with and without the line) as the ground work has been laid even with voice commands. Other than having somebody *buck him out* which I am not inclined to do, do you have other suggestions?

FYI: vets/chiropractor has checked him for pain points>he is clear

You have to make getting on his back a good deal for him. You have tried to rule out pain, so now he has to be gradually desensitized to all moving things above his head. This requires finesse and horsemanship, as well as patience and an extensive knowledge of learning science, along with a month to two of regular training sessions that are fun for the horse. The training always has to be a good deal for the horse. He is not yet properly prepared to be mounted or ridden, ‘backed’ as you say. There are no shortcuts. I think you need to brush and groom him for an hour each day to develop a closer bond and familiarity with one another. An hour or two of hand grazing a stabled horse each day results in a horse that will let you do most anything, you know. 

If a previous bad experience has caused this fear of things above his head, he has to be gradually counter-conditioned utilizing positive reinforcement. An object such as a flag on a stick is incrementally introduced, but never so fast as to exceed his flight threshhold. In each progressive step, he is rewarded when he tolerates the incremental heightening of the flag. When it becomes a good deal for him to have flags waved about above his head, and he is carefully and incrementally habituated to cinches and saddles on his back without exceeding his flight threshhold, he is within sight of being mounted. Looks like he is a month or two away with regular daily work that enriches his life while he is taught that nothing you do will threaten or hurt him.

Question: Is aggressive behavior on the trail towards other horses innate or changeable ? I have a 1/2 Mustang gelding who exhibits dominance in both pasture and trail environments. Is there anything I can do to modify this behavior?Thanks.

This behaviour is easy to modify when riding the horse if the rider is an accomplished horse person with impeccable timing and a keen feel, one who understands equine learning science. When your mustang exhibits aggression, he has to be disengaged immediately, which is turned to the side; put in a position which makes forward impulsion difficult for the horse by disengaging the hind legs. First, the horse has to be taught to disengage, first in hand on the ground, then seated atop.

Set your self up to succeed by avoiding the situations that you have previously allowed him to be aggressive. Ride at the back of line, please, until he is taught it is better to please you than chase others. Each time he makes an aggressive move, he is tightly turned with a direct rein until his hind end is disengaged. Correct him in both directions. One, then the other. Mix it up. Not harshly, or painfully, please. You have to release the pressure, as he soon as he disengages, of course. No hanging on the reins, please. No harsh bits, por favor. If your timing is perfect, he will soon learn that it is easier to remain passive than aggressive. Horses always take the path of least resistance, you know. Hold the oats, no grain for horses except those in race training or a similar athletic endeavor, please. An accomplished horse professional will rectify this rather easily if you cannot manage to alter the behavior. Where we have more trouble managing aggression, is when we are not riding the horse. When we are riding the horse, we can directly use learning science to effectively change this behavior first hand. Timing is essential, and timing is what most horsemen lack. Horses teach horsefolk timing, and it takes some time, folks. 

Get rhythm.

Horsemanship is all about moving with the horse, and never against her.

Question: I have a 22 yo Arab gelding, pretty spooky and not ridden but when i ask him to do something, he will do the baby jaw thing. Not sure what you call it. He throws his head up or around his body and rolls his eyes and starts making his jaw go up and down but not closing his jaw. Its what babies do. Why is this old man acting like a baby?

Senescence perhaps, no?

 Dementia some might say. 

Not that unusual altogether, and not problematic, it seems to this equine behavior teacher.

This lip smacking behavior signals neutrality and appeasement to others.

As animals and humans age, they yearn for youth, you know, sometimes trying to reinvent it.

Maybe he just knows how to stay limber at his age.

Let’s consider it okay and normal for his age, no problema, yet. Let him do it, please.

Sid Gustafson DVM

Question: I have recently become an owner of a lovely cob gelding. Before he came to me I saw him being groomed and easily picking his (very big) feet up to be picked out. Since then he will not give up his feet to me at all. He stamps and moves forward, or with his hind legs he just kicks out. What am I doing to offend him ?

You have not yet adequately pair bonded with him. An hour or two of grooming and hand-grazing each day before attempting the feet, please. There are universal cues to ask a horse to pick up his feet. For the front leg the chestnut on the inside of the forearm is gently pressed. Many horses are taught by horsemen to give the leg to this cue, like the thousands of thoroughbred racehorses I taught during their pre-race exams in New York, Washington, Montana, and California. To ask for the hind leg, we touch the point of the hock. This is after we have thoroughly familiarized ourselves with each horse we handle. The amateur way to ask for a hoof is to go straight to the fetlock. This can aggravate a Cob. Start with the nose, work your way up the head and around the ears, down the neck, shoulder, back, hips, tail. You are getting close to establishing a relationship that allows a hoof to be picked. Work your way down those legs, carefully, slowly, with finesse and feel.

You are not asking for the feet like the other people were, it seems. You have to make picking the feet a good deal for the boy, my goodness. Your horse needs to know more about you. This takes time and efforts on your part to enrich and fulfill his life. I am not sure what you did to offend him, but it was surely something, probably not getting to know him well enough before asking him to do a bunch of stuff. Horses forgive, so you have to earn each hoof. Get brushing. Hand walking and green grass grazing work wonders for a human/horse relationship. Horses are happy to please folk who know how to please horses. You have to please him more than you have, that’s all.

Sid Gustafson DVM
Equine Behavior Educator

(406) 995-2266
www.sidgustafson.com

Dr Gustafson is a practicing veterinarian, equine behavior educator, and novelist. The application of behavior science enhances optimum health, performance, soundness, contentment, and longevity in animal athletes. Behavioral and nutritional strategies enrich the lives of stabled horses. Training and husbandry from the horse's perspective result in content, cooperative horses who are willing to learn and perform.

Equine Behavior Class

 Trouble with your Horses? Ask the equine behavior veterinarian, Dr Gustafson.
http://www.aaep.org/info/askthevet?category=Behavior

This is one of our ranch horses. Her name is Pollyanna, and while not troubled, she is keeping an eye on the other horses and her surroundings.  This is the nearly-exact landscape where horses evolved, departing 10,000 years ago to Eurasia, where they merged with humans, and subsequently returned.

This range is just below the Canadian border with Montana. That blue sky yonder rests over Canada. Those gray clouds are smoke from the Glacier Park fire at the end of July, when this photo was taken. This is the type of pasture horses evolved to graze all day, which is to say the most marginal of grasslands, not green, but brown. Horses prefer this type of open view while grazing together. You can see that it would be quite a task for predator to be able to approach a herd of horses on this landscape, their native terrain. Horses do not need horns or antlers to defend themselves, only eyes and legs and others. Flight is the horse's most treasured defense mechanism. Horses are neophobic, afraid of any person, place or thing they have never previously seen or encountered. When horses see anything they have not seen or smelled before, they flee. Flight is the nature of horses. Since we depend on our horses to carry us home after a long day in the saddle, we never ever chase them ever anywhere during training or anytime in their life. Should our horse separate from us in this terrain, we expect to catch them. We never chase our horses during training, no, we train our horses to come to us, and we make coming to us a good deal, because this place is a dang, long way from the bunkhouse, and if you ever separate from your horse up here, you best be in shape to hike without water for a ways, just like any horse. Horses know to run from strange things, so please, don't become a stranger to your horse by chasing her during the training process, please. You don't want to be left alone under this Big Open without your horse, should for some reason you two part ways for moment or two, which has been know to happen from time to time. Humans are always making mistakes that cause their horse to part ways with them. The good news today is that we are going to learn how to avoid all those mistakes. We are going to learn how to bond with our horses in this class. 

Dr Gustafson is a practicing veterinarian, equine behavior educator, and novelist. The application of behavior science enhances optimum health, performance, soundness, contentment, and longevity in animal athletes. Behavioral and nutritional strategies enrich the lives of stabled horses. Training and husbandry from the horse's perspective result in content, cooperative horses who are willing to learn and perform.