Behaviour
Why ‘baby talk’ might be the best way to speak to your horse
How do you speak to your horse?
Many care givers report speaking to their companion animals using a type of speech commonly referred to as ‘pet-directed speech (PDS)’. PDS is characterized as being exaggerated in to...
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How does turnout space affect horses’ stress responses and behavioural interactions?
Background
Horses are highly social animals and can benefit substantially from interactions with other horses. However, group turnout can be associated with an increased injury risk from negative behavioural interact...
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What do horses experience when travelling in a trailer?
Background
Horses are travelled for many reasons. During travelling, horses are exposed to multi-dimensional movements and other stressful stimuli such as noise. Understanding what motion and additional energy demand...
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How does being ridden by different people affect horses’ responses to training?
Riders differ in many aspects including skill, experience, gender, weight, height, and riding style. These differences likely impact on horses ridden by different riders and may result in training cues being applied i...
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How do changes to a normal feeding routine affect equine behaviour?
Consistent management regimes are recommended in the care of horses to minimise the incidence of digestive issues and stereotypic behaviours. Predictable feeding times support good welfare and minimise environmental d...
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How do horses and humans differ in their preference for treats?
The use of treats for companion animals is common. The use of treats by equine caregivers is increasing, although has been little studied to date, especially in comparison to treat use and choice for other companion s...
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The effect of feeding and stable management on stereotypic behaviours in horses
Many horses demonstrate abnormal behaviour patterns as a result of domestic management practices1. These abnormal behaviours are termed ‘stereotypic’ and tend to be repeated and predictable in their occurrence. Horses...
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“Falling back” – How does changing daylength affect equine health and wellbeing?
Winter is coming, and that means some fundamental changes for our horses. Changing daylength and decreased temperatures are two of the most obvious impacts of winter. Cold, dark mornings and evenings become the standa...
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Can horses smell fear and happiness?
“Horses can smell fear you know”. A phrase many equestrians will have heard, but how true is it? A recent study (1) suggests there might be some truth in this statement and the results may have some interesting conseq...
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Influence of rider bodyweight on equine gait and behaviour
It is widely publicised that a growing number of the human adult population are overweight or clinically obese. Although it is recognised that inappropriate rider size has welfare implications for horses1, there is a ...
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Let’s Talk About Sex!
Preconceived versus Actual Behavioural Differences between Geldings and Mares
Horse trainers, owners and riders may have preconceived ideas about horse behaviour, temperament and rideability, based solely on the sex o...
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Do horses benefit from human demonstration on how to open a box to find food?
The behaviour of animals can be altered in various ways. Horses interact on an everyday basis with humans, and some studies suggest that horses can learn new behaviour from observing humans. A group of researchers fro...
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