ABSTRACT
Preface 8
Foreword 9
Evolution 11 Development of equids 11 Species-specific behavior 16
Animals of the plains 16 Herd animals 17 Flight animals 17
Domestication 18 Morphological and ethological changes 18 Breed-specific behavior 19
Ponies 20 Draft horses 20 Warmbloods and thoroughbreds 22
Ontogeny 23
Limitations of behavioral adaptability 26 Conflict 26 Deprivation 28 Frustration 28
Daily routine of free-roaming horses 30 Natural behavioral patterns 30 Implications for management and handling 30
Adaptation to the natural time budget 30 Regular or irregular organization of the day? 30
Social behavior 31 Natural behavioral patterns 31
Social organization and group size 31 Rank order 32 Conflicts 33 Fights 34 Bonding and relationships 36 Individual distance 36
Implications for management and handling 37 Social behavior: a learning process 37 Conception of group management: how
can agonistic behavior be reduced? 38 Correct group structure 39 Appropriate management of stallions 40 Caution when introducing newcomers 41 Are individual stalls appropriate? 41 Management of horses without equine
companions 42 The human being as a social partner 43
Reproduction behavior 45 Natural behavioral patterns 45
Sexual maturity 45 Readiness to mate 45 Mating 46
Implications for management and handling 48 Service in-hand 48 Free mating in a herd 50 Breeding stallions 51
Dam-foal behavior 51 Natural behavioral patterns 51
Behavior at birth (parturition) 51 Behavior of the newborn foal 52 Dam-foal relationship 53 Duration of the dam-foal bond 54
Implications for management and handling 55 Foaling area 55 Handling of the mare 55 Handling of the foal 56 Stress-free weaning 57
Eating behavior 58 Natural behavioral patterns 58
Feed spectrum and feed selection 58 Duration and regulation of feed intake 58 Eating times 60 Eating posture and eating technique 60 Social factors 60
Implications for management and handling 60 Appropriate feeding to satisfy nutritional
and behavioral needs 60 Feeding devices 61 Problem – the “easy keeper” 62 Stress-free feeding 63 Feed-related aggression and feed slinging 64 Feed selection must be learned 66 Feeding and behavioral problems 66
Drinking behavior 67 Natural behavioral patterns 67
Drinking process and water requirement 67 Drinking frequency and water quality 67
Implications for management and handling 68 Water requirement – water deprivation 68 Requirements for watering appliances 68
Resting behavior 69 Natural behavioral patterns 69
Types of resting 69 Resting intensity 69 Activity rhythm 70 Resting areas 70 Resting distance 71
Implications for management and handling 71 Is sufficient space good enough? 71 The “horse bed” 72 Pasture huts are not sleeping areas 72
Locomotion behavior 73 Natural behavioral patterns 73
Exercise duration 73 Gaits 73 Need for exercise and exercise
requirement 74 Implications for management and handling 74
Exercise-promoting management 74 Compensation for an exercise deficit 76 Which type of exercise is appropriate
for horses? 77 Consequences of a lack of exercise 77
Elimination and marking behavior 78 Natural behavioral patterns 78
Defecation and urination 78 Defecation areas 78 Marking 78
Implications for management and handling 80 Feeding without contact with manure 80 Resting and elimination areas 80 Pasture hygiene – a must 81 Health risks due to soiled bedding 81
Comfort behavior 82 Natural behavioral patterns 82
Solitary grooming 82 Social grooming 83
Implications for management and handling 84 Rolling areas and rubbing devices 84 Health aspects 84
Play behavior 85 Natural behavioral patterns 85 Implications for management and handling 86
Raising of foals 86 Play in the horse’s everyday life 86
Curiosity and exploratory behavior 88 Natural behavioral patterns 88 Implications for management and handling 89
Environmental variability 89 Learning by exploration 90
Behavioral aberration or unwanted behavior? 93
Definition of aberrant behavior 93 What is considered normal behavior? 93 What is a behavioral abnormality? 93 Adaptation strategies 95 What is unwanted behavior? 96
Categories of aberrant behavior 97 Classification of aberrant behavior 97
Etiologic considerations 97 Management-and handling-induced
behavioral abnormalities 98 Classification of management-and
handling-induced behavioral abnormalities 99
Causes and triggers of problem behavior 100
Behavioral aberrations 100 When does a behavioral aberration
become manifest? 100 Causes and triggers of behavioral
aberrations 100 Unwanted behavior 101
Predisposition 101 Causes and triggers of unwanted behavior 101
Diagnosis of problem behavior 103 Approach 103
Posture and facial expression as a diagnostic aid 104
How is pain recognized? 105 How is fear recognized? 107 How is aggression recognized? 108 Types of expression shown by horses
under a rider’s influence 108 Assessing emotions 110
Basics of handling and learning psychology 112
How does a horse learn? 112 Habituation 112 Operant conditioning 113 Classical conditioning 113 Imitation 114 Imprinting 114
Factors influencing the willingness to learn 114 Learning training and motivation 114 How long can a horse concentrate? 115
How does a horse comprehend? 115 Time coordination 115 Increasing the learning success 115
Therapy and prevention of problem behavior 117
Therapy and prevention of behavioral aberrations 117 Management and feeding 117 Handling 124 Breeding 125
Therapy and prevention of unwanted behavior 127 Medical therapy and pain management 127 Learning therapies 128 Rank order 131 Trust-building measures 134 Management, handling and prevention 134
Eating behavior 137 Cribbing/windsucking 137 Tongue playing and stereotypical licking of
objects 141 Rubbing the teeth against objects and
bar biting 142 Excessive wood chewing 143 Manure eating and soil eating 145 Polyphagia nervosa (excessive eating) 146
Locomotion behavior 146 Weaving 146 Stall walking, fence walking and figure
eight walking 150 Excessive pawing 150 Kicking against the stall walls 151
Social behavior 152 Misdirected imprinting 152 Self-mutilation (autoaggression) 154 Heightened aggressiveness 156
Heightened aggressiveness within a group 156 Sexual aggressiveness in stallions 158 Maternal aggressiveness 159
Comfort behavior 161 Tail rubbing 161 Excessive grooming 162 Head tossing, headshaking 163
Resting behavior 166 Failure to lie down 166
Unwanted behavior during handling 169 Unwillingness to be caught 170 Unwillingness to be led 173 Problems during loading 175 Problems during hoof trimming and shoeing 180 Aggressiveness during handling
(biting and kicking) 183
Unwanted behavior under saddle or tack 187
Bringing the tongue over the bit 187 Head tossing, headshaking under
saddle or tack 190 Herd-boundness 191 Shying 194 Rearing 198 Bucking 204 Girthiness 208
Glossary 212
References 215
Index 220
