Understanding Your Horse
By Linda Kennard, NAF
Introduction
Domestic horses can now enjoy a life expectancy that stretches well into their twenties, something which would be unheard of in the wild. One of the primary reasons for this is man's intervention in the management of disease and illness that would claim the lives of animals left untreated. However, it would be wrong of us to assume that domestication has brought nothing but benefits to the horse. Diseases such a laminitis along with psychological problems such as crib-biting and weaving can nearly always be traced back to the effects of domestic management, with these conditions rarely seen in free-living animals.
There is a line of thought which gets the backing of many renowned behaviourists that many problems arise from the way in which domestic management of the horse varies from the animals natural behaviour. This article aims to define the natural behaviour patterns of the horse or pony in free-living circumstances and contrast them with the regime that we often impose on intensively managed animals. It is felt that trying to allow the domestic horse to mimic many of the behaviours it would perform in the wild may lead to happier and healthier animals.
Equine Ethology
The prevalence of abnormal behaviour in domestic horse populations has been estimated to range between 30%-40%. Many researchers now believe that behaviours such as crib-biting, wind-sucking and box-walking are indicators of stress. There is scientific evidence to suggest that these repetitive actions present a means of coping with boredom or conversely, dealing with stressful situations. This stress may be derived from not being able to perform activities that the animal has a strong requirement to fulfil. Failure to recognise the importance of these intrinsic needs is perhaps one of the greatest failings of domestication.
Researchers are now spending more time trying to determine what constitutes 'natural' behaviour in the horse, through conducting behavioural studies to try and determine this species ethology. Ethology is the study of animals in their natural environment to determine how their time is spent. Studies conducted on free-living horses have revealed certain trends that can be used to help manage animals in domestic circumstances.
Social Relationships
Perhaps one of the most important things to understand about the horse is that it is a highly social species. Wild horses and ponies will spend most of their time in close proximity to others. Behaviours such as mutual grooming (standing nose to tail with a peer and grooming with the teeth) have been shown to be important to forming and reinforcing bonds within the group. Pair bonding between horses is also common and basically refers to acquiring a 'best friend'. In domestic circumstances, stabling removes much of the potential for forming and reinforcing bonds between individuals, and this can act as a source of stress for many horses.
Therefore, in order to maintain a balanced mental state it is important that horses should at least be able to see others of the same species while in the stable. Many stables now have grills between stables to allow this to happen more effectively. Be careful not to put horses side by side who clearly don't get on, as this will have the opposite effect. Opportunities for turnout should also be maximised to allow animals to engage in social behaviours. Do take time to observe what horses and ponies get on and those that don't, to allow turnout to be arranged accordingly.
Nutrition
This is an area that has an overwhelming influence on the welfare of domestic horses and ponies. Nutritional imbalances can have an adverse effect on the immune system and leave the animal prone to disease. Recovery from injury is also dependent on a supply of nutrients that are required to synthesise new tissue. The list of nutrients required to maintain health is vast, and the horse in its free-living state has evolved a diet, and subsequently a digestive tract that is capable of meeting its needs. The prime source of nutrition is plant material and fibrous grasses, along with certain roots and herbs. It is important to recognise that the list does not end here. Horses and ponies also ingest small amounts of bark, leaves, clays and soils along with microorganisms such as a bacteria, fungi and enzymes. A host of insect life is also eaten in the course of a days grazing.
When this list is compared to the diet of the domestic horse it is easy to observe that low or borderline provision of vital nutrients may occur in captivity. Pastures for grazing horses in domestic circumstances are often only composed of a few types of grass species (a pattern reflected in the hay).
Cereal grains are often used as a source of supplemental feed, although these rarely form a major part of the diet for the wild horse. Conflict also arises in the way this type of feed is broken down and digested. The largely fibrous diet of the free-living horse requires approximately 60 000 jaw movements per day to breakdown. This results in the wild animal spending about 60% of their day grazing. In contrast, only 1000 jaw movements are required to prepare 1kg of grain.
Stabled horses will therefore only spend a small fraction of their day involved in digesting their concentrate meals. The animals strong desire to graze is not fulfilled, leaving large gaps in the day when there is literally nothing to do. Boredom can set in which can lead to the development of behavioural problems, again often seen in the form of crib biting, box walking and weaving. The rapid passage of concentrate feed through the gastrointestinal tract can also lead to digestive disturbance. Toxins may build up in the digestive tract along with harmful acids, causing discomfort and anxiety. In more severe cases, metabolic disorders such as laminitis can result.
There are many lessons to be learned from these observations. The first is that horses and ponies should be allowed frequent access to properly maintained grazing. Animals prone to laminitis will need to be limited to prevent aggravating the condition. Allowing domestic horses to graze not only brings nutritional benefits, but also helps to fulfil natural behaviour patterns, thus contributing to psychological welfare. Supplemental feeding should also contain a high percentage of fibrous material for the same reasons. A diet following this basic principle will also promote gut motility and slow the passage of any concentrate feed provided.
The Effects of Stabling
A grazing horse can travel up to 60km per day in the search for food. This slow continuous movement not only aids digestion (through promoting gut motility) but also helps to keep the musculoskeletal system in good shape. Repetitive loading is the stimulus required for the maintenance of bone density. Stabling horses and ponies for long periods of time removes this beneficial loading and can lead to a weakening of bone and cartilage. Animals are then more prone to exercise induced injury, which in turn often enforces more periods of box rest. This again reinforces the need to give your horse or pony as much time out of the stable as is feasibly possible. It is interesting to note the high incidence of bone pathologies in the modern race horse, combined with the limited cases observed in skeletons of the last truly wild subspecies of horse, the Przewalski. While this must be attributed in part to the high intensity exercise regime imposed on the racehorse, it is likely that the natural lifestyle and diet of the Przewalski also plays an important part in this notable difference.
Conclusion
Domestication has brought the horse a number of potential benefits, most notably protection from predators and provision of food and shelter. However, man has also created problems for the domestic animal. Many seemingly localised problems such as laminitis can actually stem from a failure to address welfare as a whole. Perhaps the most under estimated factor in modern horse care has been the influence of psychological well being on physical state. The negative impact that physical discomfort can have on the mental state of the animal is also being acknowledged to a greater extent. This complex interaction between factors such as psychology, nutrition and physical demands placed on the body is leading conscientious owners to take a more natural approach to the way in which they manage their animals.
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