Time: London 6PM / Paris 7PM / New York 1PM / Sydney 5:00AM (+1)

Part of the Clinical Equine Behaviour - Science, Welfare & Behavioural Medicine Online Lecture Series

CONTENT DESCRIPTION

The wild relative of domestic horses, the Przewalski horse, was at the brink of extinction but was preserved through an international breeding network and can be observed today in zoos and reserves and have also been successfully re-introduced to the wild. We are fortunate to be able to study these horses in various contexts. In addition to Przewalski horses, other feral horse groups that receive minimal management from humans provide important information on natural horse behaviour. Several studies suggest that domestic horses express the same movement and social behaviours as wild horses if provided with an appropriate physical and social environment. Thus, the behavioural repertoire and behavioural needs of domestic horses appear relatively unchanged by domestication. 

Horses are social herbivores with a digestive system adapted to a diet of low nutrient grasses and other plants, consumed steadily throughout the day. They are adapted to moving slowly forward while foraging and frequently move between patches of grass, and between various types of forage, even when grass is abundant. Opportunities for variable foraging, free movement and full physical contact with other horses are likely related to positive mental states in horses. 

The lecture will present recent research on natural horse behaviour and relates the findings to behavioural needs and welfare of domestic horses. A behavioural need is usually characterized by three elements; absence of opportunity to perform the behaviour leads to a state of stress and possibly development of abnormal behaviour, animals will show a rebound in the behaviour when the opportunity arises after a period of deprivation, and the animal will work to be able to perform the behaviour.