Could adults be used to improve social skills of young horses, Equus caballus?
We investigated the effects of the introduction of foreign adults on the behavior of young horses. First, we observed the behavior of 1- and 2-year-old domestic horses housed in same-age and same-sex groups (a standard housing system, but different from a natural situation). Then, two same-sex adults were introduced into each experimental group. Observations made before, during and after an introduction indicated that young horses reared in homogeneous groups of young had different behaviors compared to other domestic horses reared under more socially natural conditions. After the introduction of adults, young horses expressed new behaviors, preferential social associations emerged, positive social behavior increased and agonistic interactions decreased. These results have important implications both for understanding the influence that adults may have on the behavior of young horses, and in terms of husbandry, indicating the importance of keeping young horses with adults, although further studies are still necessary.
Bourjade
Marie
M
UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie-Evolution-Ecologie, Université de Rennes 1, Avenue du Général Leclerc, Campus de Beaulieu, F-35042 Rennes Cedex, France. marie.bourjade@univ-rennes1.fr
Moulinot
Maïc
M
Henry
Séverine
S
Richard-Yris
Marie-Annick
MA
Hausberger
Martine
M
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses; D008297:Male; D012919:Social Behavior; D013663:Teaching