CHAPTER 40: BEHAVIOURAL ABNORMALITIES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPRESSION
Normal Social Behaviour
Horses are social animals, normally living in or groups. In the wild a herd consists of a stallion, several mares & their foals. Most foals leave their natal herd at around 2 years of age while mares may leave a herd to give birth, to join the herd of another stallion or due to ill health or death. and threats to keep the herd moving and to keep the mares together. He also tends each mare through vocalization and grooming throughout the year. Mares in a herd determine dominance between themselves through perceived threat and physical displacement. Combat or direct aggression is not normally used within the herd though stallions may defend their herd from an interloping stallion through aggression or violence. In the herd the stallion is dominant. He uses Normal social behaviours for horses that are acquainted include , physical displacement, courtship behaviours, vocalizations, herd movement to available resources and play such as halter biting, pushing or running. Many abnormal social behaviours stem frommanagement or environment changes or situations. For example: ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Many of the stereotypical behaviours are of oral or locomotor origin including: aggression, savagery, destructive behaviour such as wood chewing or wall kicking, corophagia, pica, such as circling, stall walking, fence walking, weaving, head tossing, cribbing, pawing, striking or kicking, self-mutilation, foal rejection, poor libido and nymphomania. Researchers do feel there is an underlining neurological, endocrine &/or gastrointestinal underpinning and that the horse simple isn’t just bored.
Behavioural Abnormalities
Aggression and Savagery
Aggression or savagery may occur between horses or between a horse and people. The aggressive horse attacks using its fore feet to strike, its hind legs to kick or its teeth to bite with the intention of inflicting injury on its victim.
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