Fraser's The Behaviour and Welfare of the Horse

245 Pages·2022·22.114 MB·English

by  Christopher B. Riley, Sharon E. Cregier, Andrew F. Fraser

Fraser’s The Behaviour and Welfare of the Horse,
3rd Edition
Fraser’s The Behaviour and
Welfare of the Horse, 3rd Edition
Christopher B. Riley BVSc(Hons), PhD, Diplomate ACVS
Professor of Equine Clinical Studies and Registered Specialist in Equine Surgery
School of Veterinary Science, Massey University
New Zealand
Sharon E. Cregier PhD (Walden), FIASH (Hon, Edinburgh)
University of Prince Edward Island
Canada
and
North American Editor Emerita, Equine Behaviour.
Andrew F. Fraser MRCVS, MVSc†
Formerly Professor of Surgery (Veterinary)
Memorial University of Newfoundland Canada
and
Formerly Editor-in-Chief, Applied Animal Behaviour Science
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library, London, UK.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Riley, Christopher B., author. | Cregier, Sharon E., author. | Fraser, Andrew F., author.
Title: Fraser’s the behaviour and welfare of the horse / Christopher B. Riley, BSc, BVSc(Hons), MSc, PhD(Saskatchewan),
Diplomate ACVS, MANZCVS, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies and Registered Specialist in Equine Surgery, School of
Veterinary Science, Massey University, New Zealand, Sharon E. Cregier, PhD (Walden), FIASH (Hon, Edinburgh), University
of Prince Edward Island, Canada and North American Editor Emerita, Equine Behaviour, Andrew F. Fraser, MRCVS, MVSc,
Formerly Professor of Surgery (Veterinary), Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada and Formerly Editor-in-Chief,
Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
Other titles: Behaviour and welfare of the horse
Description: 3rd edition. | Wallingford, Oxfordshire ; Boston, MA : CAB International, [2022] | Revised edition of: The
behaviour and welfare of the horse / Andrew F. Fraser. end ed. c2010. | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
Summary: “This classic book provides a comprehensive overview of equine behaviour, an outline of current advances in
our understanding, as well as offering insights into contemporary and future challenges for improving horse welfare and
safety”-- Provided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021052218 (print) | LCCN 2021052219 (ebook) | ISBN 9781789242102 (hardback) | ISBN
9781789242119 (paperback) | ISBN 9781789242126 (ebook) | ISBN 9781789242133 (epub)
Subjects: LCSH: Horses--Behavior. | Animal welfare.
Classification: LCC SF281 .F73 2022 (print) | LCC SF281 (ebook) | DDC 636.1--dc23/eng/20211025
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021052218
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021052219
References to Internet websites (URLs) were accurate at the time of writing.
ISBN-13: 978 1 78924 210 2 (hardback)
978 1 78924 211 9 (paperback)
978 1 78924 212 6 (ePDF)
978 1 78924 213 3 (ePub)
DOI: 10.1079/9781789242133.0000
Commissioning Editor: Caroline Makepeace
Editorial Assistant: Emma McCann
Production Editor: Marta Patiño
Typeset by SPi, Pondicherry, India
Printed and bound in the UK by Severn, Gloucester
Contributors
Dr Sharon E. Cregier PhD (Walden) FIASH (Hon, Edinburgh)
Cheiron’s Court
P.O. Box 1100
Montague
PE Canada C0A 1R0,
Email: [email protected]
Associate Professor Erica K. Gee BVSc, PhD, Diplomate ACT
School of Veterinary Science
Massey University
Private Bag 11222
Palmerston North, New Zealand 4442
Email: [email protected]
Dr Rebecca Husted BS PhD
Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue®, Inc.
1787 Georgia 18
Macon, GA 31217, USA
Email: [email protected]
Associate Professor Barbara Padalino DVM, PhD, Celta
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari
University of Bologna
Viale Fanin, 50 - 40127
Bologna, Italy
Email: [email protected]
Ms Gemma Pearson BVMS, MScR, MRCVS
Equine Hospital,
Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies
University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Email: [email protected]
Professor Christopher B. Riley BVSc(Hons), PhD, Diplomate ACVS
School of Veterinary Science,
Massey University
Private Bag 11222,
Palmerston North, New Zealand 4442
Email: [email protected]
v
Professor Chris W. Rogers MAgrSc, PhD
School of Veterinary Science,
Massey University,
Private Bag 11222,
Palmerston North, New Zealand 4442
Email: [email protected]
Professor Natalie K. Waran PhD
Faculty of Education, Humanities and Health Science
Eastern Institute of Technology,
Hawke’s Bay, 501 Gloucester Street,
Taradale, Napier, New Zealand 4112
Email: [email protected]
vi Contributors
Preface
Since the publication of the second edition there has been a rapid expansion of research into domesticated
equine behaviour, and a paradigm shift in the world view of their welfare, from simply meeting basic needs,
to promoting a life worth living. For decades the implementation of animal welfare principles has been
underpinned by the Five Freedoms. Freedom from hunger and thirst, discomfort, pain, injury or disease, to
express normal behaviour, and from fear and distress remain important. However, since the publication of
the second edition, the application of the Five Domains framework has gained significant momentum.
Encompassing behaviour, nutrition, health and environment (each are addressed in this third edition), a fifth
dimension seeks to explore the mental state and well-being of the horse. As described in the chapters in this
book, we must acknowledge that the mental state of the horse affects every aspect of its physical welfare, and
that horses experience emotional and subjective responses to stimuli that affect the quality of their life experi-
ences. As we acknowledge in this book, research into the emotional needs of horses is difficult and in its early
stages of development. However, in the future, meeting the emotional needs of the horse may very well be
regarded as important as meeting its physical needs.
The pursuit of endeavours that improve our understanding of the why of equine behaviour has led to best
practices that promote the mental and emotional well-being of the horse. Increasingly practices encompassing
principles of equine learning theory, such as those promoted by the International Society for Equitation
Science, are actively encouraged for horse training. Several of the internationally recognized authors of
chapters in this edition continue to play key roles in the translation of research into all aspects of our interac-
tions with the domesticated horse, including veterinary practice.
With the passing of the editorial torch in this third edition, it should be recognized that the ground-
breaking first and second editions have inspired generations of equine scientists and veterinarians with a
genuine interest in the behaviour and the improvement of the welfare of our equine companions. Translated,
this has in some way stimulated at least some of the recent work reviewed in this book. Naturally, this has
led to a much greater task assembling and summarizing this explosion of knowledge into one volume. To
that end, the third edition brings together a truly international cadre of authors from both hemispheres, three
continents and five countries. The authors have sought to generate evidence-based summaries and recom-
mendations, drawing on both their considerable professional experience, and the published works of
researchers and practitioners from all continents, many countries, and many professional disciplines. Whereas
in the past much of equine training and husbandry has been underpinned by traditional knowledge and
practices, the way forward for improving the welfare of the horse, and the realization of the Five Domains,
must be through the translation of evidence-based research onto practice for all.
C.B. Riley
New Zealand
February 2022
vii
Table of Contents
In Tribute xi
1 Development and Assessment of Equine Behaviour 1
Natalie K. Waran, Gemma Pearson and Andrew F. Fraser
2 Sensory and Neurologic Faculties 24
Christopher B. Riley
3 The Neurological Underpinnings of Behaviour 36
Christopher B. Riley
4 Behavioural Homeostasis, Daily Rhythms and Advances in Monitoring 50
Barbara Padalino
5 Ingestion, Elimination and Comfort 61
Christopher B. Riley
6 Kinetic Behaviour and Athletic Performance 81
Chris W. Rogers
7 Spatial Factors 96
Chris W. Rogers
8 Equine Transport 103
Barbara Padalino and Christopher B. Riley
9 Reproduction and Breeding 124
Erica K. Gee
10 Mare and Foal Dynamics 138
Erica K. Gee
11 Foal Function and Welfare 147
Christopher B. Riley
12 Development and Social Behaviour 166
Natalie K. Waran, Gemma Pearson and Andrew F. Fraser
13 Undesirable Behaviour and Stress 179
Gemma Pearson, Natalie K. Waran and Andrew F. Fraser
14 Humane Control, Training and Husbandry 195
Christopher B. Riley
15 Evacuation and Rescue Welfare 210
Rebecca Husted
Index 229
ix
In Tribute
Andrew F. Fraser
1927 – 2021
In the mid-1960s, Andrew Fraser, a lifetime horseman, was full of questions about how and why animals
determine what they do and how they interact with humans. Searching for information at a leading veteri-
nary library, he was told: ‘None of our old gentlemen would approve the purchase of such non-veterinary
literature’.
It was a dismissiveness that launched a sea-change. He resolved to do the work himself. Inspired by Ruth
Harrison’s 1964 Animal Machines, and the 1965 Brambell Report, Andrew Fraser gathered cohorts. Their
scheme began with the founding of the Society for Veterinary Ethology (now the International Society for
Applied Ethology) and its galloping horse icon. The publishing of its proceedings in the British Veterinary
Journal followed. Elsevier’s Applied Animal Ethology (now Applied Animal Behavior Science) was estab-
lished in 1974 under Andrew Fraser’s editorship. Speaking tours, larded with Andrew Fraser’s tact, humour,
and professional acumen followed, resulting in South Africa and New Zealand’s veterinary schools incorp-
orating animal ethology into their curricula. The Society for Veterinary Ethology was invited to the Council
of Europe’s Expert Committee on the Protection of Animals, advised Britain’s Ministry of Agriculture, and
influenced Codes of Practice worldwide. Novices, too, benefitted, as Andrew Fraser fostered Equine
Behaviour, a volunteer quarterly accepting observations from scientists and horsemen of all levels. The world
had been introduced to the myriad qualities and attributions of animals.
In his remaining years, well seasoned to the challenge of bureaucratic obstacles, he won protected status
for the Newfoundland Pony. Five hundred, and their Celtic heritage, unlike the thousands before them, were
saved from slaughter.
Tenacious in his resolve, Andrew Fraser and his distinguished colleagues built the case that man had a
moral duty toward animals. All this activity dislodged the traditional pathogenic approach to animal care.
With a broadened understanding of the why and how of animal behaviour, and recognition of the animal’s
cognitive abilities and sentience, the scatter-shot approach to animal health faded. The rigid structure of
reductionist behaviourism was being dismantled. Professionals were accepting ethology as a necessary tool
for the veterinarian. More refined and timely diagnoses resulted, benefitting veterinarians’ credibility. The
social license to have animals in care and training was invigorated and endorsed.
The horse held a special place in Andrew Fraser’s life. He once referred to its nobility. He dedicated his life
to increasing our understanding of its nature and needs. Today, the study and application of animal ethology
has improved diagnostics, training, relationship building, and more humane treatment. Veterinarians, train-
ers, and handlers of all levels are forever in debt to one man’s tenacious curiosity. Now generations of prac-
titioners can provide better care for the animals in their keeping, the very thing Andrew Fraser was hoping
for when he began his life quest.
His breadth of knowledge was such that it took seven contributors to this third edition of The Behaviour
and Welfare of the Horse to cover the scope he prepared single-handedly. Today, his works take pride of place
in veterinary libraries worldwide … even in the one that first refused ‘such non-veterinary literature’.
Sharon E. Cregier, PhD FIASH (Hon., Edin.)
Christopher B. Riley, PhD Diplomate ACVS
xi
1
Development and Assessment
of Equine Behaviour
NATALIE K. WARAN PHD1*, GEMMA PEARSON BVMS, MSCR,
MRCVS2 AND ANDREW F. FRASER MVSC, MRCVS3
1Eastern Institute of Technology, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand; 2The University
of Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, UK; 3Carbonear, Newfoundland, Canada
The Process of Evolution 2
Innate Behavioural Patterns and Environment 2
Changes in Form or Type 2
Initial Learning 3
Domestication 4
Inherent Capability in Learning 6
Homeostasis and Survival 6
Appraisal of Behaviour in Horses 7
Methods for Appraising Behaviour 8
Open-feld tests 8
Specifc behavioural tests used in veterinary studies 9
Critical Appraisal of Behaviour 10
Behaviours Associated with Clinical Conditions 10
Locomotory Behaviour 11
Ontogeny of Behaviour: Instinct 11
Instinctive behaviour 12
Release of innate responses 12
Sensitive periods and imprinting 13
Early Experience 13
Ontogeny of Behaviour: Learning 14
Classical conditioning 14
Operant conditioning 15
Non-associative learning: habituation and desensitisation 15
Motivation, Reinforcement and Punishment 16
Emotionality and Intelligence 18
Cognitive Bias 18
Behaviour and Equine Welfare 19
One welfare 19
References 21
*Corresponding author: [email protected]
© CAB International 2022. Fraser’s the Behaviour and Welfare of the Horse (eds C.B. Riley, 1
S.E.Cregier and A.F. Fraser)
DOI: 10.1079/9781789242133.0001