Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T08:20:27.588Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Factors affecting behavioural disturbances in race-horses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

I. Redbo
Affiliation:
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Kungsängen Research Centre, S–753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
P. Redbo-Torstensson
Affiliation:
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Ecology and Environmental Research, Box 7072, S–750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
F. O. Ödberg
Affiliation:
Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Heidestraat 19, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
A. Hedendahl
Affiliation:
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Kungsängen Research Centre, S–753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
J. Holm
Affiliation:
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Nutrition and Management, Kungsängen Research Centre, S–753 23 Uppsala, Sweden
Get access

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to identify relations between stereotyped behaviours (cribbing, weaving and box-walking) and wood-chewing in thoroughbred flat-racing horses (TB) and standardbred trotters and the different management, feeding and training factors to which these horses are exposed. This was obtained by inquiries to all the professional trainers of TB and trottinghorses used for racing in Sweden. The usable response rates were 61% for trotters and 72% for TB representing 4597 trotters from 234 stables and 644 TB from 38 stables. A small field study was carried out to control the validity of the main study which gave results similar to those in the main study. There was a large difference between the two horse categories in the occurrence of behavioural disturbances. The TB had significantly more stereotypies than the trotters (P < 0·001) but there were no differences in the occurrence of wood-chewing. There were several differences in external factors between the horse categories, e.g. trotters had more opportunities for social contacts with other horses, they also had more free time outside the stable and they were trained a shorter time per week than the TB. The TB were given larger amounts of concentrate than the trotters. Wood-chewing within each horse category was explained by the amount of roughage (P < 0·05 in trotters and P < 0·001 in TB) together with other factors. Stereotypies in the TB were explained by: amount of concentrate (positive relation), number of horses per trainer (positive relation) and amount of roughage (negative relation).

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Borroni, A. and Canali, E. 1993. Behavioural problems in thoroughbred horses reared in Italy. Proceedings of the international congress on applied ethology, Berlin (ed. Nichelmann, M., Wierenga, H. and Braun, S.).Google Scholar
Crawley, M. 1993. GLIMfor ecologists. Blackwell, Oxford.Google Scholar
Galizzi Vecchiotti, G. G. and Galanti, R. 1986. Evidence of heredity of cribbing, weaving and stall-walking in thoroughbred horses Livestock Production Science 14: 9195.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gillham, S. B., Dodman, N. H., Shuster, L., Kream, R. and Rand, W. 1994. The effect of diet on cribbing behaviour and plasma p-endorphin in horses Applied Animal Behaviour Science 41:147153.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hosoda, T. 1950. On the heritability of susceptibility to windsucking in horses. Japanese Journal of Zootechnical Science 21: 25.Google Scholar
Houpt, K. A. 1981. Equine behavior problems in relation to humane management International Journal for the Study of Animal Problems 2: 329337.Google Scholar
Houpt, K. A. and McDonnell, S. M. 1993. Equine stereotypies. Compendium on Continuing Education for the Practicing Veterinarian 15: 12651272.Google Scholar
Kennedy, M. J. 1995. Measuring the welfare of the horse. In The thinking horse, pp. 7681. Equine Research Centre, University of Guelph.Google Scholar
Kennedy, M. J., Schwabe, A. E. and Broom, D. M. 1993. Crib-biting and wind-sucking stereotypies in the horse. Equine Veterinary Education 5:142147.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kiley-Worthington, M. 1983. Stereotypies in horses Equine Practice 5: 3440.Google Scholar
Krzak, W. E., Gonyou, H. W. and Lawrence, L. M. 1991. Wood chewing by stabled horses: diurnal pattern and effects of exercise. Journal ofAnimal Science 69: 10531058.Google ScholarPubMed
Kusunose, R. 1992. Diurnal pattern of cribbing in stabled horses Japanese Journal of Equine Science 3:173176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawes Agricultural Trust. 1993. Genstat 5 release 3 reference manual. Genstat 5 Committee, Rothhamsted, Hertfordshire/ Clarendon Press, Oxford.Google Scholar
Luescher, A., McKeown, D. B. and Dean, H. 1996. A cross-sectional study on compulsive behaviour (stable vices) in horses. Proceedings of the 30th international congress of the ISAE, Guelph (ed. Duncan, I. J. H., Widowski, T. M. and Haley, D. B.), p. 22.Google Scholar
McCullagh, P. and Nedler, J. A. 1989. Generalized linear models. Chapman Hall, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McGreevy, P. D., Cripps, P. J., French, N. P., Green, L. E. and Nicol, C. J. 1995. Management factors associated with stereotypic and redirected behaviour in the thoroughbred horse Equine Veterinary Journal 27: 8691.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marsden, M. D. 1993. Feeding practices have greater effect than housing practices on the behaviour and welfare of the horse. Livestock Environment IV. Fourth international symposium of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers, University of Warwick, Coventry, pp. 314318.Google Scholar
Odberg, F. O. 1978. Abnormal behaviours: stereotypies. Proceedings of the first world congress on ethology applied zootechnics, Madrid, pp. 475480.Google Scholar
Pilliner, S. 1992. Horse nutrition and feeding. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Redbo, I. 1990. Changes in duration and frequency of stereotypies and their adjoining behaviours in heifers, before, during and after the grazing period Applied Animal Behaviour Science 26:5767.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redbo, I., Emanuelsson, M., Lundberg, K. and Oredsson, N. 1996. Feeding level and oral stereotypies in dairy cows. Animal Science 62:199206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Redbo, I. and Nordblad, A. 1997. Stereotypies in heifers are affected by feeding regime. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 53:193202.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sambraus, H. H. 1985. Mouthbased anomalous syndromes. In Ethology of farm animals (ed. Fraser, A. F.), pp. 391422. Elsevier, Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Sambraus, H. H. and Radtke, K. 1989. Zum Weben des Pferdes Deutsche Tierarztliche Wochenschrift 96: 248255.Google Scholar
Steinberg, D. and Colla, P. 1991. LOGIT: a supplementary modulefor systat. SYSTAT Inc., Evanston, IL.Google Scholar
Wilkinson, L. 1992. Systat version 5.2. SYSTAT, Evanston, Illinois.Google Scholar
Willard, J. G., Willard, J. C., Wolfram, S. A. and Baker, J. P. 1977. Effect of diet on cecal pH and feeding behavior of horses Journal of Animal Science 45: 8793.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Winskill, L., Waran, N. K., Channing, C. and Young, R. 1995. Stereotypies in the stabled horse: causes, treatments and prevention Current Science 69:310316.Google Scholar