1,721,026 research outputs found
Book review. Horse Power: a History of the Horse and the Donkey in Human Societies, 1992, Juliet Clutton-Brock
No full textThe importance of ethology in understanding the behaviour of the horse
No full textDomestication has provided the horse with food, shelter, veterinary care and protection, allowing individuals an increased chance of survival. However, the restriction of movement, limited breeding opportunities and a requirement to expend energy, for the benefit of another species, conflict with the evolutionary processes which shaped the behaviour of its predecessors. The behaviour of the horse is defined by its niche as a social prey species but many of the traits which ensured the survival of its ancestors are difficult to accommodate in the domestic environment. There has been a long association between horses and man and many features of equine behaviour suggest a predisposition to interspecific cooperation. However, the importance of dominance in human understanding of social systems has tended to overemphasize its importance in the human-horse relationship. The evolving horse-human relationship from predation to companionship, has resulted in serial conflicts of interest for equine and human participants. Only by understanding the nature and origin of these conflicts can ethologists encourage equine management practices which minimise deleterious effects on the behaviour of the horse
Natural horsemanship: a balanced view
No full textThe recent popularity of Natural Horsemanship has created something often difficult to achieve in the equestrian industry - change! Natural Horsemanship trainers have produced a cultural change in thinking and approach to horse:human interactions. These changes extend from individual horse owners through to conventional training organizations, including the BHS, who dubbed 2007 “The Year of Equine Ethology”. Academic equine ethologists were very interested in these developments, but became concerned at the way that some Natural Horsemanship trainers presented “Equine Ethology”. Often personal opinions were claimed to be facts, without any associated objective study of horse behaviour in the natural or domestic environment. Good Natural Horsemanship trainers are talented observers of horse behaviour and can detect and respond precisely to subtle cues during horse training. They have demonstrated their ability to exploit the marketplace and teach their methods for commercial reward. Unfortunately, not all followers of these methods are as effective as the originating trainers. Inaccurate application can lead to poor results, disappointment and eventually frustration in people, which may result in abuse, confusion and conflict behavior in horses. It is beguiling to think that we can learn to “speak horse”, impose our will on horses by understanding their behavior; even exert dominance over them, and that as a result horses will respect our leadership. Though attractive, unfortunately these ideas are inherently flawed and potentially problematic. We have no evidence that horses perceive us as “honorary horses”, or that we can insert ourselves into their social organization. Such beliefs can cause problems when things go wrong. When this happens does it mean that we are “poor leaders”, or that our horses don’t “respect” us? Or is there a simpler explanation? Have we simply failed to successfully train correct responses to our cues?Scientists studying horse behavior and training have been prompted by the success of Natural Horsemanship trainers in achieving cultural change to take a more active approach in communicating their work to horse owners and trainers. The recently formed International Society for Equitation Science http://www.equitationscience.com/ aims to encourage this communication between equine science professionals and practitioners. Science has much to offer in advancing techniques in horse training and reducing wastage by objectively assessing what does and does not work, and most importantly, why? Trainers can be helped to be more effective through improving their understanding of how horses learn and the correct application of learning theory in training.Calibrated rein tension gauges and pressure sensitive spurs can measure the strength of aids used to communicate a rider’s intentions to the horse. Riders and trainers can integrate technology into their training methods to understanding contact and lightness objectively. Performance and welfare assessment is now possible via heart rates, gait analysis, blood, urine and saliva analyses plus other well accepted physiological measures.Equitation scientists, conventional and Natural Horsemanship trainers aim to help people train horses more effectively. It is vital that we share our knowledge to achieve these goals, as when training fails the horse suffers, and may pay the ultimate price with its life
Behavioural characteristics of pure-bred dogs in Italy; comparison with US and UK
No full textIn recent times the selection of dog breeds for functionality has progressively lost its importance and the behavioural attitudes originally selected are often considered as problems in household environments (Coppinger, 1995, Coppinger, 1998, Coppinger, 2001, Willis, 1989, Willis, 1995). It is difficult to carry out genetic studies in order to identify inherited behavioural traits in a large sample of the numerous breeds and these studies would probably have many ethical, economical and practical implications ( Brown, 1978, Dykermann, 1979,Goddart & Beilharz, 1985, Scott & Fuller, 1965, Svartberg, 2002) .
The present study intends to obtain information about dog behavioural characteristics by following the same methodology as the ones used in the studies conducted in the USA by Hart &Hart (1983) and in the UK by Bradshaw, Goodwin, Lea and Whitehead (1996). The comparison of the results with those of the USA and UK studies can give further information about this topic. One-hundred and twelve Italian veterinarians and fifty-six dog experts (trainers, behaviour counsellors and animal charity officers) were asked to complete a questionnaire with 13 questions about behavioural characteristics of dogs and to compare male and female behaviour. The breeds chosen for the survey were selected among the most popular ones present in Italy. On the basis of the number of enrolments to the Italian Kennel Club (average for years 2000, 2001 and 2002) in the different groups as divided by Federation Cynologique International (FCI), 49 breeds were selected ( Fiorone, 1987, Gallicchio, 2001). Many of these breeds were the same as those studied in the UK and USA studies.
On the basis of the replies, factor analysis was carried out and two principal factors called “aggressivity” and “reactivity/immaturity” were found (Fisher & Yates, 1963, Petrie, 1999, Spss, 1998). Nine different breed groups with different behavioural characteristics (described by the two factors) were formed. This grouping had some similarities with the groupings presented in the USA and UK studies.
Female were considered as more trainable for obedience, more demanding for affection and more housetrainable, thus reflecting the general tendency shown in previous studies.
In the present study factor analysis generated factors that accounted for 56,676% of the total variance; these results, when compared with the studies conducted by Hart & Hart (1983) and by Bradhaw, Goodwin, Lea and Whitehead (1996), that generated factors that accounted for 88% of the total variance, can lead to several reflections about the different evaluations of dog breed behaviour both between and within groups of respondents. Probably both differences in breeding in the different countries and differences in cultural perception of dog behaviour can explain these results
Pilot study to determine the prevalence of abuse towards animals when women are victims of domestic abuse in Scotland
No full textResearch conducted in the USA (Ascione, 1996), has shown when a woman is a victim of domestic violence her pet may also be abused. Fears of repercussions against her pet were cited as a reason for staying with the abuser. This pilot study aimed to apply Ascione’s methods in Scotland to investigate whether similar results would be obtained and to draw attention to this issue. The sample group comprised 33 women seeking refuge at North Ayrshire Women’s Aidbetween 10th March 2004 and 10th July 2004. The sample group included pet owners (n=13) of which x had children and non-pet owners (n=20) of which y had children. Participation in this study was voluntary.The women’s key worker interviewed women-seeking refuge two days after they had sought refuge. The women were then asked a series of questions that aimed to establish; pet ownership; any abuse of pets; if concern pet welfare had affected their decision to leave; the location of pets left behind and if a Pet Fostering Service was used; if not, did they know of such schemes. This was the Deleted:41 first visit for sixty nine % of pet owners to a Women’s Aid Refuge. Fifty three % of pet owners had children living with them. Eighty four % of pet owners reported that their partner had hurt or killed the animal, compared to fifty seven % in the Ascione (1996) study. Eighty four % of pet owners reported that their partner had threatened to hurt or kill the pet, compared to seventy one % in Ascione (1996) study. Seventy seven % of pet owners said that concern for the safety of their pet had prevented them from leaving the abusive environment sooner, compared to eighteen % in Ascione (1996) study. These results present an initial investigation of the prevalence of pet abuse in Scotland when women are victims of domestic violence. It is hoped that this pilot study will generate further research into the link between the abuse of women, children and animals in Scotland and generate multidisciplinary policies that help to combat this problem. Although these pilot study results should be interpreted cautiously, they suggest that the prevalence of abuse towards animals is greater in Scotland in the USA. The authors suggest that further research should be conducted in order to ascertain if this is the case and to investigate contributory factors
- …
