Behavioral Disorders of Horses and Other Species
Key Concepts
- Horse: Stereotypies (cribbing, weaving, windsucking), aggression (fear, pain, territorial), separation anxiety, trailer loading problems, head shaking.
- Other species: Birds (feather plucking), rabbits (barbering), rodents (stereotypies), farm animals (tail biting in pigs).
- Diagnosis: Based on history, observation, and ruling out medical causes (e.g., gastric ulcers in cribbers).
- Treatment: Environmental enrichment, increased turnout, foraging opportunities, behavior modification, and medication in some cases.
- Welfare implications: Stereotypies indicate poor welfare; prevention through appropriate management.
Traps
- Assuming cribbing is purely behavioral; it may be associated with gastric ulcers.
- Overlooking pain as a cause of aggression in horses.
- Misinterpreting stereotypies as contagious; they are not infectious but may spread socially.
- Forgetting that horses are herd animals and isolation causes stress.
- Underestimating the importance of forage and turnout.
Worked Example
A horse cribs on fences. Rule out gastric ulcers (gastroscopy). Management: increase turnout, provide ad lib hay, use cribbing collar as last resort. Rule of thumb: stereotypies are coping mechanisms; address the underlying stressor rather than just the behavior.