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Elevated Sensitivity to Tactile Stimuli in Stereotypic Horses
Sabrina Briefer Freymond1, Déborah Bardou1, Sandrine Beuret2
1Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, Avenches, Switzerland.
Frontiers in Veterinary Science
|July 6, 2019
Summary
Horses exhibiting crib-biting, a common stereotypy, show heightened tactile sensitivity compared to controls. This suggests a potential link between sensory processing, stress, and stereotypic behaviors in horses.
Area of Science:
- Animal Behavior
- Equine Science
- Veterinary Medicine
Background:
- Stereotypic behaviors are prevalent in captive animals, but individual predispositions are not fully understood.
- In horses, individual differences in perception and reactivity may contribute to the development of stereotypies.
- Crib-biting is the most common stereotypy observed in horses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate personality differences between horses that exhibit crib-biting and control horses.
- To identify specific behavioral traits associated with the development of crib-biting in horses.
Main Methods:
- A standard personality assessment test battery was administered to crib-biting (CB) and control (C) horses.
- Tests included assessments of reactivity to humans, tactile sensitivity, social reactivity, locomotor activity, and fearfulness in novel and sudden situations.
- Behavioral responses of 19 crib-biters and 18 control horses were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Crib-biters exhibited significantly higher tactile sensitivity compared to control horses.
- No significant differences were found in other assessed personality traits, including reactivity to humans, social reactivity, locomotor activity, and fearfulness.
- The findings suggest elevated sensitivity to tactile stimuli in horses with crib-biting.
Conclusions:
- Elevated tactile sensitivity in crib-biting horses may be linked to altered dopamine or endogenous opioid physiology, potentially due to chronic stress.
- These findings support the hypothesis of a genetic predisposition for stereotypic behavior in horses.
- The results have implications for animal husbandry and management practices aimed at preventing crib-biting.
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