A note on behaviour and heart rate in horses differing in facial hair whorl

Górecka, Aleksandra; Golonka, M.; Chruszczewski, Michał H.; Jezierski, Tadeusz

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2006.05.013

Cited by 27 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Anecdotally, horses with whorls located below the eye level indicate so-called intelligence, while whorls located in the centre of the forehead present a so-called uncomplicated personality [45]. While whorls can vary greatly in size and shape, the location of the forehead whorl is a highly heritable trait (h = 0.83 [46]), and horses with whorls located above the eye line are harder to manage [47]. Associations between the development of neural tissue and hair whorls have been suggested as the processes occur simultaneously during embryonic development [48].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric Characteristics of the Skull in Horses and Donkeys—A Pilot Study

Merkies

Paraschou²,

McGreevy

2020

Animals

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Horses and donkeys belong to the genus Equus, but important differences exist between the species, many of which affect their management and welfare. This study compared skull morphology between horses and donkeys. Horse (n = 14) and donkey (n = 16) heads were obtained post-mortem, sectioned sagittally close to the midline, and photographed for subsequent measurement of various skull structures. Skull, cranial, nasal, and profile indices were calculated for topographical comparisons between the species. The olfactory bulb area (OBA), OB pitch (the angle between the hard palate and the OB axis), and whorl location (WL) were also measured. A General Linear Model determined the main effect of species with Sidak’s multiple comparisons of species’ differences among the various measurements. There was no species difference in cranial or nasal indices (p > 0.13), but donkeys had a larger cranial profile than horses (p < 0.04). Donkeys had a smaller OBA (p < 0.05) and a steeper OB pitch (p < 0.02) than horses. The WL corresponded to the level of the OB in horses but was extremely rostral in donkeys (p < 0.0001). These results show clear differentiation in skull morphology between horses and donkeys. This may be useful in validating other physiological and behavioural differences between horses and donkeys.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Morphometric Characteristics of the Skull in Horses and Donkeys—A Pilot Study

Merkies

Paraschou²,

McGreevy

2020

Animals

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“…It is necessary to exploit easy ways to select animals for submissiveness because it is challenging to deal with animals that have an aggressive or excitable temperament. Horse trainers have noted the position of round hair whorls (trichoglyphs) on the forehead of horses, and researchers have reported that hair whorl position can be used to foretell the behavior of a horse during training [ 5 , 6 ]. Similar to horses, some investigations suggest the relationship between temperament and position of facial hair whorl in cattle [ 7 – 13 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of facial hair whorl position and raising environment on the temperament of the Chinese Yellow cattle in Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni, China

et al. 2020

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Objective: The objective of this study is to determine whether there is a relationship between hair whorl position and temperament in Chinese Yellow cattle using a questionnaire. Also, the effect of the raising environment is investigated. Materials and methods: A total of 122 Chinese Yellow cattle were surveyed in 3 village areas and four grassland areas in the northern area of China. For each cattle, an investigator asked the care-person about each item of a temperament questionnaire and determined the facial hair whorl position of each cattle. The location of hair whorl was categorized as low, middle, or high in relation to the eyes. Results: The overall distribution was 20.5% high, 58.2% middle, 13.1% low, 6.6% double, and 1.6% no hair whorl. There was no significant difference between the grassland and village area cattle in the distribution of whorl position. The scores of grassland areas were significantly higher than those of village areas in terms of “Retentive memory”, “Sensitivity,” and “Timidity” and lower in “Docility” and “Fortitude.” The scores for the high position tended to be higher than those for the middle plus low positions in terms of “Adaptability” and “Obedience.” On the other hand, there was a tendency for a score for the high position to be lower than the other positions in “Excitability.” A significant interaction between area and whorl position was observed in “Friendliness to cattle.” Conclusion: These findings suggest that hair whorl location may be useful in predicting the temperament in cattle, but temperament can be influenced by environment and/or handlings.

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“…2005). Recently, facial hair whorl position above top eye level in Konik horses was found to be related with lower manageability in behaviour tests (Górecka et al. 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The rationale for mentioned studies was to investigate, on the basis of simple and quick assessment of a morphological trait, like the hair whorl, the correlation with temperamental (Grandin et al 1995;Randle 1998;Lanier et al 2001) or reproductive traits (Meola et al 2004;Evans et al 2005). Recently, facial hair whorl position above top eye level in Konik horses was found to be related with lower manageability in behaviour tests (Gó recka et al 2006). As a reason for a possible relationship between nervous reactivity and hair patterns, a common ectodermal embryonic origin of nervous system and skin products has been suggested (Smith & Gong 1974).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritability of hair whorl position on the forehead in Konik horses

Górecka

Sloniewski

Golonka³

et al. 2006

J Animal Breeding Genetics

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There are studies on the relationship between the position and shape of hair whorls on bovine forehead and phenotypic traits. According to anecdotal beliefs by horse users and handlers, temperamental traits may be related to the position of hair whorls in horses. No previous research on the mechanisms of inheritance of hair whorls has been performed, so the aim of the present study was to determine the heritability of the position of the hair whorl on the forehead of Konik horses. The horses (n = 362) were classified into five groups based on the whorl position on forehead with respect to the top and bottom eye lines. The estimated heritability of hair whorl position was 0.753 (SE = 0.056). Heritability adjusted for the discontinuity of the trait was 0.836. The results show that hair whorl position in Konik Polski horses is highly heritable. The possible relationship between position of hair whorls on the forehead and other morphological traits needs further research and should be interpreted with caution.

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A note on behaviour and heart rate in horses differing in facial hair whorl

Cited by 27 publications

References 6 publications

Morphometric Characteristics of the Skull in Horses and Donkeys—A Pilot Study

Morphometric Characteristics of the Skull in Horses and Donkeys—A Pilot Study

The effect of facial hair whorl position and raising environment on the temperament of the Chinese Yellow cattle in Shinjang Uyghur Aptonom Rayoni, China

Heritability of hair whorl position on the forehead in Konik horses

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