Cooccurrence of Yawning and Stereotypic Behaviour in Horses (Equus caballus)

Abstract

Determinants of yawning are still uncertain. As yawning seems to be triggered by stress and emotional contexts, we investigated specific correlates of yawning and stereotypic behaviours in horses. Study 1 investigated correlations in time between yawning and stereotypic behaviour in stereotypic horses from the same facility; study 2, involving riding school horses, investigated the cooccurrence of yawning and stereotypic behaviour at the individual level and in response to environmental factors (feeding time). Results showed that (1) stereotypic horses yawned more than the nonstereotypic horses, (2) yawning increased at the same time periods as stereotypic behaviours did, and (3) yawning frequency was positively correlated with stereotypic behaviour frequencies (study1). Different hypotheses are discussed: direct/indirect causal relationship and other factors susceptible to trigger both yawning and stereotypies. This study, underlining for the first time a cooccurrence of yawning and stereotypic behaviour, opens a promising line of investigation of this puzzling behaviour.

Bestial boredom: a biological perspective on animal boredom and suggestions for its scientific investigation

“…In animals, lions and mandrills yawned most when inactive but awake (Baenninger, 1987), and yawning rate correlated positively with stereotypic performance in horses (Fureix, Gorecka-Bruzda, Gautier, & Hausberger, 2011), both of which are consistent with boredom, but other explanations cannot be ruled out.…”

Animal Welfare: Could Adult Play be a False Friend?

“…The increase of excitement due to the anticipation of food or reward arrival is well known to increase the rate of STB in horses but also locomotor play in piglets (Dudink, Simonse, Marks, de Jonge & Spruijt, 2006). In a study on horses, Fureix et al (2011) showed a co-occurrence between yawning and STB: The rates were correlated in some populations of horses, but could also just occur mostly in the same circumstances such as the pre-feeding period or periods without roughage. These findings do not lead to causal explanations, but provide hints about common factors of causation (e.g., frustration in this case).…”

“…Earlier studies have tried to relate derived activities with STB in primates (Reamer, Tooze, Coulson, & Semple, 2010) or in other mammals (Fureix, Gorecka-Bruzda, Gautier, & Hausberger, 2011) or have based the assessment of stress on activities such as self-scratching (Norscia & Palagi, 2011). Mancini and Palagi (2009) found that play behavior and allogrooming were more frequent in the pre-feeding periods and concluded that play may be used to release tensions in such situations that are characterized by conflicts of interest.…”

Facial expression: An under-utilised tool for the assessment of welfare in mammals

“…Displacement yawning is broadly recognized to increase with anxiety or social conflict in primates (e.g., Macaca nigra, Hadidian, 1980;M. mulatta, Graves and Wallen, 2006;Pan troglodytes, Vick and Paukner, 2010) but has also been observed in other species including non-mammals, e.g., ostriches (Struthio camelus, Sauer and Sauer, 1967), dogs (Buttner and Strasser, 2014), fish (Microspathodon chrysurus, Rasa, 1971), and horses (Fureix et al, 2011). In horses, the frequency of yawning correlates positively with the performance of stereotypic behavior (Fureix et al, 2011).…”

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