Maternal behavior of Belgian (Equus caballus) mares

Barber, Jane; Crowell‐Davis, Sharon L.

doi:10.1016/0168-1591(94)90021-3

Cited by 32 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…However, while rank and age are important to subgroup formation within a feral population (Kaseda et al, 1995;Kimura, 1998), duration of co-residence (VanDierendonck et al, 1995), familiarity and kinship (Roberts and Browning, 1998) are also major factors contributing to strengthened social relationships between horses (Sigurjónsdóttir et al, 2003). Certainly, mares tend to have stronger bonds with familiar individuals or close kin (Estep et al, 1993;Barber and Crowell-Davis, 1994). It follows that a given individual will usually allow others with specific characteristics with regard to kinship, familiarity, duration of residence and sex within its flight or personal space.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In general, domesticated or managed groups of horses consist either of broodmares (and their foals), young stock (usually in year cohorts) or adult mares plus adult castrated males (geldings). And while extensive research has been performed on the behaviour of individuals in both breeding mare and young stock groups (Estep et al, 1993;Barber and Crowell-Davis, 1994;Weeks et al, 2000;Christensen et al, 2002a,b), little data is available on complex groups with both (sub)adult geldings and breeding and nonbreeding mares (see however Sigurjónsdóttir et al, 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differences in social behaviour between late pregnant, post-partum and barren mares in a herd of Icelandic horses

Dierendonck

Sigurjónsdóttir²,

Colenbrander

et al. 2004

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Group dynamics and the social behaviour of mares were investigated in the periods before and after foaling during two non-consecutive years, in a herd of Icelandic horses consisting of adult mares and geldings and juvenile fillies, geldings and colts. The horses were observed 24 h a day for 5-6 weeks; i.e. a total of 1483 h. There were significant changes in the social behaviour and interactions of mares after foaling, compared both to their own behaviour pre-partum and to that of barren control mares. While the frequency of allogrooming dropped during the study period in all mares, it dropped significantly more in foaling than in control barren mares. However, while the absolute allogrooming frequency was strongly correlated with reproductive state, it was still remarkably consistent within an individual adult mare between the study years. After foaling, mares with foals separated off into a distinct subgroup, whereas barren control mares increased interaction with the rest of the herd; it is presumed that separation served to keep the foals at a safe distance from the more boisterous geldings and sub-adults; alternatively, it could have been the result of mutual attraction between the foals. In general, the linear dominance order was correlated strongly with age, and the top-ranking mares were older mares that had not yet begun a senescent loss of physical condition which resulted in a later slight drop down the hierarchy. There was no consistent relationship between dominance rank and the pattern of preferred recipients of affiliative interactions, while familiarity was a more important determining factor than kinship in the selection of a preferred partner for affiliative interactions. The preferred partner for proximity was often the same individual as that for allogrooming, suggesting that proximity was a result of an active process rather than of passive acceptance. The presence of adult geldings in the herd did not seem to change the social behaviour of mares as compared to that described for feral horses, and did not appear to negatively affect behaviour during parturition, mare-foal bonding or subsequent maternal care. In short, maintenance of breeding mares in a herd of mixed age and sex did not interfere with normal species-specific behaviour or with the development of the stable, long-lasting mare-mare bonds that are central to maintaining a stable herd. It is concluded that such a system could be a welfare-friendly alternative to typical modern husbandry systems, as long as adequate space is available. #

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in social behaviour between late pregnant, post-partum and barren mares in a herd of Icelandic horses

Dierendonck

Sigurjónsdóttir²,

Colenbrander

et al. 2004

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Normal mare‐foal behavior and bonding has been previously described in detail . Difficulties with mare‐foal bonding are relatively rare, and with the exception of a severely physically compromised foal, most problems that occur result from inadequate or abnormal maternal behavior .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some aspects of postparturient behavior can appear to be antagonistic or aggressive toward the foal, but can in reality be normal maternal behavior. For example, it is not uncommon for a mare to demonstrate disapproving behavior such as threats to bite or kick or swishing of the tail toward the foal during bumping of the udder and suckling . This must be differentiated from inadequate or abnormal maternal behavior, which can be observed in primiparous or multiparous mares, but is more common in the former situation .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%