Abstract
Simple SummaryThe behaviour of horses has evolved to ensure survival in emergency situations. The specific behaviour of horses is mainly determined by their instincts as an internal pressure to satisfy a specific need. Instinctive behaviours can include avoidance or flight as well as curiosity and the urge to explore. Exploratory behaviours can provide information about food, shelter, a new escape route, or a convenient place to raise offspring. However, this may come at the cost of a possible predator attack, isolation from the group, or injury in an accident in unknown territory. Standard behavioural tests can describe the need for exploration in horses and the severity of exploratory behaviour in a variety of situations. The experiment was carried out in two groups of Konik horses kept in a stable group and in a free-range group. The tested horses can be regarded as exhibiting the urge to explore, although their behavioural responses are individual and stimulus dependent.This study aimed at assessing the behaviour of Konik geldings and mares, kept in a stable and in a free-range system, during behavioural tests regarded as a determinant of the exploration urge. A total of 19 Konik horses kept in individual stables and in a free-range system were included in the study. The experiment was conducted in five phases separated by five-day breaks. A one-stage passive human test was performed during the first phase, a three-stage active human test—2nd phase, a three-stage unknown object test—3rd phase, a two-stage unknown surface test—4th phase, and a one-stage test of social isolation—5th phase. Ten attributes were analysed, including the horse sex and the keeping system. The results were also correlated with one another. Konik horses were found to show the urge to explore, although their behavioural responses are individual and stimulus dependent. In many cases, the horse sex and the keeping system influence the exploratory behaviour, although it is manifested by a greater intensity in geldings than in mares, and in free-range horses than in those kept in a stable. The study is regarded as preliminary due to the small number of horses in the study groups.
Highlights
In order to provide general characteristics of the horses’ behaviour during the tests, the mean results of the behavioural tests were presented together with the Min/Max values, standard deviation and with the mean expressed as a percentage of the maximum value (Table 3)
The analysis showed that the sex significantly differentiated the time after which the horse approached the passive human (Test 1) and the distance from the central point of the unknown surface at which the horse stopped (Test 4, stage 4.1)
It can be suggested that curiosity outweighs fear, but the balance between these features is an individual feature, which is indicated by the standard deviation of the studied attributes
Summary
Aversive drives provoke stimulus avoidance, thereby protecting the animal from danger [3,4]. Appetitive drives, with their persistent striving to achieve a goal, are the opposite. Considerations of the stimulus-driven behavioural pattern of Equidae cannot leave out a strong urge to explore, which arises from these animals’ innate proneness to examine the surroundings [6]. The horse satisfies its urge to explore mainly with its sight, smell and hearing senses [7]. A strong urge to explore often encourages horses to actively examine new objects and situations [8]
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