Stressors are factors that disrupt or jeopardize the homeostasis that every organism needs for its existence. Depending on the duration of exposure to the stressor, a distinction is made between acute and chronic stress. The consequences of acute stress include an increased heart rate, accelerated breathing and changes in behavior. Chronic stress manifests itself in reproductive problems, a weakened immune system, and the development of stereotypies such as cribbing, weaving and pawing. In our work, we have focused on the outward signs of stress in horses, as these are the quickest to observe. A relaxed horse that is not under stress has elongated nostrils, almond-shaped eyes, a relaxed mouth, and its head and neck can assume any position. The ears are erect and forward, and the tail hangs down loosely. A horse that is under considerable stress has round nostrils and eyes, tightly closed mouth and taut lips, very upright and mobile ears and a raised tail. To cope better with stress, horses have developed calming signals such as blinking, chewing the cud with an empty mouth, yawning etc. They are used to calm themselves and other. They serve to calm themselves and horses in their environment in order to maintain good relationships within the herd and avoid aggression within the group.
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