Behavioral responses to touch and leading in Lippizan mares: natural vs. traditional handling method

Gobbo, Elena (author), Sušnik, Lucija (author), Zupan Šemrov, Manja (author)

Background: Proper handling and a well-established human-animal relationship influence both the behavior and the welfare of an animal. Methods: In this study, we compared the behavioral responses to touch and leading in mares using two handling methods. A traditional method (T) was based on forced cooperation and a natural (TTEAM) on tactile stimulation and mares’ natural behavior. Twenty-two group housed Lipizzan mares participated. Throughout four consecutive weeks, there were six observational days per method and based on a predefined ethogram, mares were scored daily on a 6-point scale. Higher scores indicated better reception of touch and leading, relaxation and cooperation, whereas lower scores indicated agonistic and/or fear-related behaviors. The time spent to implement touch and leading was also recorded. Result: Despite significant individual differences, touch and leading scores were found to be higher in the TTEAM compared to the T. Our results imply that mares were more relaxed, displayed better cooperation and had reduced agonistic and fear-related behavior during TTEAM. We suggest that implementation of TTEAM positively affected mares’ reception of touch and leading, but due to variation in behavioral plasticity, the importance of mare’s individuality is accentuated.

• Language: English
• Keywords: cooperation, horses, individual differences, natural horsemanship
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2024
• Number of pages: Str. 310-316
• Numbering: Vol. 58, iss. 2
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-155450
• UDC: 636.1:591.5
• ISSN on article: 0367-6722
• DOI: 10.18805/IJAR.BF-1713
• COBISS.SI-ID: 179403011
• Publication date in RUL: 02.04.2024

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Indian Journal of Animal Research
• Shortened title: Indian J. Anim. Res.
• Publisher: Agricultural Research Communication Centre.
• ISSN: 0367-6722
• COBISS.SI-ID: 515818521

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: konji, pasme, lipicanski konj, kobile, rokovanje, obnašanje živali, etologija, dotik, vodenje živali