B E H AV I O U R
7
EQUINE MATTERS
Horse behaviour can be difficult to understand. Abnormal behaviour is
often interpreted as a temperament issue rather than, as can often be
the case, a sign of disease.
Horse Behaviour
Mat Fernandez MRCVS
CAN IT BE A HEALTH PROBLEM?
As it is outside the scope of one article to
cover the full spectrum of abnormal behaviour,
I have covered a selection of them.
1.
Abnormal behaviour, such as aggression
might arise as an attempt to deal with a
perceived threat.
2.
A horse with vices may be trying to
improve an underlying problem.
3.
Situations that could provoke a ‘beyond
the horse's control’ abnormal behaviour,
such as head-shaking.
Aggressive behaviour
Aggression is a reaction to a threat which
might be in the environment (another horse
trying to interfere with a mare's foal or a new
horse in the field) or, more relevant in this
instance, from within the animal e.g. through
pain or discomfort. The degree of aggression
will largely depend on the degree of pain
and on the temperament of the animal. The
same reasoning can be applied to the
attempted escape of the horse whose back is
hurting when ridden and tries to buck the rider
off or raises the head (often violently) upwards
and backwards to lower the back in an
attempt to escape from under the saddle.
Horses that try to kick the farrier when he
or she is about to pick up a hind leg to start
shoeing, might be suffering from pain as
a result of the flexion of that leg or the
weight-bearing of the opposite leg.
Horses have long memories and the one that
shows an obvious reluctance to be tacked-up
might be doing so as an anticipation of the
pain that they remember occurs when ridden.
Vices
Some horses will show exaggerated behaviour
at meal times with incessant kicking of the
stable door and charging through to the
Veterinary Surgeon
Mat Fernandez
XLVets Practice
608 Veterinary Group,
West Midlands