New Concepts in Horse Behavior Learned from Free-Running Horses

Bellwether Magazine

Volume 1 Number 41 Fall/Winter 1997 Article 15

Fall 1997

New Concepts in Horse Behavior Learned From Free-Running Horses

Marilynn Bacon University of Pennsylvania

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Recommended Citation Bacon, Marilynn (1997) "New Concepts in Horse Behavior Learned From Free-Running Horses," Bellwether Magazine: Vol. 1 : No. 41 , Article 15. Available at: https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss41/15

This paper is posted at ScholarlyCommons. https://repository.upenn.edu/bellwether/vol1/iss41/15 For more information, please contact [email protected]. New Concepts In Horse Behavior McDonnell. He is, also, quite attentive and gentle with his offspring. It ap pears that in free-running conditions Learned From Free-Running Horses the harem stallion performs a good Dr. Sue McDonnell, research assis ior Dr. McDonnell is observing. She portion of the parental care. Bachelor tant professor in medicine and repro says, "The lessons I learned from bands are composed of stallions that duction, is the large animal behaviorist watching horses at liberty imply simple have not attained, or let's say, are wait at New Bolton Center. Her work in changes from currently accepted or ing to get a harem. In contrast to the cludes watching horses behave and recommended breeding farm manage harem stallion, these stallions have misbehave. Among her study subjects ment practices, either for all horses, or contact mostly with other males. Their at the moment are approximately 50 for use when standard practices fail for reproductive and aggressive behavior ponies pastured on some 32 acres at certain individual animals. Implemen is subdued compared to harem New Bolton Center. They reveal a tation can save considerable time and stallions. glimpse of the day-to-day life of effort, and in some cases can rescue the Most domestic breeding stallions equids. Dr. McDonnell has studied breeding career of individual animals." do not have much of the harem stallion equids in the wild, and loves to do that experience. On the whenever opportunities arise. But stud modern breeding ies of wild horse populations are lim farm stallions and ited by environmental constraints such mares have minimal as wide range of herd movement or no contact unti I through difficult terrain. Human pres they are brought to ence can disturb ongoing natural be gether in the " breed havior of wild populations. ing shed". The She has developed a semi-feral typical breeding model herd of ponies on-site, just a stallion today is short walk from her office and labora housed in an indi tory. Semi-feral means that they are vidual stall or pad domestic stock, but have been turned dock away from out to organize and fend mostly on mares. their own. They are provided preven If there is more tive and emergency health care, and than one stallion on additional forage in winter. Interfer a farm, they are of ence by humans is deliberately kept to ten stabled together. a minimum. Because they are domestic Dr. McDonnell stock and are acclimated to people, states, "It is quite they seem to be little disturbed by daily remarkable that year-round observation and necessary mos t domestic stal handling. lions can have a Their social organization and behav normal breeding ca ior reflect the equid social order, Flehmen response. reer with minimal mares, stallions, and foals just doing contact of mares. what comes naturally. Comparison of Horses or ponies at liberty organize Some actually never touch a mare. the reproductive behavior of these po into two distinct social groups: the There are many stallions, however, that nies, and of other free-running or pas harem bands with one stallion with simply require or breed much more ef ture breeding equids, with the normal several mares and the all-male bachelor ficiently with more contact with and dysfunctional reproductive behav bands. The harem stallion interacts mares." Dr. McDonnell has docu ior of hand-bred horses has taught Dr. with hi s mares almost continually. mented repeatedly in field studies that McDonnell several important lessons. " Interactive behaviors include quiet the harem stallion is more aggressive In the course of domesticating ani affiliation or Utendi ng," approachi ng and has more libido than a bachelor. mal s, the art of animal husbandry and and retreating, olfactory investigation H is testes and accessory sex gl ands are selective breeding created a whole set of urine and feces, flehmen response, larger, and higher numbers of sperm of rules that are often quite different and the precopulatory teasing sequence are produced when he becomes a from nature. Over the centuries breed of mares in estrus. The amount and harem stallion than when he is a bach ers developed methods for breedi ng type of interaction varies throughout elor. She explains, "Many cases of seri horses which the horses for the most the cycle and among individual mares, ous sexual dysfunction or infertility part comply with. However, these are but nonetheless is remarkably frequent can be overcome by providing greater in many ways different from the behav- and continuous," explains Dr. access to mares. This is particularly the

1-1 case for slow starting novice stallions, sis . Mares that are in the ambivalent chance for injury to animals and stallions that tend to sour with the rou early stages of estrus or that are mis personnel." tine during the breeding season, or life takenly in diestrus pose a clear safety Another concern is that allowing a long low libido stallions. Data is now threat in close quarters. stallion to mount without an erection accumulating suggesting that simple Mares at liberty actually solicit the prolongs the total breeding time. This exposure to mares can positively affect stallion for hi s attentions. The mares is not typically the case, and in fact, stallion endocrinology and so may me do not do this by turning their rump to for some stallions mounting without diate enhanced sexual interest and re the s tallion and standing quietly. In erection can actually speed the breed sponse as well as reproductive stead they approach and interact with ing process. Each year at The Georgia physiology." the stallion head to head. There seems and Philip Hofmann Research Center It's interesting to note that when a to be titillating flirtation that tran for Animal Re production Dr. stallion is removed from his harem, an spires, vocalization, s niffing, nuzzling, McDonnell repeats a demonstration ex other stallion from one of the bachelor nipping, or f1ehmen response all of periment for students which nicely il lustrates this lesson. Newly acquired research stallions are initially assigned to one of three handling protocols for their first semen collection sessions: 1) mount without erection and di smount allowed without interference from the handler; 2) mount without erection al lowed , but followed immediately by forced dismount; and 3) mount allowed only after erection is achieved. The stallions allowed to mount without erection and allowed to dismount at will usually finish breeding in the least amount of time. Those all owed to mount without erection and forced to dismount usually take the longest time to breed. Another important lesson from watching horses breed at Jiberty con M ares inleraCiing wilh slailiol1 . cerns what happens at the end a breed ing encounter. The mare that is free to herds will unceremoniously take that which involves the stallion seeing and move will slowly and gently walk out stallion's place. The new harem interacting with the mares' heads and from under the stallion, easing him stallion's behavior immediately forebody. There may be some mock gently down to the sod where he rests a changes from the subdued bachelor confrontational displays. All of this few moments. In the typical modern type to the aggressive harem type. The seems to excite the sta llion. The stal breeding shed the stallion is required to change in soc ial status is closely fol lion, whether he is a novice or a sea immediately "dismount" and is rushed lowed by a change in his physiology. soned campaigner, will mount the to leave the breeding shed, with little Within sixty days this stallion now has mare, usually two or more times before time to recover from the extreme use all the physical and behavioral at achieving an erection. of his energy and the natural surge of tributes of his predecessor. Should he The domestic breeding stall ion is endogenous opiates associated with lose hi s harem status his behavior and rarely allowed access to the mare's copulation. The breeding floor is often physiology will revert to bachelor type. head and is typically disciplined if he slippery and provides for a hard land Another important observation is should try to mount without an erec ing. The unnatural dismounting re that the fema le is a far more important tion. Dr. M cDonnell says, "The basis quires a great effort after the player in mate location and stimulation for intolerance for a stallion mounting extraordinary hind-limb work of sup of the male than is assumed or typi without erection is no doubt complex, porting the weight and thrusting during cally allowed for hand-bred horses. In and in my experience the managers' copulation. This can be a considerable domestic breeding, the mare is typi explanations include fascinating an problem for older and/or lame stallions cally restrained or tranquilized so that thropomorphic references. There cer already at a physical disadvantage. It is she will stand still. She is also unable tainly are reasonable safety concerns no wonder then, that after only a few to show the full complement of normal for avoid ing repeated mounting. In breedings as described these staJlions estrous behavior and postures. This tight indoor quarters, the greater the seem to anticipate the negative practice has a reasonable practical ba number of mounts the greater the {t'ollf;/II/ec! (/1/ /l

15 New Concepts In Horse Behavior

(('()}/liTllu'd/rtllI/ l'tI~c 15) mare to move. The m are needn' t be of stallions may impose bachelor status experience and become reluctant to turned loose with the stallio n but per on breeding stallio ns. If the stallion breed. They may also begin to dis haps tied on a loose tether fr om a pole does not seem interested at the time of mount early, before breeding is com in the middle of a paddock so that she breeding lead him to the mare's head pleted, seemingly in anticipation of the feel s as though she has the room to and a llow some natural equine e x ru sh to dismo unt and le ave. If the mare m a neuver. c ha nge to take place. This is especially is simply allowed some mobility she For the stallion with virtually no useful for the novice breeding stallion. typically will take care of the di smount libido o r low sperm count without an When all else fail s consider turning the stall io n and mares out together. Once a stallio n puts it all together a nd has o ne or two good e xperiences he can then be brought bac k to hand-breeding. It is a fact that m ost stallio ns and jac ks ex hibit muc h more sexual endurance and fertility when breeding at liberty than when hand-bred . Dr. McDo nnell states, "Stallions and j acks at pasture breed as often as every one or two hours throughout the day and night with ex cellent sustained fertility. For most hand-bred stallio ns libido and fertility diminish with breeding schedules of mo re than once o r twice per day." Dr. McDonnell's ongoing observa tional study of equid be havior is a Dorothy Russell Havemeyer Foundation project. Collaborators in this research in clude academic and practicing equine clinicians and scientists from througho ut SIal/ion interaCling wilh foal. the world. Students assisting with this by walking forward and allowing the identifiable physical cause, cons ider work include Havemeyer Foundati on stallion to s lide off he r back s lo wly and simply ho us ing him in the barn with Summer Veterinary Research Tra in ees, gently. Providing a cushioned surface mares. Ju st being in close proximity graduate students, middle and hi gh with good footing, particularly around for several months is likely to produce school bi ology students, veterinary tech a "dummy mo unt," can also help. And a positive outcome. According to D r. nician and nursing students, and commu above all, adj usting ha nd Iing prac tices M cDonnell data is accumulating which nity volunteers . • to provide, as Dr. M cDonnell puts it , indicates that traditio nal group housing M.B. " ... gentle, respectful accommodation of the stalli o n's needs or limita ti o ns can resolve or avoid most proble ms". Dr. Delluva Honored Dr. McDonnell does not advocate th at all breeding operations revert to DJ: Adelaide Dellul'a, Emeritus Professor of Biochemislry, was honored wil h a party by Ihe pasture breeding. She explains, "Cer Departmenl of Animal Biology 0 17 the occosion tainly, when you ha ve a millio n dollar ofher 80lh birlhday and presented with a mare and a stallion worth e ven millions miniature brOl/ ze ofBenjamin Franklin. Dr Del/Lt va earned her Ph.D. deg ree il/ more yo u do not want to take a ny biochemistry il1 1946 and joil7 ed th e faculry il7 chances." However, she does enco ur the Medical School. There she laught age breeders with horses that have re biochemistry to vererinary students, among oth ers. In 1969 she joined rhe faculty al rh e productive behavior problems to take a School of Veterina ry Medicin e os assistant look at what works in nature a nd care professor of biochemis try and wa s appoil/ led fully co ns ider applying it in the ir own professor in 1978. OJ: Delhrva served on mal/)' School and Universily committees and still is operation. For the " rogue mare" that involved il7 comrnillee work. She look a keen readily explodes before the stallion has inleresl in Ihe sru del1ls and their welfare and even mounted her, consid e r less re each December is {/ greal "donoring " and "bidding" presence al Ihe SCA VMA auclion. straint and give some room fo r the