Introduction to enrichment for horses
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Transcript of Introduction to enrichment for horses
Introduction to enrichment for horses
Horse SAwww.horsesa.asn.auJanuary 2016iStock
The modern horse
Modern horses can successfully live in situations that are quite distant from how they evolved
Horse care includes feed, water, shelter and preventative health
Horse care also includes providing for physical and social environments
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Let’s take a closer look at the ‘horse’ part of horses
Social connections
Horses have evolved as herd animals, which includes:
frequently interacting with other equines (social connections)
mutual grooming, watching out for others
territorial actions, herd dynamics
teamwork, separation
reproduction
curiosity with surroundings
staying safe from predators
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Physical places to hang out
The horse has evolved to:
walk, eat, drink and rest as a herd
utilize a variety of landscape features (akin to prey animal)
range over a geographical area following fresh feed and water sources
seek out landscape features for daily routines e.g. suitable surface for a roll
travel distance between water and grazing
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The pantry, kitchen and dining room
The horse has evolved to:
walk and eat at the same time
graze and browse a variety of grasses, herbs, trees & shrubs
experience a variety of tastes, smells, textures
hear different sounds food makes
use whiskers to help inform choice
spend approx. 14-16 hrs./24hrs searching for food & water
use skills to negotiate food as part of a herd
select foods, choose ‘good’ from ‘poor’
Just do it
The horse has evolved with behaviours which motivate him to:
work out how to prolong his survival and personal safety
find his own personal space, and place in the herd
learn how to navigate his environment
solve his own problems
control or respond to situations
seek out safer places
reproduce
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Sensory sensibility
The horse has evolved to process information from his senses, which informs choice (and ultimately survival).
sound
sight
taste
smell
sound
touch
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How well do you know your horse?
Could you write down how your horse budgets his time each day? For example:
Graze, browse, lick, chew
mutual grooming, scratch & roll
lie down flat, snooze while standing
interact with other horses, humans
walk, run, kick and buck
snort, neigh & nicker
other behaviours?
When have you observed different characteristics? E.g. alert, depressed, anxious
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Did you know?
Enrichment is about the offer of choice, leading to measurable improvements in the daily life of a horse
Stimuli are triggers which act as motivation for activity or engagement in surroundings
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Types of enrichment
Enrichment are measurable actions taken which act as a stimuli to promote natural behaviours, mental & physical activity.
Sensory
Food
Cognitive (memory, judgement etc.)
Physical environment
Social
Human-animal bond (little researched)
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Why wait for something to go wrong?
We are all familiar with the common ‘vices’ (stereotypies) e.g. weaving, fence walking
- but why wait for something to go wrong?
What ways could we improve the day to day life of our horses, for ‘good’ or ‘positive’ welfare over and above survival needs.
Even if the horse lives in a paddock.
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Outdoor physical environments also have stories to tell about how horses interact with their surrounds.
Discuss these photos.
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DIY enrichment plan for your horse
write down a description of your horse’s unique characteristics, living environment and routine.
observe and record behaviours and time budget over 24 hr. period
review notes, seeking advice from animal behaviour specialist if required
write a continuous improvement plan
monitor results
review
try something else, improve the plan
share your findings
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Keep life interesting
Design the living environment to be as enriching as possible.
Variety can be found in the seasons, surfaces, searching for food, walking, use of enrichment toys in different ways.
Photo: Alayne Blickle
Tips for making toys & enrichment tools
cannot be swallowed, torn, ripped or broken (and then swallowed)
cannot trap or entangle the horse
cannot cut, poke, scrape or injure
non-toxic
sturdy, durable and indestructible
easily cleaned
easy and economical to construct
easily carried in and out of the horse’s physical living environment
Keeping enrichment activities safer for horses
build a list of potential safety hazards
thoroughly envision all the ways your horse might interact with the item
cross-check potential safety hazards from others (e.g. horse owners, vets)
prior to offering enrichment items, create a response plan should a problem arise
observe each horse’s interactions with new enrichment
revise the enrichment items based on observations
share your safety information!
Links:
McGreevy, Paul (2012) Equine Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians and Equine Scientists
Australian Equine Behaviour Centrehttp://www.aebc.com.au/
International Association of Animal Behaviour Consultantshttps://iaabc.org/
Engaged Equineshttp://www.engagedequines.com/
Enrichment safety initiative http://www.enrichment.org/miniwebfile.php?Region=About_EE&File=safety.html&NotFlag=1
Tips for the care of confined horses (Horse SA)http://www.horsesa.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/3100_HSA_CONFINEMENT-TIPS_Final.pdf
Tips for making toys and enrichment tools is adapted from: https://www.hoglezoo.org/meet_our_animals/animal_enrichment/design_enrichment_toys/
Keeping enrichment activities safer for horses is adapted from Enrichment Gone Wrong! Valerie J. Hare, Beth Rich, and Karen E. Worley The Shape of Enrichment, Inc., San Diego, United States of America https://www.parsemusfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Enrichment-gone-wrong-2008.pdf
Horse SAE: [email protected]
www.horsesa.asn.au