Hello again! Now that we've explored the nature of the prey animal, in this lesson, we'll review the basic nature of horses and describe normal behaviors we can expect to see expressed by a healthy, well cared for, domesticated horse. By the end of the lesson, you'll be able to recognize and describe normal equine behaviors. One of the keys to identifying abnormal is to know the normal. Again, the basis for understanding normal behavior is to know horses are herd animals, which means they prefer to exist in a group and are fearful of not being able to get away from unfamiliar stimuli. Of course as we have talked about before, there are variations based on age, sex, breed, and level of fitness. We'll discuss more in details like group social hierarchy in later lessons of this module, but let's begin with the generalities of normal behavior, focusing on the individual horse. Well cared for domesticated horses our social herd animals, who are alert to their surroundings and responsive to cues from the people around them. They are loyal to existing relationships with fellow equines or humans. They are curious and sensitive towards new relationships. If you are calm, and friendly, and confident, they will likely greet you in the same manner. Understanding horse psychology and natural tendencies, is what guides our coexistence with domesticated horses. We'll describe the associated normal behaviors that you can expect to see, as we review various aspects of equine, care and management that we've covered. Adequate food, shelter, and preventative care ensures physical health and mental health. A healthy horse is alert with active eyes and ears that are responsive to the environment. It's common for a horse to flick his ears to follow sounds and to move his head or spin around to see what is approaching. In a healthy horse, this can happen very quickly. A healthy horse will have energy to play freely and perform daily tasks, because the horse has evolved to roam long distances to find food and water, they tend to be active in their daily routines. Due to their size, active play with humans is discouraged early on, and the horse-human interaction is based on trust and respect. A healthy horse will have a fairly constant appetite and capacity to chew. Given the opportunity, a horse will graze for 12 to 18 hours a day, with the remainder of the time spent sleeping and resting. A healthy horse is able to lie down and roll from side to side and some choose to roll all the way over. This gives them a chance to do a bit of self grooming and get a good scratch and stretch. Some horses who get so pleased with this rolling activity, that they will rise quickly and give a little whoopee buck afterwards. Sometimes you may see the horse do a downward-dog-yoga style stretch with front legs extended, and rub pointed upward. This is often followed by a vigorous toss or shake of the head. Remember that as horse's age, they do develop arthritis, much like the geriatric human, and some of the rolling and more agile behavior diminishes as the horse ages. Horses in good health can stretch their necks back to their flanks and down between their forelegs to use their lips and teeth to scratch. They can also lift the hind leg easily to swat insects at their belly, and they can actually itch their nose with a hind leg. A healthy horse has a relaxed tail that can freely switch from side to side, to shoo away insects. A red flag to note, if you see the tail rapidly swishing, take a closer look. This may be a sign of aggression especially if the ears are pinned back and the horse is tucking its tail a bit or a sign of distress from pain. Horses often use their tails and ears to warn each other to stay away. Normal positions for urination are important to note, so you can distinguish between normal bodily functions and a potential health problem. A normal male horse will stretch out to urinate. He will get into this posture by putting his front legs a bit head and hind legs a bit behind of normal stance. The penis will usually extend during urination and the flow is aims slightly forward and down. Horses that are experiencing abdominal pain may sometimes show the stretched out position without urination. A normal female horse will shift her hind legs behind her and maybe on her toes behind, with tail elevated to urinate away from her legs. Both male and female horses try to avoid urine from splashing onto their limbs. Horses do prefer to urinate on an absorbent surface. It is not unusual for a horse to routinely urinate as soon as you put fluffy clean bedding into their stall. This is perceived as a way for them to mark their territory. A reminder, if you see a male or female horse repeatedly stretching out without urination, this can be a sign of distress from colic, which is a general term for abdominal pain or a urinary problem and is a reason to consult a veterinarian. Aside from eating, the other major daily routine of a horse is resting. This is particularly true, if you have provided a safe shelter and proper bedding and the horse feels comfortable within the herd. A healthy horse will rest off and on during the day, because his nutritional and social needs have been met. This may or may not include much lying down, because horses can sleep while standing. More about that in a minute. Most of the horses weight will be distributed to the front legs, approximately 60 percent, with one hind leg resting by just toe touching the ground. The eyes will be droopy and the ears will be relaxed, usually aimed towards the side. When the horse lies down, he may stay sternal, meaning his head is still upright or bent around to the side and his legs are folded partially underneath him so that you may not see the lower limbs on the downside. Some horses will lie flat on their sides with their head and neck making contact with the ground and legs extended. This is more common in young horses under the age of three. Horses sleeping patterns are quite different from humans. They rest for frequent short periods during a 24 hour period. They are somewhat diurnal like us, meaning they sleep at night and will be more active during the day. The sleeping position you are most likely to see is a standing horse with head and neck in neutral position, somewhat level with their withers or drooping. Often, their eyes will be closed. A healthy horse's legs will lock to allow them light non-REM sleep while standing. This is called their stay apparatus. They do lie down for REM sleep, but since they don't have a high requirement for REM sleep, you may not witness them lying down much. You may hear the horse snore or see muscles twitch, that is normal. Occasionally, old horses with their arthritis or horses who are bullied by a herd may, will suffer sleep deprivation due to their prone status and desire to stay safe. This can result in them falling asleep during the day and buckling ford out of a standing sleep. If this is occurring, contact your veterinarian, they may have some recommendations to improve the horse's confidence in the herd or remove the pain stimulus that is preventing them from resting. Understanding the horse's nature as a prey animal helps explain why they usually sleep standing. If a horse is laying down, it takes effort and time to get to a standing position. If a horse is standing and a predator comes along at night, the horse can have a faster getaway time. Horses will lie down simply for comfort and relaxation after meals or when their surroundings are especially peaceful and safe. However, if stipulated, they will likely jump up quickly. This is why you should always announce your arrival to a resting horse with a soft hello, so that you don't startle them. This is also why it is important to have proper sized stalls and eliminate hazards so that the horses don't hurt themselves if they have to come to attention quickly. It is abnormal for a horse to remain lying down at feeding time. This is a red flag that something is going on that is making the horse feel bad and wants further investigation or a phone call to the veterinarian. Adequate relaxation requires a fairly high level of feeling safe and secure at home and in the herd. Horses also enjoy a good sun bath and may lay flat out in the sun. You may see several horses lying together. Don't panic, they're not dead. They will even do this on the snow if the sun is shining. This group resting may involve a horse standing guard. This horse is known as the scout who is keeping an eye out for intruders. Now that we've looked at a typical day in the life of a horse in his natural state, let's look at the behaviors we should expect from a stabled horse. In our next lesson, we'll discuss the learned behavior horses acquire when they live with us. See you soon.
