12/21/2024
๐ช๐๐๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ช๐๐๐ก๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ฌ: ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป ๐ง๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐๐ฟ
A study by Marie Eisersiรถ et al. (2022), titled ๐๐ข๐ฑ๐ช๐ฏ๐จ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ช๐ฆ๐ง? ๐๐ฆ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด๐ช๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ข๐ต ๐ฐ๐ฏ๐ด๐ฆ๐ต ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ง ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฃ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ข๐ท๐ช๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ๐ด ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ท๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต๐ด ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ณ๐ช๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ฉ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ด๐ฆ๐ด, explored how horsesโ oral behaviours and head movements relate to rein tension (the pressure from the bit on the horse's mouth). The researchers hypothesised that these behaviours serve to avoid or escape the pressure of rein tension. The study aimed to understand how these behaviours affect rein tension and to measure the changes in rein tension at the start and end of these behaviours.
๐ฆ๐๐๐ฑ๐ ๐ข๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐
โช๏ธ Participants: The study involved 20 Warmblood horses fitted with bitted bridles.
โช๏ธ Procedure: Horses were subjected to 8 trials of backing up in response to a rein tension signal. Rein tension was gradually increased and immediately released when the horse stepped back. A rein tension meter and video recordings were used to collect data.
โช๏ธ Analysis: Researchers measured the changes in rein tension during specific horse behaviours to understand their effects.
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐
1. Behaviours Associated with Decreased Rein Tension:
โช๏ธ Opening the mouth: Mean rein tension decreased significantly from 19 Newtons (N) to 11 N.
โช๏ธ Biting on the bit: Rein tension decreased from 11 N to 5 N.
โช๏ธ Raising the head upward: Rein tension decreased from 16 N to 12 N.
2. Behaviours Associated with Increased Rein Tension:
โช๏ธ Moving the head forward: Rein tension increased from 27 N to 37 N.
โช๏ธ Lowering the head downward: Rein tension increased from 17 N to 46 N.
๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฐ๐น๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐
Oral behaviours such as opening the mouth or biting the bit were associated with decreased rein tension, suggesting that these actions may help alleviate pressure on the oral tissues.
Raising the head upward was also linked to a reduction in rein tension, indicating an effort to avoid escalating tension.
Conversely, moving the head forward or downward resulted in increased rein tension, which may reflect an attempt to push against the bit pressure to escape.
The study highlights how horsesโ oral behaviours and head movements during training or handling provide insight into their perception of rein tension. These behaviours can indicate the magnitude of rein tension the horse is experiencing and may reflect the levels they are comfortable with.
The findings suggest that monitoring these behaviours during training can help improve understanding of the horseโs experience and ensure better welfare practices.
