Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
    Dr David Marlin
    Header image
    • News
      1. News
      2. Blog
      Featured
      30 November 2022

      Dr David Marlin’s Advent Calendar

      Recent
      27 March 2023

      Complete our survey on Grazing Muzzles

      21 March 2023

      Latest research into induced delivery with a low dose of oxytocin now available

      13 March 2023

      FEI Equine Influenza Requirements

    • Resources
      • Articles
      • Product Reviews
      • How To
      • Feed Materials In Focus
      • Research/Papers
        • Research Reviewed
      • References
      • Glossary
    • Webinars
      • Coming Up LIVE Webinars
      • Webinar Replays
    • Podcasts/Videos
      • Podcasts
      • Videos
    • What’s On
    • Website Guide
      • Guide to the Site
      • Why Join?
      • Become a Member
      • About Dr David Marlin
      • Our Team
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
    • Members Area
      • Join Now
      • Your Membership
        • Manage Your Subscriptions
        • Edit Your Details
        • Renew Here
      • Member Offers
      • Member’s Questions
    • Log In
    Header image
    You are at:Home»News»Study of ridden and unridden horse behaviour in an arena
    Study of ridden and unridden horse behaviour in an arena

    Study of ridden and unridden horse behaviour in an arena

    0
    By Helen Stock on 5 May 2020 News, Research/Papers

    The title of this paper may be confusing and very scientific: “Sniff, look and loop excursions as the unit of “exploration” in the horse (Equus ferus caballis) when free or under saddle in an equestrian arena”, but it’s an area that will interest most horse owners. The two researchers, Burke and Whishaw, from Canada, monitored the behaviour of horses in an arena when ridden and when allowed to roam freely in there. They studied a total of 18 Thoroughbreds, mixed breed and American Quarter Horses of different age and sex. Behaviour when free or ridden was similar for the differences in breed, sex, age and experience. They found horses spent most of their time near the entrance door of the arena where they looked out, paced, and rolled. When they moved from the entrance door the horses went out and back in loops. When moving out they moved slower, often sniffing the ground, and ended with a head-raised, ears-forward look toward the far end of the arena. When coming back to the entrance they tended to move faster with the head lowered and ears back. If another horse was positioned at the other end of the arena, a horse shifted its activity toward the other horse. When horses were ridden and asked to make excursions into the arena but otherwise left unconstrained, they made loops, similar to that of freely moving horses. When ridden around the arena they returned more quickly to the near end of the arena than when leaving the near end of the arena. This fits with the experience of many riders that at competitions horses often are keener coming towards the collecting ring or that they can nap by the gate in an arena.

    The authors suggested that “the home base/excursion activity of the horse can be incorporated into daily training. A trainer of reining horses, Vern Sapergia (1992), recommends that the first few minutes of every ride should belong to the horse and the present results suggest that this time should provide the opportunity for the rider to engage the horse in loops.” They also suggested that “The excursions should allow a horse to investigate the arena both by sniffing and by looking. If a horse is collected during warm-up it, it will not be able to sniff or visually inspect the arena (Harman et al., 1999). We suggest that allowing a horse to sniff, look and loop may not only allow it to explore the arena but also reduce its anxiety at the end of each excursion and so build confidence that any excursion will eventually return it to its home base.”

    Link to full paper – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32006619

    Loading

    Related posts:

    1. Horse UV and fly mask fit review
    2. Study on Application of a Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram to Three Day Events
    3. The influence of rider: horse bodyweight ratio and rider-horse-saddle fit on equine gait and behaviour: A pilot study
    4. What is anaemia in horses?
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Helen Stock Head of Operations
    Helen Stock

    Helen is Head of Operations. Making sure the website and membership runs smoothly, whilst developing new ideas and initiatives.

    Related Posts

    Horse UV and fly mask fit review

    Study on Application of a Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram to Three Day Events

    The influence of rider: horse bodyweight ratio and rider-horse-saddle fit on equine gait and behaviour: A pilot study

    Introduction from David
    https://vimeo.com/478007186?loop=0
    Popular Posts
    • Feed Materials In Focus – Forage Management to Reduce the Risk of Health Problems
      In Feed Materials In Focus, Resources
      28 September 2020
    • Podcast – Dr David Marlin on Social License to Operate (SLO)
      In Podcasts
      1 February 2023
    • These magnetic horseshoes weren't a good idea!NEXT WEBINAR – Magnets
      In News
      20 April 2022
    • Fly rugs testing - The resultsThe results – Fly Rug testing
      In Product Reviews
      23 August 2021
    • Two horses riding along the side of a roadPodcast – Bringing your horse back into work by Dr David Marlin
      In Podcasts
      20 January 2023
    • Research - Heart rates of horses during Latest research into heart rates of horses during cross-country in eventing.Latest research into heart rates of horses during cross-country in eventing!
      In News, Research/Papers
      12 May 2020
    Join Now Banner
    About

    The drdavidmarlin.com site is an independent information resource for all equestrians. A source of unbiased, science-based research, we deliver news, and product reviews, with webinars, podcasts and articles covering the full breadth of the equine world.

    David Marlin has been involved with horses all his life and is an experienced equine scientist. He has always been passionate about equine welfare and as a result has been involved in many campaigns. You can read more about David in the About Page.

    Become a member today to get access to all this site has to offer!

    Become a Member

      Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn TikTok
      Copyright © 2022 Dr David Marlin
      • How To Join
      • Website User Guide
      • FAQs
      • Services & Contact
      • Legal – Disclaimers, Terms, and Policies
      • Sitemap

      Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

      We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

      You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

      Dr David Marlin
      Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
      Privacy Overview

      This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

      Strictly Necessary Cookies

      Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

      If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.