Equine Behavioral Research
Katherine A. Houpt

Field studies of behavior can be made in one’s back yard or back pasture, as well as in exotic lands. In this exploration, after an introduction to the various equine senses and the importance of ears and tails in communication, students will observe horses in a food competition situation which will allow them to recognize equine postures and facial expressions. Flehmen is a behavior unique to ungulates and can be demonstrated in stallions. We shall speculate on its importance to the horses. The students will test the olfactory responses of stallions. Ontogeny of behavior, maternal behavior, weaning conflict and the definition and function of play are concepts to be considered when we observe mares and foals. Next the students will make focal animal observations of horses in a semi-naturalistic environment for one hour. This will acquaint them with the methods of applied animal ethology as well as with activity patterns and social interactions of horses. This exploration is for people who would like to know more about horses, but who are not particularly familiar with them.