PDF(Pubmed)
Abstract：
In order to improve the housing conditions of stallions in individual boxes, we tested a so-called “social box” allowing increased physical contact between neighbouring horses. This study investigated whether housing stallions in social boxes changes the number of social interactions during carriage driving. We hypothesised that the stay in social boxes would decrease the number of unwanted social interactions between stallions when driven in pairs. Eight Franches-Montagnes breeding stallions were observed when driven in pairs with a “neutral” stallion housed in a so-called “conventional box”, strongly limiting physical contact. They were driven on a standardised route over the course of four days before, during, and after being housed in social boxes. The type and frequency of behaviours of the pairs and the interventions of the groom and the driver during the test drives were assessed live and using video recordings. Results from linear mixed-effect models show that unwanted social interactions decreased during and after the stallions were housed in the social box (p < 0.001). Stallions’ interactions also decreased over the four days (p < 0.01), suggesting a habituation to the test conditions by learning not to interact, or by subtly settling dominance. The social box tended to decrease unwanted social behaviours of stallions driven in pairs and could therefore be used as an environmental enrichment for horses.
摘要：
为了改善单个箱子中种马的住房条件，我们测试了一个所谓的“社交盒子”，允许相邻马之间增加身体接触。这项研究调查了在社交箱中安置种马是否会改变马车驾驶过程中的社交互动数量。我们假设，在成对驾驶时，留在社交箱中会减少种马之间不必要的社交互动的数量。当与安置在所谓的“常规盒子”中的“中性”种马成对驱动时，观察到八匹法兰西-蒙塔格尼斯繁殖种马，强烈限制身体接触。他们在四天前的标准路线上行驶，during,在被安置在社交盒子里之后。现场并使用视频记录评估了配对的行为类型和频率以及新郎和驾驶员在试驾过程中的干预措施。线性混合效应模型的结果表明，在种马被安置在社交箱中期间和之后，不需要的社交互动减少（p<0.001）。种马的相互作用在四天内也减少了(p<0.01)，通过学习不互动来暗示对测试条件的习惯，或者通过巧妙地解决支配地位。社交箱倾向于减少成对驾驶的种马的不必要的社交行为，因此可以用作马的环境丰富。
