Crib-biting may have a feelgood factor for some horses – researchers

Crib-biting seems to render or as well as thence beneficial feedback to horses who indulge inward the behaviour, according to Swiss researchers.

Sabrina Briefer as well as her colleagues from several Swiss academic institutions set most trying to reveal physiological differences betwixt crib-biters as well as command horses.

The researchers, reporting on their findings at the recent International Equitation Science Conference inward Denmark, said crib-biting was with a release of stereotypies – repetitive patterns of conduct which are patently functionless – observed inward a broad make of species inward captivity.

They tin occur, they said, when a province of affairs exceeded the natural regulatory capacity of the animal, as well as specially inward situations that included unpredictability as well as uncontrollability, giving ascension to chronic stress.

“Many studies receive got proposed that stereotypic conduct may serve equally a coping mechanism, precisely results are contradictory,” they said.

They measured the endocrine responsiveness of 21 crib-biters as well as 21 command horses afterwards inducing a stress answer inward the horses past times using what is known equally a adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge test. The hormone is used to trigger a stress reaction through stimulating the adrenal glands.

Heart charge per unit of measurement was measured continuously as well as salivary cortisol levels – or as well as thence other stress indicator – were taken every thirty minutes for 3 hours.

The researchers institute no departure inward midpoint charge per unit of measurement betwixt groups.

However, the crib-biters had a higher cortisol answer during the ACTH challenge test.

“Interestingly, it seems that this departure inward cortisol was largely due to the crib-biters that did non crib-bite during the test,” they reported.

“Indeed, these horses had higher cortisol responses than all other horses.”

The researchers said their results suggested that crib-biting horses differed from command horses inward the reactivity of their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

“This departure could hold upwards a effect of chronic stress and/or genetic predisposition,” they suggested.

“Crib-biting mightiness hold upwards a successful coping strategy that helps horses to gain command over situations as well as reduces cortisol levels.”

They concluded that crib-biters mightiness receive got a gene-related departure inward their hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis as well as that the conduct seemed to receive got or as well as thence beneficial feedback.

“Preventing crib-biters to crib-bite could hold upwards counter-productive because this conduct seems to receive got or as well as thence beneficial feedback for horses,” they told delegates.

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