Cooper JJ, McDonald L, Mills DS
School of Agriculture, De Montfort University, Caythorpe, NG32 3EP, Lincolnshire, UK
Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2000 Aug 1;69(1):67-83. doi: 10.1016/s0168-1591(00)00115-5.
Stabled horses commonly perform stereotypic patterns of weaving, where the horse shifts its weight from side to side often swinging its head. Ten warm-blood types, of which five were known to reliably weave, were housed in similar 12x12 ft wooden loose boxes in a single stable block surrounding a courtyard. Each horse was exposed to each of five stable designs. These were: the conventional front top-half of the door open only with a view of the stable courtyard (F); front half-door open and a similar half-door open at the back of the stable with a view to the surrounding fields (FB); back open only (B); front and one-side panel open with a view into the adjacent stable (FS); and front, back and both sides open (All4). During observation days, horses were brought in from the field at 0830 h, fed concentrate at 0930 h, fed haylage at 1005 h and turned out at 1600 h. Behaviour was recorded from 0900 to 1040 h, 1200 to 1300 h and 1500 to 1600 h. Weaving was most common prior to feeding in the morning and prior to putting out to pasture in the afternoon. There was a significant effect of stable design on weaving, with less weaving in the FS and All4 designs than the F treatment. There was also a significant effect of stable design on repetitive nodding, though in this case, FB, B, FS and All4 designs each reduced nodding compared with the F treatment. The effect of stable design can be explained in a number of ways. Firstly, it could be the novelty of the environmental change, though there was no evidence in this study of an increase in stereotypy with prolonged exposure to the new stable designs. Secondly, opening windows may increase opportunities for environmental interaction, and the expression of new activities may compete with stereotypic behaviour for the horse's time. Thirdly, the open windows may allow expression of specific activities such as environmental monitoring or social interaction that are denied by the conventional stable.
圈养的马匹通常会表现出刻板的摇摆行为模式，即马匹左右转移身体重量，还常常摆动头部。十匹温血马被安置在一个围绕庭院的单一马厩区，每匹马都被安置在类似的12×12英尺的木质散栏中，其中五匹马被确认为会频繁摇摆。每匹马都经历了五种马厩设计。这些设计分别是：传统设计，前门的上半部分打开，只能看到马厩庭院（F）；前门半开，马厩后部有一扇类似的半开的门，可以看到周围的田野（FB）；仅后门打开（B）；前门和一侧面板打开，可以看到相邻的马厩（FS）；以及前后和两侧都打开（All4）。在观察日，马匹于08:30从牧场牵入，09:30喂食精饲料，10:05喂食青贮饲料，16:00放归牧场。在09:00至10:40、12:00至13:00以及15:00至16:00记录行为。摇摆行为在早晨喂食前和下午放归牧场前最为常见。马厩设计对摇摆行为有显著影响，FS和All4设计中的摇摆行为比F设计少。马厩设计对重复性点头也有显著影响，不过在这种情况下，与F设计相比，FB、B、FS和All4设计中的点头行为都有所减少。马厩设计的影响可以从多个方面来解释。首先，可能是环境变化带来的新奇感，尽管在本研究中没有证据表明长时间接触新的马厩设计会导致刻板行为增加。其次，打开窗户可能会增加与环境互动的机会，新活动的表现可能会与马匹的刻板行为争夺时间。第三，打开的窗户可能会允许表现特定的活动，如环境监测或社交互动，而传统马厩则不具备这些条件。
