Goodwin D, Davidson H P B, Harris P
Animal Behaviour Unit, School of Psychology, University of Southampton, New College Campus, Southampton SO17 1BG.
Vet Rec. 2007 Apr 21;160(16):548-51. doi: 10.1136/vr.160.16.548.
To investigate the choices of foraging location of horses, 10 to 12 horses were introduced for five minutes into each of two similar stables containing a single forage or six forages, in four replicated trials. The horses were then removed and released into the gangway between the stables, and allowed five minutes to choose between the stables. Their initial and final choices, mean duration in each stable and proportional frequency of change of location were compared. Most of the horses initially entered the closest stable on release (P<0.05); if the closest stable contained a single hay, most horses transferred to the stable containing multiple forages (P<0.001). The length of time spent by the horses in the two stables suggested that they preferred multiple forages in multiple locations (P<0.001). Eleven horses moved from one stable to the other on one or more occasions during trials when hay or a preferred forage was available in both stables, possibly indicating a motivation to move between foraging locations regardless of the palatability of the forages offered or the horses' preference for a forage.
为了研究马的觅食地点选择，在四项重复试验中，将10至12匹马每次放入两个相似的马厩中5分钟，每个马厩中分别有一份草料或六份草料。然后将马移出并放入马厩之间的通道，让它们有5分钟时间在两个马厩之间进行选择。比较了它们的初始和最终选择、在每个马厩中的平均停留时间以及位置变化的比例频率。大多数马在被放出来时最初进入最近的马厩（P<0.05）；如果最近的马厩只有一份干草，大多数马会转移到有多份草料的马厩（P<0.001）。马在两个马厩中停留的时间表明它们更喜欢多个位置的多份草料（P<0.001）。在试验期间，当两个马厩都有干草或偏好的草料时，11匹马在一个或多个场合从一个马厩转移到另一个马厩，这可能表明无论提供的草料适口性如何或马对某种草料的偏好如何，它们都有在觅食地点之间移动的动机。
