Help to recognise equine discomfort

The creators of a new ethogram hope to promote better understanding of behaviours that indicate possible issues

- BECKY MURRAY

A NEW ethogram based on decades of observations of thousands of horses has been developed in the hope of creating a more “universal” understanding of discomfort behaviours.

The Equine Discomfort Ethogram by Catherine Torcivia and Sue McDonnell of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, published in Animals, includes 73 behaviours shown by horses, with illustrations and video. It was created from 35 years of research at the university’s equine hospital with 24-hour video recordings of stabled horses, both well and with health issues, when a caretaker was and was not present.

Dr McDonnell told H&H the research is beneficial in understanding why a horse is displaying a behaviour.