Horse yawning what does it mean

This generator selects a random non-ridden activity idea from an ever-growing pool that fits into the selected category. It is intended to inspire you and help you come up with new things to do with your horse besides riding. Pingback: What can I train? Y is for … — equine clicker training.

May 17, May 17, communication , horse emotion , horse psychology , licking and chewing , behaviour. Article posted: Posted on Thursday 17 May May 17, Like our Facebook page to see more content like this. Combination Horsemanship. Or subscribe via email! How do horses learn to respond to cues? Does your horse know how you feel? Calculator: Which horses can carry me comfortably? One group was Przewalski horses in a preserve, the other was a group of saddle horses living together in a semi-natural turnout situation that was considered close to ideal.

Would they find that, by comparison, stall-dwelling domestic horses yawned more than outdoor-dwelling horses? Would the social factor of turnout life increase or decrease yawning behavior? If stress from confinement is x, the y factor might be social isolation. What about horses in the wild, particularly Przewalskis, which are a separate species from our domestic Equus Caballus friends? The authors found that other factors, such as testosterone levels in male horses, and the heightened stress of social interaction, increased yawns in some horses, particularly stallions.

But the domestic horses did not yawn more often than the Przewalskis when kept in a natural living situation. The Przewalskis yawned when exhibiting aggressive social behavior, but they also engaged in more social situations than the domestic horses did. Ultimately, the researchers found that yawning in the domestic horses had social context, and that yawning might be a displacement activity to release tension. Their conclusion found good reason to consider frequent yawning in a welfare evaluation of a horse: "Since a high frequency of yawning was related to increased frustration in horses kept in a restricted stabling environment, it may also be supposed that the lower frequency of yawning in horses observed in undisturbed social groups may reflect increased welfare in equine groups living in favorable conditions satisfying their behavioral needs.

Increased occurrence of yawning in domestic situations could thus attract the attention of caretakers to make the alterations to improve the welfare of their horses. If that is the case, can stables be blamed once again for causing yawn-response stress in horses? Studies from several countries have recently advocated for more natural living situations for horses, or at least for stable designs that increase sight lines and possibilities for social behavior.

Obviously, the amount of time a horse spends in a stall affects how stressful stabling is. And, for some horses, turnout is a stressful experience. Research is conducted to increase the body of knowledge; other researchers use it to carry on studying horses and build the knowledge further. In some research, the goal is to provide information of direct benefit to horses via informing owners and caretakers of findings.

Other research is for the benefit of comparing horses to other species, or even to humans. Horse owners should be aware of new research, but also be aware that many studies use small numbers of horses in tests, and that horses live in many different types of environments and have different medical histories, ages, breeds and sizes. In order stand the test of time, research must be repeatable and yield the same or similar results when tested by others. Wise horse owners spend a good deal of time just watching their horses, and learning what is normal.

How often does a horse usually roll? Is a horse normally seen trotting along the fence line? Which horse comes to the gate first to be brought in and which one comes in last? The article will be published in the October edition of the journal and may be viewed and downloaded online now.

Unlike people, horses typically do not inhale when they yawn in response to a drop in blood oxygen levels. But just like us, horses do seem to yawn when they are awaking from sleep or are drowsy. Pain may be a stimulus for yawning. Some horses experiencing abdominal pain colic yawn. Horses with certain neurologic diseases yawn too. I have seen horses experiencing oral or temporo-mandibular joint pain yawn. My own horses often yawn after I remove a bit from their mouth.

I also have seen horses yawn during stressful situations, momentarily resting after a period of stress. Horses occasionally yawn when anxious in a stall, especially when they are awaiting feed.

In some cases, this behavior appears to be a stall vice. Very Common. Less Common. Show More. What To Do If you notice that your horse is yawning more than normal, that is a good starting point for additional observations.