Full text
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| Author(s): |
Raquel Ferrari Calviello
Total Authors: 1
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| Document type: | Master's Dissertation |
| Press: | Pirassununga. |
| Institution: | Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Zootecnica e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZE/BT) |
| Defense date: | 2013-06-28 |
| Examining board members: |
Evaldo Antônio Lencioni Titto;
Marcos Chiquitelli Neto;
José Nicolau Próspero Puoli Filho
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| Advisor: | Evaldo Antônio Lencioni Titto |
| Abstract | |
The study aimed to adapt the evaluation of the horses\' behavior during routine managements as a method of investigating the reactivity of animals. Two experiments were conducted; the first recognized the variables related to the expression of the reactivity of horses during handling, and the second was done during usual brushing management against the presence of an unknown sonorous stimulus. The first experiment was developed in a farm of Lusitano horses located in Itapira, SP, where 364 animals of different ages were evaluated, representing 188 adult mares and 176 foals (males and females) during the managements hooves trimming, vermifuge application, vaccination, leathering, breeding managements as palpation, ruffian presentation, wash to cover, cover, artificial insemination and uterine infusion. The reactivity was estimated by assigning scores to behaviors: movement, position of ears and eyes, breathing, vocalization, flight speed, and urination. A response variable called reactivity was attributed to the animal, ranging from reactivity score 1 (attributed to the animal not reactive or calm) to reactivity score 4 (attributed to the animal very reactive or aggressive). The verification of the possible variables (age, sex, and behavior), which explain the response variable (reactivity), was taken by ordinal proportional odds model. This proved that higher reactivity scores are associated with foals. Likewise it was proven that the higher scores of the behaviors of movement, position of ears and eyes and breathing and vocalization scores of no less than 2 are associated with higher reactivity scores (P<0.01). In the second experiment developed in a farm of Mangalarga Marchador horses located in Amparo, SP, the 20 animals of different ages (10 mares and 10 foals) were observed during usual brushing management, and they were divided into two treatments. In the first (N = 10, control) animals were evaluated without stimulation unknown, and the second (N = 10, treatment with unknown sonorous stimulus) the animals were observed in the presence of the sound stimulus from a rattle and a tambourine. The reactivity was estimated by assigning scores to the same behaviors of the first experiment, except for flight speed. At the end of the observation it was assigned a final reactivity score (response variable) for each animal, varying from 1 to 4 (non-reactive or calm to very reactive or aggressive). For statistical analysis, the results were adjusted to a logistic regression model using the categories as covariates (category A foals 6 to 7 months, category B: foals 8 to 9 months; Category C: mares 2 to 6 years; category D: mares 11 to 19 years), sex (male and female), day (0, 1, 2, 3, 30, 31, 45, 46) and treatment (control and treatment with unknown stimulus). The animals of the treatment unknown stimuli showed greater reactivity (P<0.01). The days of the experimental period influenced the reactivity of animals in category A (P<0,01), with a decrease in the possibilities of animals in this category to have a higher reactivity. (AU) | |
| FAPESP's process: | 11/04288-3 - Determination of the reactivity of horses through scale composite score |
| Grantee: | Raquel Ferrari Calviello |
| Support Opportunities: | Scholarships in Brazil - Master |