Horses behavioral response induced with selected acoustic stimuli.

摘要

The aim of this study was: (1) to assess of the perceptive abilities and qualities of behavioral reactions of horses while receiving artificial acoustic stimuli of various frequencies; (2) to state whether there is the possibility of usage of this knowledge to estimate the qualities of the behavioral reactions's traits, which is significant for safe and effective exploitation of horses. The research included 51 warm-blood and 22 cold-blood horses, i.e. 15 half-blood Anglo-Arabian stallions and 16 half-blood mares trained and put to performance tests in Boguslawice Training Centre; 16 stallions and 4 geldings from Stud Stallions in Bialka near Krasnystaw; as well as 10 mares and 12 geldings used for horse riding in 3 private riding clubs in the Lublin district. The acoustic perception test and modified Brzeski's test were applied. The test was conducted according to Budzynski's acoustic test method. It consists in the estimation of a typical horse behavior in response to artificially generated acoustic stimulus of 80 dB intensity and a frequency of 50 Hz, 2 kHz and 25 kHz. The modified Brzeski's test included the assessment of a horse's typical reaction during the course of some hygienic activities, saddling or direct contact with humans. It was claimed that horses have the ability to perceive sounds of 50 Hz, 2 kHz and 25 kHz on a high level. At a sound of 50 Hz frequency the greatest number of assessed horses produced the most intense behavioral reaction - it evoked the strongest stress factor. Reaction to a sound of 25 kHz frequency was the weakest. For most sex groups between the distinguished types (warm-blood or cold-blood) the statistically significant differences between marks gained during testing the sounds of different frequencies were indicated. Apart from the cold-blood, the warm-blood horse is characterized by a slightly higher mark for modified Brzeski's test. Statistically significant correlations between the results of the acoustic test and modified Brzeski's test were also claimed. Horses characterized by well-balanced responses (or gave no response at all) in acoustic tests, were received high notes in modified Brzeski's test. For each assessed horse the sound emission of 50 Hz induced a heart rate increase up to the highest level, higher than for sound emissions of 2 kHz or 25 kHz. The possibility of the assessment of a behavioral traits' quality as well as the level of behavioral reactivity of horses on the basis of its acoustic test results was assumed.