Horse

The benefits of play behavior in the development of foals

August 14, 2023

484

The benefits of play behavior in the development of foals

Scientists understand that play is vital to all young animals. The games young animals play is teaching them skills they may need later in life. When the animals play these games, it releases chemicals in their brain, so as they play the same games over and over again, they are hardwiring these behaviours. This is no different in horses.

Play behaviour in horses is an area that has, until relatively recently, received little attention from the scientific community compared with the study of other behaviours, such as aggression and feeding habits. Perhaps this is because play was historically considered not ‘serious’ enough to warrant thorough investigation – as opposed to other behaviours that may directly affect body condition/survival rates or breeding success (in feral horses at least). Whatever the reason, how and why horses play has only recently begun garnering significant interest from ethologists (Ethology is the science and objective study of animal behaviour – especially under natural conditions), and there are still many questions to be answered.

Play is a fundamental aspect of equine behaviour. Desire to play starts in early foal-hood and continues even in adulthood. It is an important aspect of development, with around 75% of the foal’s time devoted to play. It is exhibited in a range of equids, from Asses to Zebras, and carries benefits, both physiological and psychological.

WHY DO HORSES PLAY?
It is common to observe young mammals playing; almost everybody will have, at some point in time, witnessed a kitten, puppy, foal or lamb engage in a bout of playful behaviour, whether alone or with another animal or a human. In fact play does not stop at mammals – there are reports of other animals such as fish and birds engaging in play too. In equines, play begins when a foal is just weeks old and is often carried out with the foal playing with objects rather than other youngsters, though they may involve their dam. Whilst play is observed more frequently in young mammals and birds it is seen in adults, though to a lesser extent. The problem however is that there is currently no consensus as to the reason (or reasons) behind it. In fact, both the short and long term benefits of play have yet to be clearly defined and agreed upon by those studying it, and whilst there are a number of theories presented, play is likely to serve several functions.

Two of the more well-known theories are that play is carried out in young animals as a way of ‘training’ their musculoskeletal systems for the rigors of adult life as a prey animal that relies on fight or flight mechanisms, and that play helps build social relationships – both of which ultimately improve an individual’s chances of survival.

Another more recent – and very different – view is that play (in adult horses at least) can be an expression of chronic stress (Hausberger et al., 2012). This is in agreement with some findings in other species where play is seen to arise in a bid to prevent social tension or competition for a resource. It is therefore desirable from a management and welfare point of view, that play behaviour in young and mature horses is studied in greater detail.

The Role and Benefits of Play
Play can be defined as an activity which appears to have no immediate use or function for the horse, but at the same time evokes a sense of pleasure and surprise. Largely, younger horses spend more time at play than older horses. Within the first four weeks of life, whilst the foal stays close to its dam, play behaviour is quite solitary. However, after the first month youngsters begin to socialise with other foals. Male foals spend more time playing than female foals and are more inclined to exhibit aggressive, fighting-related play behaviour.
Like humans, play behaviour in young horses is related to learning and development. This type of recreation allows the foal to develop and practice locomotary skills as well as interact with other foals. Play also enhances social relationships and strengthens pair bonds. Physiological benefits include enhancement of cardiovascular and musculoskeletal fitness, practice of survival skills and building knowledge of a particular terrain or environment.
When studying a group of feral horses, Cameron and colleagues found that, not only did youngsters which played more survive better, they also had better body condition as yearlings.

As well as improving equine relationships, play behaviour has also been linked with sociability towards humans. In a study of play and curiosity, Brubaker and colleagues investigated the association between the amount of time horses spent playing with a novel object and how quickly they approached a human. When presented with a yoga ball, a plastic saucer and a collapsible cube, the team found that the more time the horses spent investigating the objects, the more sociable they were towards the handler.

Types of Play
To clarify what constitutes horseplay, two researchers from Pennsylvania, McDonnell and Poulin, undertook a study to document recreational behaviour. The researchers observed a group of semi-feral Shetland ponies for over 100 hours. They noted that play can be divided into 4 key areas: object play, play sexual behaviour, locomotor play and play fighting.

During object play, individuals make contact with and manipulate an object. Objects might be animate, like another horse, or inanimate like a bucket. Typical types of object play include a foal circling around a mare, pawing at a bucket or mouthing a rug.

Play sexual behaviour involves many of the rituals found in adult sexual behaviour but is often more exaggerated or performed out of order. It is a frequent occurrence in foals and adolescents, as well as among young and adult bachelor stallions. Examples of play sexual behaviour include mounting another horse or marking a dung pile with faeces.

Locomotor play includes any play behaviour that is performed whilst in motion, whether in walk, trot, canter or gallop. Running and bucking are two common types of locomotor play.

Play fighting consists of sequences and elements similar to adult fighting, but of a more affable nature. During play fights, individuals appear to alternate offensive and defensive roles.