What’s the Difference between a Vice and a Stereotypy?

Dr. Nancy Diehl considers the use of “vice” and “stereotypies” when referring to horse behavior.
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A stereotypy is an apparently functionless, stylized, repetitive behavior, such as cribbing, weaving, and some types of fence or stall pacing. | Photo: The Horse Staff

Q.What is the difference between a vice and a stereotypy in horses?

A.My answer here might be all about semantics. However, choosing the correct word affects not only our precision in defining specific behaviors but also can affect our tone in how we address a behavior.

In the past, we freely used the terms “vice” or “stable vice” for all manner of things horses did that ranged from dangerous to just really darn irritating, including bucking, cribbing, and dunking hay in water buckets. And all these behaviors have evoked negative feelings, not only about the behavior, but about the horse himself. Some of these behaviors are products of the domestic environment, and some are learned

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Prior to attending veterinary school, Dr. Nancy Diehl completed a master’s degree in animal science while studying stallion sexual behavior. Later, she completed a residency in large animal internal medicine at the University of Pennsylvania’s New Bolton Center and worked in equine practices in Missouri and Pennsylvania. Diehl also spent six years on faculty at Penn State, where she taught equine science and behavior courses and advised graduate students completing equine behavior research. Additionally, Diehl has co-authored scientific papers on stallion behavior, early intensive handling of foals, and feral horse contraception. Currently she is a practicing veterinarian in central Pennsylvania.

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