Seeking Solutions to Separation Anxiety

When teaching young horses to accept separation from their pasturemates, it might seem like a good idea to train them in pairs first for a while before training them alone. However, new equitation science research suggests that pairing them up might just delay the anxiety of separation and, in the end, the results of this method don’t differ much from those of immediate individual separation.
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When teaching young horses to accept separation from their pasturemates, it might seem like a good idea to train them in pairs first for a while before training them alone. However, new equitation science research suggests that pairing them up might just delay the anxiety of separation and, in the end, the results of this method don't differ much from those of immediate individual separation.

separation anxiety

A researcher watches a mare eat after she’s been separated from the herd. The band around the horse barrels is a device for measuring heart rates.

Elke Hartmann, PhD, researcher in the department of animal environment and health at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Uppsala, presented her team's research on the topic at the sixth International Equitation Science Conference in Uppsala on Aug. 2. She and her colleagues divided yearling and 2-year-old Warmblood mares into two groups for a monthlong test period of social separation methods. The test comprised three successive steps, with each step representing greater distance away from the herd. Before moving on to a new step, the horses had to succeed in the previous one (by showing calm feeding patterns)

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Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

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