DISSERTATION STUDY: ONE CRIB-BITER REQUIRED!

[katie_RAC]

Hi everyone!

I'm in my final year at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, and am doing my dissertation study on the learning differences between crib-biters and non-crib-biting (control) horses.

I need ONE more crib-biter (ideally stabled somewhere near Cirencester) to put through my maze - it's more of a T-shape - and the experiment takes about 40mins.

Can be done in a field or a school (ideally school).

The idea is the horse goes in the T at the bottom, and can turn left or right. There is food located in the right arm. This is done 20 times so the horse 'learns' that the food is always on the right and so when they go in the maze they turn right. THEN the maze is turned around and the horse entered from a different location, and can turn left or right, and I'm looking at whether the crib-biter turns left or right, i.e. if they have learnt to turn right because there's food there (as there was before)...or if they don't! (food used is carrots unless you'd prefer anything else)

I WILL BE ETERNALLY GRATEFUL for any help, and you will get a 'thank you' in my dissertation, and you never know - you may help me get a first!!

Please please please, any help would be amazing!!

I'm happy to travel up to an hour from Cirencester.

THANK YOU
Katie

 

[leflynn]

I would have offered but I'm too far north

Good luck finding someone

 

[katie_RAC]

Where abouts are you? I have some family up north...

 

[leflynn]

I'm in County Durham between Gateshead & Consett, can PM you my address if needed

Just realised I'm no good as he's on box rest atm

 

[lcharles]

Im in gloucester, ill ask at the yard as we have a few crib biters x Just out of curiousity......is there a reason that crib biters would behave different to non crib biters? x

 

[katie_RAC]

leflynn, thank you so much for your interest anyway - hope your horse is off box rest ASAP!!

lcharles, that would be amazing, i can get to gloucester easily!! yes there is - the horses that crib-bite would, after 20 times in the maze, find that behaviour (the turning right) habitual, and would do it in another maze situation as their brains tell them that there would be a food reward and they must turn right...non crib-biters wouldn't...its all very interesting!

 

[Irishbabygirl]

I'm near hungerford - not a million miles from cirencester. Do you make it with jump poles?

 

[katie_RAC]

irishbabygirl - its made from electric fencing poles and electric fencing tape...obvs not on...my boy decided to try to jump out of it the other day when i did him!!

 

[leflynn]

leflynn, thank you so much for your interest anyway - hope your horse is off box rest ASAP!!

lcharles, that would be amazing, i can get to gloucester easily!! yes there is - the horses that crib-bite would, after 20 times in the maze, find that behaviour (the turning right) habitual, and would do it in another maze situation as their brains tell them that there would be a food reward and they must turn right...non crib-biters wouldn't...its all very interesting!

Oooh that is interesting! Thanks, hopefully off Mid may fingers crossed

 

[skint1]

I'm in Swindon, got a mare that wind sucks and crib bites, (she chews the wood whilst windsucking on it) We also have no school, and since about mid March she's been out 24/7 and she's a bit cranky at the moment but if you get desperate....

and I also think your experiment sounds interesting, my friend (who also has a wind sucker (same yard) recently read an article based on some similar research, I felt it was an interesting take on the mindset of a horse with this habit

 

[Cedars]

You are welcome to do Puz, we're close to the RAC, but not sure whether she crib bites so much as just eats wood.... 8 rails and all the walls in her box last winter, most of her box walls again this winter...