Interesting paper on depression in horses

I saw it in a pony gelding once, at least that is what I believe he had. He arrived in a front unload trailer that the front wouldn't come down so they had to get him out backwards and he wouldn't reverse backwards and just stood there whilst we all heaved and pushed him. When we took the partition out and turned him around to get him out he looked so sad and depressed, and the spark had gone out of his eye and he wasn't interested in his surroundings, or even in having a mint off me. My heart went out to him. His owners looked lovely and it didn't look like he'd been beaten or anything, just that he'd lost his spark in life.

It really made me think.

To be honest my horse looks like the photo of the 'withdrawn' horse when he stands in his stable resting after a night out at grass. As far as I know he is one of the happinest and well adjusted horses on the yard. :)
 
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My mare was seriously depressed about 18 months ago. She lost her life long companion, they had been together for 17 years then she was diagnosed with cushings wgich i believe was triggered by the stress of losing her friend then she lost her 8 month old son who was un weaned and he broke his back. This all happened within 6 months. To look at her after all this was heartbreaking as she had no interest in anything or anyone, she was definately depressed for quite a while. She now has 2 new long term companions and she is pretty much back to her usual self but it has taken a long time.
 
Oh no that's the most heartbreaking and unbearable thing I can think of. Having (as you know Pootleperkin) suffered depression in the severe category I cannot begin to even contemplate it being in horses. The thought of not being able to ask for help or deal with it via meds or other help is just horrendous. I suppose we don't know whether horses have inner coping mechanisms though which get them through it more succesfully than people do sometimes.:(
 
Oh Lorna, poor mare - must have been heartbreaking for you, too.

This is why I find behaviour so interesting - at what point are we just being anthropomorphic, or instead actually seeing an animal act similarly as we would in response to a emotional stressor. I can't think about it too much - just too sad to think what they might go through as beasts of burden.
 
Coming across such a variety of animals from different circumstances and health levels I can't say I have truly seen an animal of any kind look 'depressed' in the sense we suffer. But quite often vets use the word depressed for animals who are suffering and just haven't got the energy to recover or their immune systems are shot. It is a thought which crosses my mind so much since I suffered though - not so much with ill animals etc, but with animals in certain situations - such as rabbits in tiny tiny hutches and never let out. What do they really feel being restricted from their natural behaviour?

I suppose we aren't likely to find out in the near future. Maybe one day there will be a definative way to diagnose or tell.
 
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