Behavioral Responses to Touch and Leading in Lippizan Mares: Natural vs. Traditional Handling Method

Background: Proper handling and a well-established human-animal relationship influence both the behavior and the welfare of an animal. Methods: In this study, we compared the behavioral responses to touch and leading in mares using two handling methods. A traditional method (T) was based on forced cooperation and a natural (TTEAM) on tactile stimulation and mares’ natural behavior. Twenty-two group housed Lipizzan mares participated. Throughout four consecutive weeks, there were six observational days per method and based on a predefined ethogram, mares were scored daily on a 6-point scale. Higher scores indicated better reception of touch and leading, relaxation and cooperation, whereas lower scores indicated agonistic and/or fear-related behaviors. The time spent to implement touch and leading was also recorded. Result: Despite significant individual differences, touch and leading scores were found to be higher in the TTEAM compared to the T. Our results imply that mares were more relaxed, displayed better cooperation and had reduced agonistic and fear-related behavior during TTEAM. We suggest that implementation of TTEAM positively affected mares’ reception of touch and leading, but due to variation in behavioral plasticity, the importance of mare’s individuality is accentuated.