Humane Cattle Pens, Custom Designs and Behavior Consulting
Many of you have heard of hair whorls or cowlicks before and may have formed opinions that either agree with or discount the validity of claims. In the past, people like Linda Tellington-Jones put forth untested theories about a link to personality. More recently, Noche Miller expounds on the same theme in her popular Facebook […]
Nervous system reactivity, whether high or low, is subject to some change if done during the first year after birth. Hypothetically, if you look at the bell-shaped distribution and your horse is on the reactive end, with gentle handling, it may move slightly closer to the mean (middle) but not much. On the other hand, […]
I devote part three of the series to a research study by Séverine Henry, an academic researcher from the University of Rennes, France, entitled Long-Term Effects of Early Intensive Handling of Foals (2009). I wrote this summary for our book, “Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals,” 2nd Edition (2014), Chapter 7, “Genetics and Horse […]
Over twenty years, I developed and practiced a non-intrusive neonatal handling procedure on my foals with positive results. This summary is reprinted from Chapter 7, “Genetics and Horse Behavior (Equus caballus)” in “Genetics and the Behavior of Domestic Animals” (2014) Editors Temple Grandin and Mark J. Deesing. A non-intrusive neonatal handling procedure Immediately following birth […]
Horses are one-sided and prefer to use one eye over another under certain circumstances. Science attributes sensory laterality to processing different information types in one or other of the two brain hemispheres. Generally, horses prefer using the left eye to observe novel objects and humans, and the preference is more marked in emotional situations and […]
When I met Temple Grandin in 1993, she was trying to figure me out and what I learned from studying hair whorls and the behavior associated with the different hair whorl patterns. The language I used was not scientific because I was not a scientist yet. She was patient in her attempts to disseminate the […]
If a renowned expert on dog behavior suggested you kick your dog every time it misbehaved, would you? The expert advising this has a reputation and a considerable following; they should know what’s good for your dog even though your intuition says otherwise. Right? Suppose your intuitions override the advice offered, and you get criticized […]
“For crying out loud” This term is a euphemism for “For Christ’s Sake” [Colloquial; early 1900s], an exclamation of anger or frustration. Forgive my use of this colloquialism. Playing with words is my twisted sense of humor that helps me cope with frustration. Temple Grandin used to go cross-eyed when my twisted sense of humor […]
Is the glass half-empty or half-full? Research has found that seeing the glass is half full makes people happier, healthier, and wealthier. The optimist sees the glass as half full, while the pessimist sees the glass as half empty. Cognitive bias is the term used by researchers studying the brain processes that determine whether a […]
Part I Before I continue with Part 3 “HORSE WELFARE, LATERALITY, AND HAIR WHORLS & COGNITIVE BIAS, I want to get this out of the way. Several people have asked me about the confusing behavior of horses with abnormal whorls. As I wrote in a previous post, “HAIR WHORL POSITION AND LATERALITY (side preference) DEFINED,” […]
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