Page 18 - The Game April 2006

18 The Game, April 2006 Your Thoroughbred Racing Community Newspaper
The Mystery of Maternal Behaviour
Equine Health
by Karen Briggs
Dave Landry Photo
GroomingourwaytotheTop
The only way to ensure quality at the top of our industry is to build from the bottom. That is the goal of Horse Racing Alberta's Certified Groom Training Program that is underway at Stampede Park in Calgary Alberta.
The program is in its fourth year and the students are acquiring some extensive knowledge as well as having a great time. In a recent leg anatomy class student Molly Brown stated,
The students get an opportunity to meet many members of the horseracing world that they would likely not have on their own. They go on many field trips as well as visiting other racetracks. Field trips are such that the students will have a clear idea as to which area of the industry they would like to be involved and employed. Trips are made to area training and breeding
"That's what it really looks like on the inside? This is awesome!" Molly has been working as a groom on the track for a number of years and feels this is the best career move she could have made. Trainer Leanne Knechtal encouraged Molly to enroll in the program to increase her knowl- edge and give Molly the opportunity to manage her racing stable.
The program includes classes on behavior and psychology, anatomy, bandaging techniques, feed and nutrition, and tack and equipment. The course is designed as an entry level into the sport of horse racing. From here students can remain grooms if desired or move on to other aspects of the industry.
Many former
graduates have
continued to enjoy the
care-giving aspect of
grooming and others
have moved on to other parts of the industry. One of our former graduates Lisa Mackenzie is currently enrolled in the first year running of the Exercise Rider School and is well on her way to graduation.
Another graduate, Misty McDonald is currently managing a stable for trainer Carson Frey and has plans to write her Assistant Trainers license this coming spring.
farms as well as other tracks such as Rocky Mountain Turf in Lethbridge and Edmonton Northlands. When the students have completed classes they get to choose where they would like to do their 88 hours of practicum and are set up in their industry choices with their instructors guidance.
A new program has been implemented this year on the heels of the groom school success. Exercise Rider school had finished their classes as of February 25 and students are into their practicum period of exer- cising 60 horses. The course has been a great success with all of their students exercising horses at the track and instructors are
excited about resuming in the fall.
Horse Racing Alberta and Olds College are looking forward to continued success of their programs and are looking to implement new courses in the future. For anyone interested in more information about these programs please call
780-474-1742.
proud of a perfect bandage!
student Carol-Lynn applying a polo bandage
team-work is encouraged
Story & Photos by Theresa Sealy
Anyone who has witnessed a foal's first few minutes in this world would agree that one of the most miraculous parts of the process is the way a mare greets and bonds with her newborn. With a deep sniff into the baby's nostrils, that distinctive deep 'chuckling' nicker (answered by the foal's higher-pitched response), and some broad strokes of her tongue on the wet hide, a new mother seems to recognize the foal not only as something she needs to nurture, but as something uniquely hers -- even if she has never given birth before.
What triggers maternal behaviour? What factors might influence the strength of the bond between mare and foal? Animal behaviourists have studied the mare/foal dynamic in considerable detail, so there's lots we “do” know about the process ... but there are a few lingering mysteries, too.
Sue McDonnell, Ph.D., head of the Equine Behaviour Department at the New Bolton Centre, University of Pennsylvania, notes that there should be four distinct qualities in a new mother's behaviour: She should be accepting of her foal, respond to it, be interactive with it, and facilitate its standing and nursing.
"Many animals prepare a birth site before they give birth, but horses don't really do this," McDonnell says. "A mare will usually just find a quiet spot a little removed from the herd. She will, however, interact with her foal very early - - sometimes even before he's fully expelled. The interaction takes the form of nickering, nuzzling the foal, and oral/nasal contact."
The next stage, licking her foal dry, usually occurs as soon as the mare gets to her feet after foaling. She'll concentrate first on the fetal membranes around the foal's head, then move on to the hindquarters and the peri-anal area (in many animals, stimulating the anal area of a newborn seems to kickstart the suckling reflex needed for nursing). Only later will she move on to washing the foal's midsection. Licking behaviour usually lasts only an hour or two after birth.
At some point within a couple of hours of giving birth, the mare should also pass the placenta; but unlike many species, it's very unusual for her to eat it. In one survey, only 1% of mares were observed to eat the placenta -- which is just as well,
because it could obstruct the gastrointestinal tract near the cecum and trigger a case of colic. It’s best, of course, to remove it and make sure both placental horns are intact before disposing of it.
As the foal makes his first attempts to get to his feet, the mare will attempt to encourage him to nurse by nudging his hindquarters (again, probably more to stimulate the anus than to 'steer' him in the direction of her udder). She'll also show a marked tendency to keep her body between the foal and any perceived threats, including herdmates and her caretakers -- which is why it's so difficult to get a good photograph of a newborn foal!
Some mares will also display uncharacteristic aggression towards humans or horses who invade their space at this time. "This response is triggered by parturition (foaling)," McDonnell says, "and usually wanes within the first 48 hours." First-time breeders should keep in mind that even the most mild-mannered mare might make this transformation when she has a new foal. Be cautious when you approach!
Maternal behaviour appears to be instinctive, and is probably jumpstarted by the release of hormones during parturition. Oxytocin is one of the main players in this hormonal flux, but there are several other "background hormones" at work as well. In some other species, a shot of oxytocin can stimulate maternal behaviour in an animal who shows some ambivalence towards her offspring, McDonnell says, but in horses it's not that simple -- which should come as no surprise to most breeders!
The process of the mare recognizing the foal as uniquely hers -- a behaviour called selective bonding -- isn't instantaneous. Instead, it seems to evolve and strengthen over a period of about two to three days, based mostly on olfactory recognition. The hormones released during parturition stimulate the mare to want to mother something, McDonnell says, "and the foal is the first thing to come along. Later, olfactory signals serve as an identification tag for the particular foal which is hers, but initially, almost anything will do."
Horses, as a rule, are excellent parents to their offspring -- but inadequate or abnormal mothering behaviour does occur in mares, albeit rarely (McDonnell estimates the incidence of problems at less than 5%). The causes are poorly understood, though we know they're more common among first-time mothers, that there may be a genetic predisposition among certain bloodlines, and that mares who prove to be poor mothers the first time round will often repeat the behaviour with subsequent babies.
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