PART 2. What Sox the stallion can teach us about horse body language and stress

The internets most controversial stallion, Sox the stallion, has caused quite a stir in recent months. This is the second part of the two part series where I dive into some of Sox’s behaviour and explore how his videos shed light on a larger issue within the horse world.

00:00 Introduction
02:08 Biting and mouthing
07:04 Stress and tension under saddle
12:54 Sox standing at stud video
16:46 End

Scientific resources 👇

Bell, C., Rogers, S., Taylor, J., & Busby, D. (2019). Improving the Recognition of Equine Affective States. Animals, 9(12), 1124. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9121124

De Santis, M., Contalbrigo, L., Borgi, M., Cirulli, F., Luzi, F., Redaelli, V., Stefani, A., Toson, M., Odore, R., Vercelli, C., Valle, E., & Farina, L. (2017). Equine Assisted Interventions (EAIs): Methodological Considerations for Stress Assessment in Horses. Veterinary Sciences, 4(3), 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci4030044

McGreevy, P. Ch. 6: Communication. In Equine Behavior: A Guide for Veterinarians and Equine Scientists; Saunders: London, UK, 2004.

König v Borstel, U.; Visser, E.K.; Hall, C. Indicators of Stress in Equitation. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017, 190, 43–56.

Young, T.; Creighton, E.; Smith, T.; Hosie, C. A novel scale of behavioural indicators of stress for use with domestic horses. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2012, 140, 33–43.

Hintze, S.; Smith, S.; Patt, A.; Bachmann, I.; Würbel, H. Are Eyes a Mirror of the Soul? What Eye Wrinkles Reveal about a Horse’s Emotional State. PLoS ONE 2016, 11, e0164017

Ready, C.; Farkas, L.; Hodder, A. Eye Blink Rates and Eyelid Twitches as a Non-Invasive Measure of Stress in the Domestic Horse. Animals 2019, 9, 562.

Hall, C.; Heskie, C. The role of the ethogram in equitation science. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2017, 190, 102–110.

Hockenhull, J.; Creighton, E. The strengths of statistical techniques in identifying patterns underlying apparently random behavioral problems in horses. J. Vet. Behav. 2012, 7, 305–310.


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