Clinical evaluation of the prevalence of behavioral abnormalities in Kurd horses in Kermanshah province

Subject Areas : Journal of Large Animal Clinical Science Research(JLACSR)

Meysam Moravedji ¹ , Borhan Shahveysi ² , Maryam Rahravani ³ , Saeed Hanifeh Zadeh ⁴ , Mohsen Ebrahimi ⁵ , Seyyed Esmaeil Hashemi ⁶ , Ehsan Nazari ⁷ , Nikoo Tahmooresi ⁸ , Sobhan Jafari Bafrouei ⁹ , Mohammad Vahidi ¹⁰

1 - Department of clinical sciences, faculty of veterinary medicine, Islamic Azad University Sanandaj branch, Iran
2 - Doctor of veterinary medicine, active in private sector, Kermanshah, Kermanshah, Iran
3 - Department of clinical sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran
4 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
5 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
6 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
7 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
8 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
9 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran
10 - Veterinary medical student, Islamic Azad University, Sanandaj branch, Sanandaj, Iran

Received: 2023-04-29 Accepted : 2023-10-15 Published : 2023-11-22

Keywords: Kermanshah, Behavioral abnormalities, , clinical, , Kurd horses, , , ,

Abstract :

Background and purpose: Equines have always been one of the favorite animals of human societies, which are still exploited in various fields. Due to the mechanization of the horse breeding industry, many problems have occurred in them, the most important of which is the occurrence of behavioral disorders, especially in Kurd horses. Materials and methods: In this study, the effect of demographic factors such as sex, physical activity and age groups on 120 male and female Kurd horses in riding clubs of Kermanshah province was investigated. In this evaluation, 16 types of behavioral disorders were observed in 49 horses (40.8%). Results: The results indicated that the highest amount of behavioral disorders were related to aerophagia (22 cases), crib biting (19 cases), stall walking (12 cases), etc., among which only the significant behavioral disorder was aggressive behavior with anger, which was significant only in horses that lacked physical activity (p<0.05); Meanwhile, no significant statistical relationship was observed between any of the independent and dependent variables (p>0.05). Discussion and conclusion: Despite the high rate of behavioral disorders in Kurd horses (40.8 percent) and due to the non-significance of most behavioral disorders with demographic factors, it was revealed in this study that apart from demographic factors, non-demographic factors such as intestinal microbiota, hormonal disorders, etc. are involved. Therefore, considering the proof of the existence of behavioral disorders, it is recommended to investigate the involvement of non-demographic factors.