The Relevance of Companionship and Social Behaviour for Horses
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Equids".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 1049
Special Issue Editor
Interests: animal behavior; animal welfare; horse behavior and welfare; free-roaming Konik polski horses
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is obvious that social companionship and related behaviour is important to horses. But what aspects of social interactions make them happy and resistant to environmental challenges? Social/pair bonds? Their place within the group? What about “only-mother” and “group” rearing of foals or perceiving the agonistic behaviour of other horses? Do horses bond with humans? Does bonding with humans satisfy equine needs? From the perspective of individual owners' frequent solitary keeping of horses, can we always say that they are unhappy without conspecifics? These questions await scientific responses from those invited to this Special Issue of Animals.
Dr. Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- horse
- social behaviour
- rearing conditions
- horse–human bonds
- environmental challenges
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