Customer Reviews

The Equid Ethogram: A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

As a student of animal behavior and animal welfare, focusing on equine welfare, this book was a MUST for my bookshelf, as it will be for anyone studying animal behavior. While McDonnell gives a lot of great information in the foreward for the lay reader, I believe the ethogram itself would be a bit of a disappointment to the casual horse owner who might be looking for a description of what each behavior MEANS, which is not what an ethogram is, of course, though this book does sometimes include such commentary.

For horse owners who are already well versed in equid behavior, or those casually studying behavior and looking for a more in-depth description to assist them in reading the scientific literature, you need this book.

But if you just want to know why horses do what they do, or are interested in better horsekeeping, then read "Equine Welfare" by Marthe Kiley-Worthington.

Ethograms are used in the science world to document common normal, and abnormal, behaviors. They can be helpful in gathering data, or learning about the wide range of common behaviors that are typical to a species. If you want a book that *talks* about behavior, check out some of the author's other books. If you want to see (drawn) examples of what horses do, check this book out. It is very facinating, even if you watch horses regularly.
Again, this is an ethogram- it gives a basic description of behavior! It is meant to be combined with other readings.

This was a GREAT TREAT! It's like an illustrated dictionary of horse behavior, listing the natural behaviors of horses, from the cute little early behaviors of newborn foals to the complex social and sexual interactions of adult mares and stallions. There are also some of the common abnormal behaviors that are happen to stabled horses. This book is just great if you have a horse or pony and are wondering about the natural basis of its behavior. It's neatly organized and well referenced, so would be a SUPER learning tool. Teachers of horsemanship, equine science, or even pony and 4-H clubs will want each student to have their own copy. Even though it is like a mini-encyclopedia, you can get into it and go from cover to cover in one sitting. But then you'll want to keep it so you can go back to it whenevr you see a horse do something interesting. I have always been fascinated with horse behavior, but found it difficult to find good information. I never knew animal behavior could be so organized, simple, and understandable.

Would you buy a dictionary where you would look up a word, find it, and then there was no meaning or usage listed under it? Then pass this book up!

There are many behaviors listed in this book. Some with drawings (not really professional but you get the idea of them).

Example: You have a drawing with a description of the act; THAT'S IT! No explanation of why it is occurring, possible impact, not even an utterance!

Anyone can sit there and watch a horse for a week and document what they see. Good job on that accomplishment. You certainly don't need a PHD for this task unless it is in marketing useless stuff. Next week I am going to watch my dog and write a book on everything he does. I have to remind myself NOT to include any interpretation of why he is doing this. Hopefully some people who really want to know answers will buy this book and find it just as useless as I cash my monthly commission check.

Where is the meat of this book? In the past I have bought some pretty horrible books. Even with the worst of them I could find a reason not to have to repack and reship it back. In this case I couldn't find one! This is the first book among over $15,000 worth of book, bought in the last 4 years to ever be returned.

I can almost put money on WHO wrote the rave review!

PROS:
Great as puppy lining in a crate
Something to give a grade school student for the nice roughly draw photos
Something to give to a writer on what not to write

Cons:
You have to pay for it
You have to invest about 5 min before you realize what you have purchased
You have to make a choice of throwing it out or shipping it back

Authoritatively written by skilled and experienced horse behaviorist Sue McDonnell (founder of the Equine Behavior Program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine), A Practical Field Guide To Horse Behavior: The Equid Ethogram is an extensive and detailed reference of a wide variety of behaviors seen in horses and related species such as donkeys and zebras. A Practical Field Guide To Horse Behavior is enhanced with full-color photographs, black-and-white drawings, and straightforward explanations concerning equine behaviors from Autogroom to Wood Chewing. A solid, straightforward, "user friendly" reference, A Practical Field Guide To Horse Behavior is a very highly recommended resource for anyone who owns or interacts with horses.

This is not a training guide for horsemanship, but the illustrations in this book did more to help me understand my horse's behavior than most of the training guides on the market. If you want a lot of text explaining why horses do what they do and how to get them to do what you want them to do, this is not the book for you.

The text that is in the book challenges the conventional view of horse herd behavior that focus on an "alpha mare" and stallion running the show with submissive horses falling in line. Dr. McDonnell's nuanced view of horse herd behavior shows us, in her words, a "more complex, less linear order; with division of leadership and defense roles played by a number of individuals and sometimes with alliances that swing into action depending upon the situation."

If you are interested in horse behavior in the herd and how horses relate to each other, there is no better place to start than by purchasing Dr. McDonnell's "The Equid Ethogram."

I was expecting to see a fairly exhaustive review on horse behaviour and EXPLANATIONS or at least studied observations on why horses do a certain behaviour. Dr. McDonnell does have an exhaustive list and pictures of various horse behaviours, but virtually ZERO explanation on what or why. She lists other books and references. I was extremely disappointed. The ads surrounding the book gave the impression it would be much more than it actually is. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone trying to learn about why horses do what they do.