2024-2025 Yavapai College Catalog 
    
    Oct 10, 2024  
2024-2025 Yavapai College Catalog

AGE 125 - Equine Behavior


Description: Horse Behavior as it relates to their care, healthy development, and overall welfare and needs. Perception, learning, communication, and stress are reviewed with a focus on the impact humans have on horses in management, sport, and industry. Basic behavior modification as well as ethical and effective training and handling principles within the context of behavior. 

Credits: 3
Lecture: 3
Lab: 0

Course Content:
  1. Equine behavior as a field of study
  2. How horses learn and communicate
  3. How perception and the equine brain relate to their behavior
  4. Welfare and behavioral needs in management and handling
  5. Principles of behavioral modification, and ethical and effective training for horses
  6. The impact humans have on horses in leisure, sport, and industry

Learning Outcomes:
  1. Identify central aspects of equine behavior throughout the lifespan. (1-6)
  2. Describe key features of the horse's senses and their role in behavior. (2,3,5)
  3. Describe how horses learn, and basic features of ethical and effective training. (2,3,5)
  4. Recognize signs of pain, stress, and conflict in horses, including stereotypies. (2-6)
  5. Describe welfare-enhancing management strategies for horses in domestic settings. (4-6)
  6. Structure basic behavior modification plans. (2-6)
  7. Identify how elements within sport, leisure, and industry affect horses. (1-6)

Required Assessment:
  1. Pre- and post- test