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hand breeding is commonly practiced with horses (male and female are brought into contact solely for the purpose of mating)

males will mount other males when females are not present

approximately 40% of stallions with normal libido successfully mount a phantom stimulus on the first day of training

(Price, Edward. "Principles and Applications of Domestic Animal Behavior)

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I found it interesting and kindof strange that there is a song about the courtship of wild horses. The singer uses the courtship of wild horses in terms of human experiences.

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Provided to YouTube by TuneCore Courtship of Wild Horses · Brandy Zdan Brandy Zdan ℗ 2015 Brandy Zdan Released on: 2015-11-17 Auto-generated by YouTube.

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after rituals of smelling, nuzzling, nose to nose contact, nipping, and nickering, mares will typically assume a rigid, wide base stance and remain immobile to be mounted

this courtship behavior stimulates both partners by increasing the mares secretions to prepare her for breeding and enables the stallion to gain a full erection

stallion will normally attempt to mount a few times before successfully breeding the mare

once intromission has occurred, copulation takes around 20-90 seconds

after breeding the stallion will rest on the mare's back for a few seconds before dismounting

(http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-breeds/stallion-mare-mating-207.aspx)

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The Birds and the Bees, the Stallions and the Mares - HorseChannel.com

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The first months of spring mark the beginning of an important time in your horse's life'the start of the breeding season.

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first few weeks of life, colts and fillies playfully mount dams, initially all over their body, but progressively move toward the haunches

fillies tend to move past this stage after a few weeks and usually don't display sexually oriented behavior until puberty

colts continue in playful mounting behavior, mounting peers as well as their mothers

colts start to have occasional erections prior to puberty, but their erections are not usually associated with mounting behavior

it is not until horses hit puberty (between 1 and 2 years old) that true sexual behavior is initiated

(http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-breeds/stallion-mare-mating-207.aspx)

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The Birds and the Bees, the Stallions and the Mares - HorseChannel.com

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The first months of spring mark the beginning of an important time in your horse's life'the start of the breeding season.

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Importance of Studying Wild/Feral Horses for Behavior

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Importance of Studying Wild/Feral Horses for Behavior

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*Studying feral horses helps to understand behavior of domestic horses

by studying the way they eat, socialize, and other factors that could help take better care of domestic horses

Some Things Discovered in This Study:

horses are social animals

stallions protect mares

dominance is an important factor in determining choice of feed, first chance of water, and opportunity to pass on genes

ways horses have evolved through the years to adapt to different environments and ecosystems

(https://www.nps.gov/calo/learn/nature/upload/2006-Observing-Wild-Horse-Behavior.pdf)

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*Again natural selection not as common in domestic horses, so not as much opportunity for mate selection
Study on Assateague horses (Island off coast of Virginia)

stallions showed more interest in dominant mares over subordinate mares

males engaged in significantly more high-intensity and low-intensity sexual behavior with dominant mares

no effect on mare rank on relationships with the stallion

higher foaling rates among dominant mares could be the result of rank-related mate choice

(Powell, David. Journal of Ethology.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10164-007-0043-2)

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Abstract

Previous research on the Assateague horses found that high-ranking females had more surviving offspring than low-ranking females. Variance in reproductive success may be the result of a variety of proximate processes that affect sexual behavior such as mate choice and mate competition. A study was done to determine whether patterns of courtship, social, and sexual behavior could be identified that would suggest mate choice and/or mate competition. Behavioral data were collected from approximately 40 sexually mature mares living in harem bands. Stallions showed more interest in the eliminations of dominant mares than subordinate mares. Males also engaged in significantly more high-intensity (e.g., mounts and copulations) sexual behavior with dominant mares than subordinate mares, and there was a trend for males to engage in more low-intensity (e.g., flehmen and ano-genital sniffing) sexual behavior with dominant mares than subordinate mares. There was no effect of mare rank on spatial relationships with the stallion; however, dominant mares did attempt to restrict reproductive access to the stallion by harassing and disrupting copulations. Higher foaling rates among dominant mares on Assateague Island could therefore be the result of rank-related mate choice by stallions and direct female competition for mating opportunities.

Keywords

Mate choice Female competition Dominance Horses Copulation harassment

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References

1. Asa CS, Goldfoot DA, Ginther OJ (1979) Sociosexual behavior and the ovulatory cycle of ponies ( Equus caballus) observed in harem groups. Horm Behav 13:49-65

2. Kirkpatrick JF, Liu IKM, Turner JW Jr, Naugle R, Keiper R (1992) Long-term effects of porcine zona pellucida immunocontraception on ovarian function in feral horses ( Equus caballus). J Reprod Fertil 94:437-444

3. Powell DM (1999) Preliminary evaluation of porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception for behavioral effects in feral horses ( Equus caballus). J Appl Anim Welf Sci 2:321-335

© Japan Ethological Society and Springer 2007

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Female-female competition or male mate choice? Patterns of courtship and breeding behavior among feral horses ( Equus caballus) on Assateague Island

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Previous research on the Assateague horses found that high-ranking females had more surviving offspring than low-ranking females. Variance in reproductive success may be the result of a variety of proximate processes that affect sexual behavior such as mate choice and mate competition.

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Male to Male Competition in Feral Horses

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Male to Male Competition in Feral Horses

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*Since natural selection is not as common in domestic horses, there is not as much competition for mares
Study on Wyoming's Red Desert Feral Horses

fecal piles involved in 25% of all male-male aggressive encounters

fight for dominance

nearly exclusive breeding by dominant male

three different breeding systems in multiple male bands

-which type depends on male dominance                structure in band
(Miller, Richard. Journal of Ethology. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1981.tb01930.x/abstract)

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Enter your email address below. If your address has been previously registered, you will receive an email with instructions on how to reset your password. If you don't receive an email, you should register as a new user

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hormones have a critical role

cyclic in nature

seasonally polyestrus (late winter to early summer)

average age of first estrus is 24 months

receptivity increases with experience

estrous cycles around 21 days in duration

introduction of a male or male secretions can aid the onset of estrus

terminates as estrogen levels plummet and progesterone secretions from the corpus luteum increase

(Price, Edward. "Principles and Applications of Domestic Animal Behavior)

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sexual drive or psychological energy directed toward copulation

Lack of Libido:

results in lack of arousal and a loss or decrease in ability to achieve intromission

influenced by genetics, overuse, hormones, environment, injury, and/or experience

can affect sexually immature or mature stallions

can have economic significance for busy studs

(https://www.vetstream.com/equis/Content/Disease/dis00268)

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Male: lack of libido from Vetstream | Definitive Veterinary Intelligence

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upward curling of the upper lip

stimulated by sniffing or touching the vulva or urine of an estrous female with the tongue

exhibited by males of all of our common farm mammals

appears to aid the movement of chemical substances through the nasopalatine ducts and into the vomeronasal organ, where olfactory receptor neurons carry information to the hypothalamus of the brain

(Price, Edward. "Principles and Applications of Domestic Animal Behavior")

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Different Methods:

routine palpation and ultrasonic evaluation by a vet

teasing stallion or some other form of teasing

Teasing Methods Depend On:

size of operation

number of mares to be teased

housing of mares

stallion used

*Good Record Keeping Is important
For a closer look at estrus detection watch this video

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Estrus Detection Methods for Horses, provided by eXtension

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This video, produced by the University of Nebraska, discusses methods used in the horse industry to detect mares in estrus. This video was designed to help educate horse breeders on horse breeding management. This video was sponsored in part by My Horse University (www.myhorseuniversity.com) based out of Michigan State University Extension.