NDLI: Human Preferences for Conformation Attributes and Head-And-Neck Positions in Horses

Content Provider	PubMed Central
Author	Caspar, Georgina L. Dhand, Navneet K. Mcgreevy, Paul D.
Editor	Pritchett-corning, Kathleen R.
Copyright Year	2015
Abstract	Human preferences for certain morphological attributes among domestic animals may be entirely individual or, more generally, may reflect evolutionary pressures that favor certain conformation. Artificial selection for attributes, such as short heads and crested necks of horses, may have functional and welfare implications because there is evidence from other species that skull shape co-varies with behaviour. Crested necks can be accentuated by flexion of the neck, a quality that is often manipulated in photographs vendors use when selling horses. Equine head-and-neck positions acquired through rein tension can compromise welfare. Our investigation was designed to identify conformations and postures that people are attracted to when choosing their ‘ideal’ horse. Participants of an internet survey were asked to rate their preference for horse silhouettes that illustrated three gradations of five variables: facial shape, crest height, ear length, ear position and head-and-neck carriage. There were 1,234 usable responses. The results show that overall preferences are for the intermediate, rather than extreme, morphological choices (p=<0.001). They also indicate that males are 2.5 times less likely to prefer thicker necks rather than the intermediate shape, and 4 times more likely to prefer the thinner neck shape. When compared to the novice participants, experienced participants were 1.9 times more likely to prefer a thicker neck shape than the intermediate neck shape and 2.8 times less likely to prefer a thinner neck shape than the intermediate neck shape. There was overall preference of 93% (n=939) for the category of head carriage ‘In front of the vertical’. However, novice participants were 1.8 times more likely to choose ‘behind the vertical’ than ‘in front of the vertical’. Our results suggest that people prefer a natural head carriage, concave facial profile (dished face), larger ears and thicker necks. From these survey data, it seems that some innate preferences may run counter to horse health and welfare.
Related Links	http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0131880
Starting Page	131880
File Format	PDF
ISSN	19326203
e-ISSN	19326203
Journal	PLoS ONE
Issue Number	6
Volume Number	10
Language	English
Publisher	Public Library of Science
Publisher Date	2015-06-01
Access Restriction	Open
Rights Holder	Public Library of Science
Subject Keyword	Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all) Agricultural and Biological Sciences(all) Medicine(all) Research in Higher Education
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Multidisciplinary

Sl.	Authority	Responsibilities	Communication Details
1	Ministry of Education (GoI), Department of Higher Education	Sanctioning Authority	https://www.education.gov.in/ict-initiatives
2	Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	Host Institute of the Project: The host institute of the project is responsible for providing infrastructure support and hosting the project	https://www.iitkgp.ac.in
3	National Digital Library of India Office, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur	The administrative and infrastructural headquarters of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in
4	Project PI / Joint PI	Principal Investigator and Joint Principal Investigators of the project	Dr. B. Sutradhar bsutra@ndl.gov.in Prof. Saswat Chakrabarti will be added soon
5	Website/Portal (Helpdesk)	Queries regarding NDLI and its services	support@ndl.gov.in
6	Contents and Copyright Issues	Queries related to content curation and copyright issues	content@ndl.gov.in
7	National Digital Library of India Club (NDLI Club)	Queries related to NDLI Club formation, support, user awareness program, seminar/symposium, collaboration, social media, promotion, and outreach	clubsupport@ndl.gov.in
8	Digital Preservation Centre (DPC)	Assistance with digitizing and archiving copyright-free printed books	dpc@ndl.gov.in
9	IDR Setup or Support	Queries related to establishment and support of Institutional Digital Repository (IDR) and IDR workshops	idr@ndl.gov.in

Prevalence of Different Head-Neck Positions in Horses Shown at Dressage Competitions and Their Relation to Conflict Behaviour and Performance Marks

Brain-Sparing Methods for IMRT of Head and Neck Cancer

MIDA: A Multimodal Imaging-Based Detailed Anatomical Model of the Human Head and Neck

CD44s and CD44v6 Expression in Head and Neck Epithelia

Epstein-Barr Virus and Human Papillomavirus Infections and Genotype Distribution in Head and Neck Cancers

Managing Minor Ailments; The Public’s Preferences for Attributes of Community Pharmacies. A Discrete Choice Experiment

Tea Consumption and Risk of Head and Neck Cancer

Correction: Epstein-Barr Virus and Human Papillomavirus Infections and Genotype Distribution in Head and Neck Cancers

RUNX3 Has an Oncogenic Role in Head and Neck Cancer

Human Preferences for Conformation Attributes and Head-And-Neck Positions in Horses

Similar Documents

Prevalence of Different Head-Neck Positions in Horses Shown at Dressage Competitions and Their Relation to Conflict Behaviour and Performance Marks

Brain-Sparing Methods for IMRT of Head and Neck Cancer

MIDA: A Multimodal Imaging-Based Detailed Anatomical Model of the Human Head and Neck

CD44s and CD44v6 Expression in Head and Neck Epithelia

Epstein-Barr Virus and Human Papillomavirus Infections and Genotype Distribution in Head and Neck Cancers

Managing Minor Ailments; The Public’s Preferences for Attributes of Community Pharmacies. A Discrete Choice Experiment

Tea Consumption and Risk of Head and Neck Cancer

Correction: Epstein-Barr Virus and Human Papillomavirus Infections and Genotype Distribution in Head and Neck Cancers

RUNX3 Has an Oncogenic Role in Head and Neck Cancer

Human Preferences for Conformation Attributes and Head-And-Neck Positions in Horses