Equine Sensory Perception and Key Behaviours, Cheat Sheet of Veterinary

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Equine Sensory

Perception and Key

Behaviours

Alissia Finn, MSc Veterinary Physiotherapy, EEBW, AHPR Lecturer in Veterinary Physiotherapy Content: Rosa Verwijs

Learning Outcomes

Sensory perception Senses – sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing Key maintenance behaviours Fight and flight response

Sensory Perception

Sensory Perception

• What is sensory perception?
• Why is it important to know about as a therapist?

Key Receptors

• Photoreceptors – light
• Chemoreceptors – chemicals
• Thermoreceptors – temperature
• Mechanoreceptors – mechanical forces eg. pressure/vibration
• Proprioceptors – internal stimuli, particularly those linked to movement and posture

Visual

Sight

• Large eyes – suggest reliance on panoramic sight
• 7 muscles attached to eyeball
• Photoreceptors:  Rods – more receptive to low light intensities - night vision, not colour  Cones – more receptive to colour

Sight

• Large eyes
• Placement
• Monocular vision 80%
• Peripheral vision
• Small binocular field
  • 20%

Extreme Peripheral Vision

• Round shaped eyeball
• Extensive retina
• Sense movement in peripheral vision
• Protects from predators

Monocular Vision

• 2 ‘blind spots’ – small area directly in front of face, and directly behind themselves

Binocular Vision

• Depth perception
• Move heads to adjust distance (focal length) until image falls into focus on retina

Colour Vision

• Human – trichromatic
• Equine – dichromatic