Cycle-specific female preferences for visual and non-visual cues in the horse (Equus caballus).
Authors: Burger Dominik, Meuwly Charles, Thomas Selina, Sieme Harald, Oberthür Michael, Wedekind Claus, Meinecke-Tillmann Sabine
Journal: PloS one
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Cycle-Specific Female Preferences in Horses Reproductive cyclicity fundamentally shapes how mares assess potential mates, with oestrous status determining whether visual or chemical/tactile cues drive partner selection. Researchers exposed individual mares to stallions under four conditions—oestrous or dioestrous states, each with or without visual contact via wooden blinds—and ranked stallion preferences based on contact time and proximity-seeking behaviour. Dioestrous mares showed markedly different preferences depending on visual access, preferring older, larger males only when they could see them; oestrous mares, conversely, maintained consistent preferences regardless of visual availability, indicating their choices were driven primarily by non-visual traits (likely pheromonal or behavioural cues). Notably, preferred stallions across all conditions exhibited elevated libido, suggesting either that high sexual motivation attracts females or reflects genuine quality signalling. These findings have practical implications for breeding programmes and handling protocols, highlighting that a mare's reproductive status materially affects how she responds to stallions—information valuable for those managing reproductive behaviour, assessing compatibility, or interpreting apparently inconsistent preferences during selection or covering.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Mare receptivity and mate selection change dramatically across the oestrous cycle; breeding timing may need to account for these shifting preferences to optimize natural mating success
- •Non-visual cues (likely pheromonal and behavioural signals) become the dominant selection criteria during oestrus, suggesting environmental management should facilitate chemical and acoustic communication during breeding
- •Stallion libido and behaviour may be as important as physical characteristics in natural breeding scenarios, particularly during the oestrous phase when visual assessment is bypassed
Key Findings
- •Dioestrous mares preferred older and larger stallions only when visual cues were available, but these preferences disappeared without visual contact
- •Oestrous mares showed consistent preferences regardless of visual availability, indicating their preferences were based primarily on non-visual traits
- •Stallion libido appeared to correlate with mare preference, though causality remains unclear
- •Female preference for male traits in horses is significantly influenced by reproductive cycle phase