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Topic:Welfare
Equine welfare encompasses the physical and psychological well-being of horses, focusing on their health, comfort, and overall quality of life. This area of study addresses various aspects, including nutrition, housing, behavior, and management practices, aiming to ensure that horses are kept in environments that meet their physiological and behavioral needs. Research in equine welfare examines factors such as stress indicators, pain assessment, and the impact of human interactions on horse behavior and health. This page compiles peer-reviewed research studies and scholarly articles that explore the assessment, improvement, and implications of welfare practices in equine management.
Assessment of quality of life in equine patients. Assessing patients' quality of life (QOL) is a core part of clinical decision making. Various methodologies for assessing patients' QOL have been developed in human medicine and small animal veterinary disciplines. In contrast, the lack of aids for QOL assessment in equine veterinary practice leaves practitioners reliant on subjective assessments of QOL, which may be prone to avoidable errors. Objective: This paper suggests pragmatic ways in which QOL may be enhanced, while remaining appropriate for the time, financial and owner-based constraints within equine practice. Methods: Through interd...
Overview of the industry and social impacts of the 2007 Australian equine influenza outbreak. The equine influenza (EI) outbreak occurred at the worst time of the year as far as the horse industry was concerned. All horse sports and horse breeds had events planned in the spring, including those relating to qualification for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. These were all disrupted and many were cancelled. The social and industry impacts were extensive, and included difficulties related to communication, animal welfare, vaccination, movement restrictions, economics, as well as the psychological stresses experienced by those involved, especially those for whom their primary source of inco...
Reduction of the olfactory cognitive ability in horses during preslaughter: stress-related hormones evaluation. As horses may perceive several odour signals of danger at slaughter, application of mentholated ointment to their nostrils may limit their perception of danger. To assess the effect of the application of a mentholated ointment to horse nostrils on the stress response during pre-slaughter handling, plasma levels were evaluated for cortisol, beta-endorphin, epinephrine and norepinephrine prior to and after stunning. Twenty draught-type horses were divided into control (n=10) and treated (n=10) groups and a mentholated ointment applied to the nostrils of the treated horses following blood samplin...
Identification of risk factors for traumatic injury in the general horse population of north-west England, Midlands and north Wales. Traumatic injuries are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in the horse and consequently pose a serious threat to horses' wellbeing. To date, there have been no published studies assessing the frequency of injuries in the general horse population of the UK. Objective: To obtain information regarding husbandry management strategies and injury prevalence in horses aged ≤15 years, with the aim of identifying predisposing risk factors for injury. Methods: A postal questionnaire was distributed to a randomly selected sample of horse owners across north-west England, Midlands and north Wales....
Lower airway disease, now and in the future. Respiratory disease is an important cause of wastage in the Thoroughbred industry and is a cause of welfare problems in all types of horse. This review concerns developments in our understanding of equine respiratory disease since 1998 and illustrates how strategic funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board has contributed to this understanding.
The effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine. In dressage, the head and neck position has become an issue of concern as certain extreme positions may imply a welfare risk for the horse. In man, extension and flexion of the cervical spine cause a decrease and increase in intervertebral foramina dimensions, respectively. However, in horses, the influence of flexion and extension on foramina dimensions and its possible interference with peripheral nerve functioning remains unknown. Objective: To determine the effect of ex vivo flexion and extension on intervertebral foramina dimensions in the equine cervical spine. Methods: Computed tomograp...
A pilot study on objective quantification and anatomical modelling of in vivo head and neck positions commonly applied in training and competition of sport horses. Head and neck positions (HNP) in sport horses are under debate in the equine community, as they could interfere with equine welfare. HNPs have not been quantified objectively and no information is available on their head and neck loading. Objective: To quantify in vivo HNPs in sport horses and develop o a model to estimate loading on the cervical vertebrae in these positions. Methods: Videos were taken of 7 Warmbloods at walk on a straight line in 5 positions, representing all HNPs during Warmblood training and competition. Markers were glued at 5 anatomical landmarks. Two-dimensional angles a...
A pilot study on factors influencing the career of Dutch sport horses. Welfare concerns over the reasons for interruption or termination of a sporting career in horses have been expressed. Objective: To study the career of competition horses and factors that influence career length. Methods: In 2004, 46,576 rider-horse combinations were registered with the Dutch National Equestrian Federation (KNHS) in dressage, show jumping, eventing and endurance. From this population, approximately 1% of horses in each discipline were selected at random and all recorded competition data from the KNHS registration system collected and supplemented by detailed rider/owner teleph...
The influence of challenging objects and horse-rider matching on heart rate, heart rate variability and behavioural score in riding horses. A good horse-rider 'match' is important in the context of equine welfare. To quantify the influence of repetition and horse-rider matching on the stress of horses encountering challenging objects, 16 Warmblood horses were ridden in a test-setting on three occasions. On each occasion the horse was ridden by a different rider and was challenged by three objects (A-C). Heart rate (HR), heart rate variability (HRV) of horse and rider, and behaviour score (BS) of the horse were obtained for each object and as a total for each test. The horse-rider interaction was evaluated with each combination and...
Rein tension acceptance in young horses in a voluntary test situation. During riding, horses are frequently exposed to pressure from the rider, e.g. through the bit and reins, but few studies have investigated at which point rein tension becomes uncomfortable for the horse. Objective: To investigate how much rein tension young inexperienced horses are willing to accept in order to obtain a food reward; whether the tension acceptance changes during 3 consecutive test days; and whether rein tension correlates with the expression of conflict behaviour and heart rate. Objective: Pressure-naïve horses will apply only little rein tension in the first voluntary trial, ...
Treatment with Ca(OH)2 for inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium and Enterococcus faecalis in soil contaminated with infected horse manure. To investigate the inactivation of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and the faecal indicator Enterococcus faecalis in horse manure:soil mixtures by application of hydrated lime (Ca(OH)(2)). Results: In laboratory incubations, the inhibitory effect of different concentrations of Ca(OH)(2), as well as different application techniques, was tested. Other variables were horse manure:soil ratio, incubation temperature (6 and 14°C) and soil type (sand/clay). Bacterial enumeration by the plate count method in samples taken at increasing intervals revealed that Ca(OH)(2) effectively reduced Sal...
Working with horses: an OWAS work task analysis. Most work in horse stables is performed manually in much the same way as a century ago. It is the least mechanized sector dealing with large animals. People working with horses are exposed to several types of risk for developing musculoskeletal problems, but the work tasks and workload have not been investigated in detail. The aim of this study was to estimate the postural load of the work tasks performed around horses to find those that were harmful and required measures to be taken to reduce physical strain. Altogether, 20 subjects (stable attendants and riding instructors) were video record...
Training young horses to social separation: effect of a companion horse on training efficiency. The intensity with which a horse responds to separation from its group and subsequently to being alone is relevant for both horse and handler safety. Identification of training methods that may reduce responses to separation would be useful in practice. Objective: To investigate whether the initial presence of a familiar companion horse modifies responses to separation from the group, lowers stress levels (as measured by heart rate) and increases training efficiency. Objective: Habituation to separation proceeds more quickly if the horse is first trained with a companion, and heart rate is low...
[Automatic feeding systems for horses in group housing systems with regard to animal welfare. Part 2: Comparison of different automatic feeding systems]. Comparison with regard to animal welfare of different automatic feeding systems for hay and concentrate in group housing systems for horses using parameters of ethology and physiology. Methods: Parameters of research comprised: duration of stay, frequency of visit, threatening behaviour with and without risk of injury, and avoiding behaviour as well as heart rate and injuries of the integument. 452 horses were observed at the feeding area of 32 run-out-sheds. Every group of horses was continuously observed following the pie chart system for 24 hours. Results: The "walk-through" station signifi...
Using differential reinforcement to improve equine welfare: shaping appropriate truck loading and feet handling. Inappropriate behavior during common handling procedures with horses is often subject to aversive treatment. The present study replicated and extended previous findings using differential reinforcement to shape appropriate equine handling behavior. In Study 1, a multiple baseline across subjects design was used with four horses to determine first the effects of shaping target-touch responses and then successive approximations of full truck loading under continuous and intermittent schedules of reinforcement. Full loading responses were shaped and maintained in all four horses and occurrences o...
The healing effects of a topical phytogenic ointment on insect bite hypersensitivity lesions in horses. Insect bite hypersensitivity (IBH) is the most common cause of pruritus in horses and is a serious welfare issue for affected animals. In this study, the effect of a topical phytogenic ointment on the healing of cutaneous lesions was investigated in a double-blind trial involving 26 horses with I B H. The number of lesions and their total surface area were recorded on days 0, 7, and 21 in horses treated for 3 weeks with either verum or placebo ointment. After unblinding of treatment assignment, the horses that had been treated with the placebo ointment received the verum preparation for an add...
An investigation of racing performance and whip use by jockeys in thoroughbred races. Concerns have been expressed concerning animal-welfare issues associated with whip use during Thoroughbred races. However, there have been no studies of relationships between performance and use of whips in Thoroughbred racing. Our aim was to describe whip use and the horses' performance during races, and to investigate associations between whip use and racing performance. Under the Australian Racing Board (ARB) rules, only horses that are in contention can be whipped, so we expected that whippings would be associated with superior performance, and those superior performances would be explaine...
Magnetic resonance imaging features of serous atrophy of bone marrow fat in the distal limb of three horses. Emaciated human patients have changes in the fat content in medullary bone that are consistent with serous atrophy of the bone marrow histologically. Serous atrophy has been identified at postmortem examination in horses; however, the magnetic resonance (MR) characteristics have not been documented. Herein we describe the abnormalities of the bone marrow and medullary bone detected by low-field and high-field MR imaging of the distal limbs of three emaciated horses. These low- and high-field MR imaging abnormalities are characterized by a decrease in signal intensity on T1-weighted images in c...
Welfare and health of horses transported for slaughter within the European Union Part 1: Methodology and descriptive data. Anecdotal evidence collected by a variety of organisations has highlighted poor welfare in horses transported long distances to slaughter within the European Union. Objective: To investigate welfare of horses being transported long distances within the EU to slaughter. Methods: Data on transported horses were recorded at 2 assembly centres in Romania and at 4 abattoirs in Italy over an 8 month period in 2008. Results: A total of 1519 horses in 64 separate shipments were observed in Romania prior to transport of which 212 horses were deemed unfit for transport and only 3 shipments (5%) complied...
A survey of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Part 2: Clinical signs and owners’ perceptions of health and welfare. To describe the prevalence and risk factors for clinical signs of disease and owner-reported health or welfare issues of aged horses in Queensland, Australia. Methods: Owners of horses were contacted via an equestrian organisation in Queensland and asked to complete a questionnaire about their horses aged 15 years and older, to gain information about clinical signs observed in the horse and disease history. Owners were asked to identify health or welfare issues they felt were important in aged horses. Results: Owners were able to identify many clinical signs of disease, with 83% of horses havi...
Differential outcomes of unilateral interferences at birth. Behavioural modifications, including modifications of emotional reactivity, can occur following early experience such as handling (manual rubbing). Here, we investigated the effects of unilateral tactile stimulation at an early stage on emotional reactions later on. We handled newborn foals intensively on one side of their body. This early unilateral tactile experience had medium-term effects: the reactions of foals to a human approach, when they were 10 days old, differed according to the side stimulated at birth. Fewer right-handled foals accepted contact with humans, they delayed first cont...
Laminitic pain: parallels with pain states in humans and other species. Laminitis poses a threat to all horses, and is widely considered as being one of the most important diseases of horses and a global equine welfare problem. The effects of laminitis lead to debilitation, development of pronounced digital pain, and great suffering in the afflicted animal. The precise pathophysiological processes that result in laminitic pain are poorly defined, and hence the delivery of effective palliative care is clinically challenging. Knowledge and understanding of pain states in other animal species may further aid the elucidation of equine laminitic pain mechanisms, guide ...
