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.
May A, Riley CB, Scharre A, Zablotski Y, Padalino B.Equine road transport is stressful and associated with an increased risk of behavioral problems, injuries, respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases. This cross-sectional survey-based study aimed to describe transport-related practices and the perception of behavioral and health issues in Germany. The survey targeted horse owners (amateurs and professionals) and obtained demographic details, the participant's experience, frequency and duration of transportation, and behavioral and health problems related to equine transportation. Associations among behavioral and health problems and transport ...
Masebo NT, Benedetti B, Mountricha M, Lee L, Padalino B.Bedding is an important component of equine accommodation management. Choosing the right bedding is important for stable management and its selection may include considerations such as the sourcing of the material, the capital investment and ongoing costs, delivery, storage, installation, ongoing labour and maintenance, removal and disposal. Furthermore, it is crucial that the consequences for the health and welfare of horses and humans and the impact on the environment should also be considered. This review aimed to outline the advantages and disadvantages of different horse bedding types, fo...
Mota-Rojas D, Whittaker AL, Coria-Avila GA, Martínez-Burnes J, Mora-Medina P, Domínguez-Oliva A, Hernández-Avalos I, Olmos-Hernández A....The growing interest in managing and recognizing pain in animals has led to the search for more sensitive methods to evaluate it, especially because some species conceal any visible changes associated with pain or are not easily assessed. Research has shown that an animal's facial expression changes when exposed to painful stimuli. Thus, developing several pain scales (grimace scales) in species such as horses, cattle, pigs, sheep, donkeys, rabbits, rats, mice, and cats has helped to improve the study of pain in veterinary medicine. The possibility of using facial expression as an indicator of...
Naydani CJ, Coombs T.Obesity and its comorbidities (e.g. laminitis) are identified as major welfare issues among domestic equids in the United Kingdom (UK) and abroad. Weight-management typically focuses on restricting consumption (e.g. limiting pasture grazing), often facilitated through stabling. This leads to social isolation, prompting other welfare issues. Increased exercise may be a preferable solution for equine obesity, if viable. The aims of this study were to explore horse (Equus caballus) owner perceptions regarding the importance of exercise, and to investigate how exercise provision related to welfare...
Bouverat VMA, Naef J, Dolf G, Lamon I, Sage SE, Gerber V.Organic dust from hay is a primary trigger of equine asthma. Objective: (1) To introduce a novel hay-shaker (HS) device for standardised hay dust generation, enabling simultaneous measurements of various particulate matter (PM) size fractions. (2) To compare these measurements with those in the horse's breathing zone (BZ) to assess the influence of environmental and individual factors. Methods: Comparative experimental study. Methods: A HS generating dust was developed. Total dust (PMT) and size fractions (PM1, PM2.5, PM4 and PM10, representing particle size in μm) were measured from 50 hay s...
Giannetto C, Aragona F, Fazio F, Piccione G, Giudice E, Arfuso F, Zumbo A.This study aimed to examine the impact of climatic conditions on feed intake, body weight, and rectal temperature in horses residing in the hot Summer Mediterranean climate zone. Eight gelding Italian Saddle horses, with an average body weight of 427.78 ± 54.55 kg and aged between 10 and 13 years, participated in the research. All horses were individually housed in a paddock (800 m/horse), and fed ad libitum. Food intake, body weight, and rectal temperature were recorded every 10 days at four 30-day collection periods in the year: January, April, July, and October. The formula adapted fr...
Cameron A, Geldard M, Mair T, England G, Burford J, Freeman S, Pollock K, Wilson E.Veterinary and charity teams are frequently involved in equine end-of-life decisions. These can cause ethical dilemmas and emotional burdens and complicate communication with owners. Semi-structured focus groups explored experiences of making decisions about end-of-life care and euthanasia at three UK equine veterinary practices and one charity. There were 26 participants in a mix of roles. Inductive coding was conducted during thematic analysis. Major themes generated were 'Equine Welfare', 'Relationships', 'Decision-Making', and 'Emotional Toll and Coping Strategies'. Communication, finances...
Visser EK, Jens AL, Nieuwe Weme LE, Spaapen AA, Maarleveld KN, Enzerink KH, Tromp PN, Haven-Pross SC.Equine-Assisted Services (EAS) offer significant benefits for individuals with intellectual and/or physical disabilities. However, ensuring the welfare of the horses involved remains a key ethical concern. The objective of this study was to assess the affective states of horses involved in EAS while also establishing behavioural thresholds for indicators of positive or negative affective states. A total of 98 horses were observed over a two-month period, accumulating data about horse behaviour and session characteristics from 830 EAS sessions. Horses participating in coaching programs averaged...
Botía M, Muñoz-Prieto A, Martínez-Subiela S, Martín-Cuervo M, Hansen S, Manteca X, Cerón JJ, López-Arjona M.Equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) is a frequent disease in horses that comprises two different entities: equine squamous gastric disease (ESGD) and equine glandular gastric disease (EGGD). This disease considerably reduces the quality of life of affected horses and can negatively affect performance. Saliva contains biomarkers, such as oxytocin, that have been used as a welfare indicator and can develop a function as a protective factor against stress-induced changes in gastric function due to its gastric antisecretory and antiulcer effects. The objective of this work was to evaluate changes...
Steklis NG, Peñaherrera-Aguirre M, Steklis HD.This paper challenges the prevalent characterization of domesticated horses as prey species that inherently view humans as predators. Drawing on evolutionary, ethological, and cognitive evidence, we propose the "mutualistic coevolution hypothesis", which posits that horses and humans have evolved a partnership marked by cooperation rather than fear. We critically assess the "prey hypothesis", emphasizing a predator-prey model, which dominates equine training and the literature, and we argue that it inadequately explains horses' morphology, behaviors, and cognitive capacities. Comparative studi...
Isgren CM, Pinchbeck GL, Salem SE, Hann MJ, Townsend NB, Cullen MD, Archer DC.Surgical site infection (SSI) is a frequent complication following emergency equine laparotomy, negatively impacting equine welfare, increasing treatment costs and presenting a hospital biosecurity risk. Objective: To determine if a sutured-on stent dressing for incisional protection during anaesthetic recovery reduced SSI following emergency laparotomy. Methods: Randomised controlled trial. Methods: Eligible horses were randomised to a sutured-on stent (intervention) or textile dressing (control) as the primary component of a 3-layer abdominal bandage placed for anaesthetic recovery. Horses w...
Rochais C, Akoka E, Amiot Girard S, Grandgeorge M, Henry S.Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have become increasingly popular, with horses being one of the most commonly used species. While the effects of equine-assisted interventions (EAIs) have been widely studied in humans, research focusing on animals involved in such work is limited. Understanding how animals perceive their world is ethically important because their perception reflects the valence of their underlying mood. We investigated the cognitive judgement bias (pessimistic vs. optimistic) and perception of humans (negative vs. positive) in horses from three different facilities, divided...
John KD, Vincent AL, Nieforth LO, Schafroth J.This article used an intersectional feminist analytic framework to theorize the role of anthropomorphizing human-equine interactions in the HERD Institute's modality for practitioners of Equine-facilitated learning and equine-facilitated psychotherapy (EFL/P). EFL/P is a traditionally human-centered activity which leverages anthropomorphizing equine behavior and emotions to better understand human selves and dynamics by assigning human emotions to equids and human-equine interactions. Intersectional feminist theories were used to interpret 11 in-depth interviews with EFL/P practitioners. The d...
Vandaele Z, Van den Broeke C, Merchiers A, Schauvliege S.Different assisted recovery techniques have been developed to enhance the safety and quality of equine recoveries. This case series evaluates the recovery of horses using an air-inflated pillow (Equi-lift®). With owner consent, the following data were collected from 19 horses undergoing open castration and 21 horses where a difficult recovery was anticipated: age, bodyweight, procedure, anaesthetic protocol, time required for proper positioning in the Equi-lift®, time to extubation, time to standing, number of attempts to stand, number of stimuli, behaviour during recumbency/first attempts, ...
Morrice-West AV, Thomas M, Wong ASM, Flash M, Whitton RC, Hitchens PL.Racehorse and jockey incidents on race-days frequently occur together, yet risk factors for their occurrence have historically been investigated separately. Consideration of both horses and humans in tandem is required for a One Health approach to risk reduction. Our objectives were to therefore identify modifiable risk factors for adverse outcomes that are common or conflicting to both horses and their jockeys in Thoroughbred racing. Unassigned: Australian Single National System records for the 2004/05 to 2018/19 flat racing season were merged with the corresponding Australian Racing Incident...
Feighelstein M, Ricci-Bonot C, Hasan H, Weinberg H, Rettig T, Segal M, Distelfeld T, Shimshoni I, Mills DS, Zamansky A.[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302893.].
Ross M, Proudfoot K, Merkies K, Lundgren C, Ritter C.Competitive dressage's social licence to operate is in jeopardy due to ethical concerns surrounding the use of horses for dressage. There is limited research that contributes to our understanding of Canadian equestrian perspectives on the use of horses in dressage. The objectives of this study were to: (1) explore the cultural context of the Canadian dressage industry, including how horse well-being is integrated within the culture; and (2) investigate coaches' and riders' perceptions and experiences with the use of horses for dressage. An ethnographic case study approach was employed, where M...
Siegers EW, Parmentier JIM, Sloet van Oldruitenborgh-Oosterbaan MM, Munsters CCBM, Serra Bragança FM.Appropriate training is essential for equine athletes to improve fitness and ensure welfare. Young Friesian stallions must complete a 10-week training program for acceptance as breeding stallions. Earlier, this training program was demonstrated to induce overtraining. Unassigned: To evaluate how this training program affects stallions' trot locomotion variables in relation to fatigue. Unassigned: Prospective analytical study. Unassigned: 3 or 4 years-old (n = 16) Friesian stallions performed three ridden indoor standardized exercise tests (SETs) in week-1 (SET-I; n = 15), week-6 (SET...
Bhave A, Kieson E, Hafner A, Gloor PA.This research applies unsupervised learning on a large original dataset of horses in the wild to identify previously unidentified horse emotions. We construct a novel, high-quality, diverse dataset of 3929 images consisting of five wild horse breeds worldwide at different geographical locations. We base our analysis on the seven Panksepp emotions of mammals "Exploring", "Sadness", "Playing", "Rage", "Fear", "Affectionate" and "Lust", along with one additional emotion "Pain" which has been shown to be highly relevant for horses. We apply the contrastive learning framework MoCo (Momentum Contras...
O'Connell E, Dyson S, McLean A, McGreevy P.Euphemisms, anthropomorphisms, and equivocation are established characteristics of traditional equestrian language. 'Evasion', 'resistance', and 'disobedience' are common labels assigned to unwelcome equine behaviours, implying that the horse is at fault for not complying with the human's cues and expectations. These terms appear to overlook multiple motivations that may directly result in the horse offering unwelcome responses, which may then inadvertently be reinforced. This article revisits some of the anthropocentric inferences in these terms and explores the harmful consequences of such c...
Watson WL, MacKay JRD, Dwyer CM.This study focuses on recreational horse owners in the UK and Ireland to explore the relationship between horse characteristics and welfare issues. An online questionnaire was distributed to 1501 horse owners to collect data on the owners, horses, and health/behavioural issues. Most respondents were female (98%), lived in England (56%), and did not insure their horses for veterinary costs (51%). Horses were typically over 5 years of age (96%), taller than 154 cm (55%), and mostly geldings (65%). Common welfare issues reported included lameness (26%), handling problems (11%), antisocial behavio...
van Loon JPAM, Trindade PHE, da Silva GV, Keus J, Huberts C, de Grauw JC, Lanci A.Pain assessment based on facial expressions has been described in foals. Objective: To extend previous pilot findings of the Equine Utrecht University Scale for Facial Assessment of Pain in Foals (EQUUS-FAP FOAL). Methods: Prospective blinded case-control study (known groups analysis). Methods: Video recordings (30-60 s) of n = 100 foals (38 patients and 62 controls) were collected. Videos were randomised and scored by two observers, blinded for the condition of the animals. Inter- and intra-observer agreement was tested by Intra Class Correlation (ICC) analysis. Differences between pati...
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....The objective of this Scientific Opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the slaughter of horses for human consumption. The entire slaughter procedure, from arrival at the slaughterhouse until death, is divided into three phases: Phase 1 - pre-stunning, Phase 2 - stunning and Phase 3 - bleeding. Phase 1 includes the following processes (in chronological order): (a) arrival, (b) unloading of the animals from the vehicle, (c) lairage, (d) handling and moving to the stunning area and (e) restraint before application of the stunning method. Phase 2 encompasses the...
Nielsen SS, Alvarez J, Boklund A, Dippel S, Dorea F, Figuerola J, Herskin M, Miranda Chueca MA, Nannoni E, Nonno R, Riber A, Stahl K, Stegeman JA....Horses of different ages may have to be killed on-farm for purposes other than slaughter (where slaughter is defined as killing for human consumption) either individually (i.e. on-farm killing of unproductive, injured or terminally ill animals) or on a large-scale (i.e. depopulation for disease control purposes and other situations, such as environmental contamination, disaster management, etc.). The purpose of this opinion is to assess the hazards and welfare consequences associated with the on-farm killing of horses. The killing procedure is divided into Phase 1 (pre-killing), which includes...
Chapman M, Fenner K, Thomas MJW.Equestrianism has an opportunity to learn lessons relating to safer human-horse interactions from those who no longer have a voice, by drawing data from the investigation of horse-related human fatalities and participating in accident analysis. Many human-horse related injuries and fatalities are not examined in equestrianism for the purpose of developing safer future risk mitigation practice, often due to the philosophy that horse sport is simply dangerous. This study analysed data from the Australian National Coronial Information System (NCIS) relating to fatalities involving human-horse int...
Sanigavatee K, Poochipakorn C, Huangsaksri O, Vichitkraivin S, Pakdeelikhit S, Chotiyothin W, Wongkosoljit S, Wonghanchao T, Chanda M.Older horses often show reduced autonomic responses, affecting their well-being. While regular exercise can help maintain autonomic function, the impact of structured exercise on geriatric horses is not well understood. A study involving 27 geriatric horses examined their autonomic modulation over 12 weeks under different activity levels. Horses were divided into three groups: (1) sedentary (SEL), (2) those participating in unstructured activities (RAT), and (3) those following a structured exercise regimen (SER). Results showed that the minimum and average heart rates decreased in the structu...
Nuñez CM, Adelman JS, Smith J, Gesquiere LR, Rubenstein DI.Feral horses (Equus caballus) have a complex social structure, the stability of which is important to their overall health. Behavioral and demographic research has shown that decreases in group (or band) stability reduce female fitness, but the potential effects on the physiological stress response have not been demonstrated. To fully understand how band stability affects group-member fitness, we need to understand not only behavioral and demographic, but also physiological consequences of decreases to that stability. We studied group changes in feral mares (an activity that induces instabilit...
Pritchard JC, Burn CC, Barr AR, Whay HR.Dehydration is a serious welfare concern in horses working in developing countries. Identification of a valid and practical indicator of dehydration would enable more rapid treatment and prevention. Objective: To examine changes in bodyweight, clinical and blood parameters during rehydration of working horses, identify a 'gold standard' criterion for dehydration and use this to validate a standardised skin tent test, drinking behaviour and mucous membrane dryness as potential field indicators. Methods: Fifty horses with a positive skin tent test, working in environmental temperatures of 30-44 ...
Fureix C, Benhajali H, Henry S, Bruchet A, Prunier A, Ezzaouia M, Coste C, Hausberger M, Palme R, Jego P.Stereotypic behaviours, i.e. repetitive behaviours induced by frustration, repeated attempts to cope and/or brain dysfunction, are intriguing as they occur in a variety of domestic and captive species without any clear adaptive function. Among the different hypotheses, the coping hypothesis predicts that stereotypic behaviours provide a way for animals in unfavourable environmental conditions to adjust. As such, they are expected to have a lower physiological stress level (glucocorticoids) than non-stereotypic animals. Attempts to link stereotypic behaviours with glucocorticoids however have y...
Padalino B, Raidal SL, Hall E, Knight P, Celi P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G.Transportation can affect equine health and is a potential source of economic loss to the industry. Objective: To identify journey (duration, vehicle, commercial or noncommercial) and horse (sex, age, breed, use, amateur or professional status) characteristics associated with the development of transport-related health problems in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional online survey. Methods: An online survey was conducted targeting amateur and professional participants in the Australian equine industry; eligible respondents were required to organise horse movements at least monthly. Respondents pro...
Rochais C, Henry S, Fureix C, Hausberger M.Some captive/domestic animals respond to confinement by becoming inactive and unresponsive to external stimuli. Human inactivity is one of the behavioural markers of clinical depression, a mental disorder diagnosed by the co-occurrence of symptoms including deficit in selective attention. Some riding horses display 'withdrawn' states of inactivity and low responsiveness to stimuli that resemble the reduced engagement with their environment of some depressed patients. We hypothesized that 'withdrawn' horses experience a depressive-like state and evaluated their level of attention by confronting...
Fenner K, Caspar G, Hyde M, Henshall C, Dhand N, Probyn-Rapsey F, Dashper K, McLean A, McGreevy P.We propose that the anthropomorphic application of gender stereotypes to animals influences human-animal interactions and human expectations, often with negative consequences for female animals. An online survey was conducted to explore riders' perceptions of horse temperament and suitability for ridden work, based on horse sex. The questionnaire asked respondents to allocate three hypothetical horses (a mare, gelding and stallion) to four riders compromising a woman, man, girl and boy. Riders were described as equally capable of riding each horse and each horse was described as suitable for a...
Ireland JL, Clegg PD, McGowan CM, McKane SA, Pinchbeck GL.Geriatric horses (aged≥15 years) represent a substantial proportion of the equine population, yet very few studies have investigated the prevalence of diseases within the UK equine geriatric population. Objective: To describe the provision of routine preventive health care measures, prevalence of clinical signs of disease and the prevalence of owner reported diseases. Additionally, the effect of increasing age on the provision of preventive health care and the presence or absence of clinical signs and disease was assessed. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, surveying a randomly ...
Smiet E, Van Dierendonck MC, Sleutjens J, Menheere PP, van Breda E, de Boer D, Back W, Wijnberg ID, van der Kolk JH.Different head-and-neck positions (HNPs) are discussed in relation to potential welfare issues. To evaluate the effect on welfare, seven Royal Dutch Sport horses were studied in five predetermined HNPs: (1) unrestrained (HNP1); (2) neck raised, bridge of nose around the vertical (HNP2); (3) neck lowered and considerably flexed, bridge of nose pointing towards the chest (HNP4); (4) neck raised and extended, bridge of nose in front of the vertical (HNP5), and (5) neck lowered and flexed, bridge of nose pointing towards the carpus (HNP7). A standardised exercise test (SET) of 34 min consisted o...
Aragona F, Tabbì M, Gugliandolo E, Giannetto C, D'Angelo F, Fazio F, Interlandi C.Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychotropic cannabinoid obtained from hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) used for pain management in companion animals including horses. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) and cannabigerol/cannabidiol oil (CBG/CBD) oral administration in alleviating pain in adult horses affected by chronic osteoarthritis (OA). Twenty-four horses (10 geldings and 14 mares), aged between 11 and 18 years old, were equally divided into two groups. One group received CBDA 15% oil and the other group received CBG/CBD oil (CBG20%-CBD10%) for 14 consecuti...
Górecka-Bruzda A, Jaworski Z, Jaworska J, Siemieniuch M.To prevent abuse and to assure the welfare of domestic horses, attempts to assess welfare in a standardized way have been made. Welfare-assessment tools often refer to the physical and social environments of feral domestic horses as examples of welfare-friendly conditions for horses. However, free-roaming horses are often exposed to conditions or states that may be regarded as welfare threats or abuse. The aim of this review was to present cases of welfare compromises as well as natural ways to restore high standards of welfare to Konik polski horses (Koniks) living in semiferal conditions in ...
Lee KE, Kim JG, Lee H, Kim BS.This study aimed to investigate whether breed, sex, and age affected temperament differently (more or less neophobic) in mature horses during a novel object test. The study included Jeju crossbred (n = 12, age = 9.42 ± 4.57 y), Thoroughbred (n = 15, age = 10.73 ± 3.09 y), and Warmblood horses (n = 12, age = 13.08 ± 3.55 y) with the females (n = 22, age = 11.36 ± 4.24 y) and geldings (n = 17, age = 10.65 ± 3.66 y). Jeju crossbreds (Jeju horse × Thoroughbred) are valuable considering their popular usage in Korea, but limited studies have explored temperament of Jeju crossbred horses. A tra...
Dai F, Dalla Costa A, Bonfanti L, Caucci C, Di Martino G, Lucarelli R, Padalino B, Minero M.The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a self-loading training using positive reinforcement on stress-related behaviors shown by meat horses during loading procedures into a truck. Thirty-two meat horses ( = 18; = 14; 6 month-old) were included in the study. All horses had limited interactions with the farmer and were not used to be restrained nor lead by halter. Horses were divided in two groups: Control Group (C; = 14) and Training Group (T; = 18). T horses were trained to self-load: in order to teach the horses to enter into the truck, a targeting training technique throughou...
Greening L, McBride S.Sleep is a significant biological requirement for all living mammals due to its restorative properties and its cognitive role in memory consolidation. Sleep is ubiquitous amongst all mammals but sleep profiles differ between species dependent upon a range of biological and environmental factors. Given the functional importance of sleep, it is important to understand these differences in order to ensure good physical and psychological wellbeing for domesticated animals. This review focuses specifically on the domestic horse and aims to consolidate current information on equine sleep, in relatio...
Chaplin SJ, Gretgrix L.Housing conditions for horses impose various levels of confinement, which may compromise welfare. Lying behaviour and activity can be used as welfare indicators for domestic animals and rebound behaviour suggests a build-up of motivation resulting from deprivation. The objective of this study was to determine if activity and lying behaviour of horses are affected by housing conditions and to investigate the occurrence of rebound behaviour after release from confinement. Eight horses were subjected, in pairs, to each of four experimental treatments; paddock (P), fully stabled (FS), partly stabl...
Czycholl I, Klingbeil P, Krieter J.Objective tools for the assessment of animal welfare are needed. The present study analyzed the interobserver reliability of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) welfare assessment protocol for horses to further enhance knowledge concerning reliability. Therefore, two trained observers conducted 18 assessments on farm at the same time and on the same animals. The results were compared at individual level by calculation of Cohen's kappa (κ), weighted kappa (κ), and prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa (PABAK). Spearman rank correlation coefficient (RS), intraclass correlation coefficient ...
Navas de Solis C.Arrhythmias are common in equine athletes during and immediately after exercise. Many of these rhythm variations are not clinically relevant. In horses, a link between different exercising arrhythmias and poor performance or between exercising arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death (SCD) is strongly suspected but not fully understood or proven. SCD during races or competitions is rare, but has catastrophic consequences for the safety of the human partner and public perceptions of welfare during equestrian sports. This review summarises current knowledge of equine exercise arrhythmias and their i...
Flood J, Stewart AJ.Effective pain management in horses can be a challenge despite the understanding that appropriate analgesia improves animal welfare and increases treatment success. The administration of NSAID drugs, particularly phenylbutazone and flunixin, are common practice in equine veterinary patients. Known for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, NSAIDs are used for the treatment of a variety of conditions in horses, from gastrointestinal to orthopedic pain. Despite extensive usage, NSAIDs have a narrow margin of safety and the body of literature documenting the efficacy and side effects o...
Scopa C, Palagi E, Sighieri C, Baragli P.To manage a stressful stimulus animals react both behaviorally and physiologically to restore the homeostasis. In stable horses, a stressful stimulus can be represented by social separation, riding discomfort or the presence of novel objects in their environment. Although Heart Rate Variability is a common indicator of stress levels in horses, the behavioral mechanisms concurrently occurring under stressful conditions are still unknown. The sudden inflation of a balloon was administered to 33 horses. Video-recording of self-directed behaviors (snore, vacuum chewing, snort, head/body shaking) a...
Shah SZA, Nawaz Z, Nawaz S, Carder G, Ali M, Soomro N, Compston PC.Equine ownership is a common income-generating strategy in Pakistan. In Karachi, donkey carts are used to transport building materials, commercial produce and garbage. This study aimed to articulate the role and welfare of donkeys used in waste management. We conducted interviews with donkey owners ( = 200), households which use donkey carts for waste collection ( = 50) and key informants ( = 14). To assess the welfare of donkeys, the Standardised Equine-Based Welfare Assessment Tool (SEBWAT) was used ( = 204). Collection of waste was the primary source of income for 89% of owners interviewed....
McGowan TW, Pinchbeck G, Phillips CJ, Perkins N, Hodgson DR, McGowan CM.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...
Williams JM, Randle H, Marlin D.COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on 11 March 2020; the United Kingdom (UK) implemented quarantine measures shortly afterward, resulting in rapid changes in how owners managed and interacted with their horses. This study provides a rapid analysis of the initial impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the management of UK leisure and competition horses. A 17 question online survey was distributed via equestrian social media sites to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on horse and yard management and on human-horse interactions. Frequency analysis combined with Chi-squared and thematic analyses i...
Dalla Costa E, Dai F, Lebelt D, Scholz P, Barbieri S, Canali E, Minero M.A truthful snapshot of horse welfare conditions is a prerequisite for predicting the impact of any actions intended to improve the quality of life of horses. This can be achieved when welfare information, gathered by different assessors in diverse geographical areas, is valid, comparable and collected in a harmonized way. This paper aims to present the first outcomes of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) approach: the results of on-farm assessment and a reliable and harmonized data collection system. A total of 355 sport and leisure horses, stabled in 40 facilities in Italy and in Germany, w...
Starling MJ, Branson N, Cody D, McGreevy PD.Animal training relies heavily on an understanding of species-specific behaviour as it integrates with operant conditioning principles. Following on from recent studies showing that affective states and arousal levels may correlate with behavioural outcomes, we explore the contribution of both affective state and arousal in behavioural responses to operant conditioning. This paper provides a framework for assessing how affective state and arousal may influence the efficacy of operant training methods. It provides a series of three-dimensional conceptual graphs as exemplars to describing putati...
Sullivan S, Hinchcliff K.Exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH) is an important disease of horses that perform high-intensity athletic activity. EIPH is an ongoing concern for the racing industry because of its high prevalence; potential impact on performance; welfare concerns; and use of prophylactic medications, such as furosemide, on race day. During the last 10 years, significant progress has been made in understanding the pathogenesis and risk factors for EIPH and the impact of the disease on performance and career. This article summarizes the most recent advances in EIPH.
Grandgeorge M, Hausberger M.Humans have a long history of relationship with domestic animals and nowadays pets often act as "social substitutes" through bonding. There is some evidence that pet presence at home may induce well being in people and the development of social skills in children. Animal assisted therapies aim at developing these skills in patients on the basis of human animal interactions. Experimental data obtained on animal models suggest that this is indeed a promising line. There is however a lack of clear scientific data that would help defines what the most appropriate procedures or species may be. Impr...
Nagy A, Dyson SJ, Murray JK.The popularity of competitive endurance riding is growing worldwide and this has led to considerable changes in the discipline (e.g., fitter and faster horses and different types of injuries), which create challenges to all involved in the sport, including veterinarians. During endurance competitions, horses are closely monitored by veterinarians throughout the ride, with the aim of removing from the competition animals whose welfare appears to be endangered. This close monitoring provides veterinarians with an insight into problems during competitions. However, there is a relatively small amo...
Jaqueth AL, Iwaniuk ME, Burk AO.It has been estimated in the United States and abroad that 20%-51% of the equine population suffers from over-conditioning or obesity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of over-conditioning in the equine population in Maryland, to characterize weight control measures used, and to ascertain how control measures impact the operation. Over-conditioning was defined as a body condition score of 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale. All licensed horse operators in Maryland were invited to participate in an online survey. A total of 93 farm operators completed the survey with 238 ponies...
Heleski CR, McGreevy PD, Kaiser LJ, Lavagnino M, Tans E, Bello N, Clayton HM.Unsteady hand position can cause discomfort to the horse, potentially leading to conflict behaviours (CB) such as head tossing or tail lashing. Some instructors feel that martingales or elastic rein inserts can reduce discomfort caused by inexperienced and unsteady hands. Others consider these devices to be inappropriate 'crutches'. Four horses and nine riders were tested under three conditions in random order: plain reins, adjustable training martingales (TM), and elasticised rein inserts (RI). Rein-tension data (7s) and behavioural data (30s) were collected in each direction. Rein-tension da...
Kang H, Zsoldos RR, Sole-Guitart A, Narayan E, Cawdell-Smith AJ, Gaughan JB.Healthy adult horses can balance accumulation and dissipation of body heat to maintain their body temperature between 37.5 and 38.5 °C, when they are in their thermoneutral zone (5 to 25 °C). However, under some circumstances, such as following strenuous exercise under hot, or hot and humid conditions, the accumulation of body heat exceeds dissipation and horses can suffer from heat stress. Prolonged or severe heat stress can lead to anhidrosis, heat stroke, or brain damage in the horse. To ameliorate the negative effects of high heat load in the body, early detection of heat stress and im...
