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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(6); 1798; doi: 10.3390/ani11061798

Basic Needs in Horses?-A Literature Review.

Abstract: Every animal species has particular environmental requirements that are essential for its welfare, and when these so-called "basic needs" are not fulfilled, the animals suffer. The basic needs of horses have been claimed to be social contact, social companionship, free movement and access to roughage. To assess whether horses suffer when one or more of the four proposed basic needs are restricted, we examined several studies ( = 38) that reported behavioural and physiological reactions to these restrictions. We assigned the studies according to the four types of responses investigated: (a) Stress, (b) Active, (c) Passive, and (d) Abnormal Behaviour. Furthermore, the number of studies indicating that horses reacted to the restrictions were compared with the number of studies reporting no reaction. The limited number of studies available on single management restrictions did not allow conclusions to be drawn on the effect of each restriction separately, especially in the case of social companionship. However, when combinations of social contact, free movement and access to roughage were restricted, many of the horses had developed responses consistent with suffering. Passive Responses, indicating acute suffering, and Abnormal Behaviour, indicating suffering currently or at some time in the past, were especially clearly demonstrated. This provides further evidence of the usefulness of assessing behavioural parameters in combination with physiological measurements when evaluating horse welfare. This meta-analysis of the literature confirms that it is justified to claim that social contact, free movement and access to roughage are basic needs in horses.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-16 PubMed ID: 34208615PubMed Central: PMC8235049DOI: 10.3390/ani11061798Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research aims to evaluate the basic needs of horses and the potential suffering they experience when these needs are not met, with a focus on the four proposed essentials: social contact, social companionship, free movement, and access to roughage. A number of existing studies were analyzed to determine the consequences on horse behavior and physiological responses when these needs are restricted or denied.

Understanding the Basic Needs of Horses

Horses, like all animals, require certain specific environmental conditions in order to maintain good health and welfare. In this research, the authors propose that the basic needs of horses can be categorised into four:

  • Social Contact: Interaction with other horses.
  • Social Companionship: A sustained bond or relationship with other horses.
  • Free Movement: The ability to move without confinement.
  • Access to Roughage: The availability of grains, forages, hay, or other bulky food.

Analytical Approach

In order to verify whether horses indeed suffer when denied these basic needs, the authors combed through 38 different studies that have examined the behavioral and physiological impacts of such restrictions on horses. These studies were classified based on the type of response being examined. These responses are:

  • Stress: Measurements of stress and discomfort.
  • Active: Proactive behavioural responses.
  • Passive: Reduced activity, possibly indicating pain or distress.
  • Abnormal Behaviour: Behaviours not typically seen in healthy and content horses.

Findings and Interpretation

The authors noted that because there’s a shortage of studies analyzing the impact of single management restrictions, notably social companionship, it’s challenging to draw conclusions on the effect of each restriction individually. However, they observed that when horses were denied a combination of social contact, freedom of movement, and access to roughage, clear signs of distress and abnormal behavior were exhibited. This indicates that the animal might be in acute suffering or may have suffered in the past.

Overall, they found that behavioral parameters coupled with physiological measurements offer a practical method for assessing horse welfare. Their large-scale analysis of existing literature supports the claim that social interaction, free movement, and access to roughage are indeed basic needs for horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Krueger K, Esch L, Farmer K, Marr I. (2021). Basic Needs in Horses?-A Literature Review. Animals (Basel), 11(6), 1798. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061798

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 6
PII: 1798

Researcher Affiliations

Krueger, Konstanze
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
  • Zoology/Evolutionary Biology, University of Regensburg, Universitätsstraße 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
Esch, Laureen
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
  • Department of Animal Welfare, Ethology, Animal Hygiene and Animal Husbandry, Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Veterinarian Medicine, Veterinaerstr. 13/R, 80539 Munich, Germany.
Farmer, Kate
  • Centre for Social Learning & Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland KY16 9JPh, UK.
Marr, Isabell
  • Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Neckarsteige 6-10, 72622 Nürtingen, Germany.
  • Behavioural Physiology of Farm Animals, University of Hohenheim, Garbenstr. 17, 70599 Hohenheim, Germany.

Grant Funding

  • none / Ministry of Science, Research and Art (MWK), Baden-Wu00fcrttemberg, Germany

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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