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Equine veterinary journal2024; doi: 10.1111/evj.14041

Comparing lying behaviour of young riding horses on days in an individual indoor box, on an outdoor paddock alone, or in pairs and in the following night.

Abstract: Horses must lie down to go into vital rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. If they are not lying down for sufficiently long periods they can become so sleep-deprived that they collapse uncontrollably, which results in a risk of injuries. Objective: To investigate how recumbency as a prerequisite to REM sleep on the experimental days and the following nights was influenced by changes in social and spatial environment throughout the day. Methods: Cross-over design in which subjects experienced each experimental condition twice. Methods: Observations were conducted on a horse farm. Ten young horses in training were observed on days when they were alone indoors in a box, on an outdoor paddock alone, on the same paddock in pairs, and in the following night stabled alone. The number of lying bouts and the total lying duration throughout the day and night were assessed automatically using 3D-accelerometers and data were evaluated using mixed-models. Results: Horses had a higher number of lying bouts during the days (p = 0.05, by a factor of 1.21 [95% CI: 1.00-1.45]) and longer lying duration at night (p < 0.001, by a factor of 11.25 [6.47-18.40]). On average, the number of lying bouts and the duration of lying increased from being indoors alone, to being outdoors alone, and outdoors in pairs although this could not be statistically supported (bouts: p = 0.5, by a factor of 1.08 [0.84-1.36] and 1.17 [0.91-1.48]; p = 0.6, duration: by a factor of 1.39 [0.73-2.93] and 1.38 [0.68-2.78]). Conclusions: A small number of horses were observed and there was large variability between days within horses. Conclusions: We found some indications that open space and a social companion throughout the day increased time lying down in the day as well as during the following nights thus allowing for more REM sleep.
© 2024 The Authors. Equine Veterinary Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2024-01-01 PubMed ID: 38163442DOI: 10.1111/evj.14041Google 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 study investigates the impact of social and physical environment changes on the lying behaviour or ‘recumbency’ of young riding horses, with reference to the necessity of lying down for REM sleep. The research suggests that open space and social companionship may increase the duration of REM sleep.

Objective and Methods of the Study

The research explores how the lying behaviour of horses – an essential prerequisite for them to achieve REM sleep – is influenced by changes in their social and spatial environment. A lack of extended lying down periods can lead to sleep-deprivation in horses, sometimes causing them to collapse uncontrollably, which presents a potential risk of injuries.

  • The investigative method used in the study was a cross-over design, ensuring that all subjects experienced each experimental condition twice.
  • For the duration of the study, observations were conducted on a horse farm with ten young horses in training.
  • On days when the horses were alone indoors in a box, on an outdoor paddock alone, on the same paddock in pairs, the researchers monitored and recorded data.
  • The data pertaining to the number and duration of horses’ lying bouts throughout the day and night was collected automatically using 3D-accelerometers.
  • To evaluate this data, the researchers utilised mixed-models.

Results and Conclusion

Through analysis of gathered data, the study found:

  • Horses exhibited a higher number of lying bouts during the daytime and a longer lying duration at night.
  • On average, the number of lying bouts and the duration of lying increased slightly from being indoors alone, to being outdoors alone, and outdoors in pairs. However, these findings could not be statistically supported.
  • The study’s conclusion is somewhat limited due to the small number of horses observed and a noticeable variability between days within horses.

In conclusion, the study suggests some correlations between time spent lying down (and therefore potential REM sleep) and both open space and social companionship. Whilst the results were not statistically significant, this initial research could provide useful groundwork for further investigations into environmental factors affecting equine sleep. It highlights the importance of conscious planning in setting horses’ living environments to ensure sufficient rest and minimize accidents due to sleep deprivation.

Cite This Article

APA
Helmerich P, Bachmann I, Gygax L. (2024). Comparing lying behaviour of young riding horses on days in an individual indoor box, on an outdoor paddock alone, or in pairs and in the following night. Equine Vet J. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.14041

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English

Researcher Affiliations

Helmerich, Pia
  • Animal Husbandry & Ethology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Bachmann, Iris
  • Agroscope, Haras National Suisse HNS, Avenches, Switzerland.
Gygax, Lorenz
  • Animal Husbandry & Ethology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Albrecht Daniel Thaer-Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

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Citations

This article has been cited 2 times.
  1. Klinck M, Lovett A, Sykes B. Incorporating a Behavioral Medicine Approach in the Multi-Modal Management of Chronic Equine Gastric Ulcer Syndrome (EGUS): A Clinical Commentary. Animals (Basel) 2025 Oct 17;15(20).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15203019pubmed: 41153946google scholar: lookup
  2. Gobbo E, Maccario C, Zupan Šemrov M, Bovo M, Atallah E, Minero M, Dalla Costa E. Exploring the impact of housing routine on lying behavior in horses measured with triaxial accelerometer. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1572051.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1572051pubmed: 40420950google scholar: lookup
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