Determinants of Undesirable Behaviors in American Quarter Horses Housed in Box Stalls.

This study is focused on determining management practices that affect negative behaviors in American Quarter Horses (AQH) when confined to box stalls, highlighting that inadequate nutrient supply and feeding behaviors play a significant role in undesirable behaviors.

Research Context and Methodology

• The study included 105 adult American Quarter Horses (29 females, 22 intact males, and 54 castrated males), kept in box stalls for a minimum of 30 days.
• The behaviors of these horses were visually observed at 5-minute intervals for an entire day by two alternating observers working 4-hour shifts.
• The study considered various parameters as independent variables, including animal characteristics, stall conditions, handling procedures, training regimens, supplied nutrients, and feeding behaviors. Simultaneously, the duration of time spent exhibiting undesirable behaviors was the dependent variable.
• For data analysis, the researchers employed exploratory factor analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis.

Primary Findings

• Four main components were extracted from the data, and two clusters were designated based on the time horses spent on undesirable behaviors: a low-incidence group (averaging 25 minutes) and a high-incidence group (averaging 97 minutes).
• While the nutritional and physiological statuses and training routine of horses did not show a significant impact on the duration of undesirable behaviors, feeding behavior played a crucial role.

Key Determinants of Undesirable Behaviors

• Among the key findings, a high resting heart rate and low dry matter intake to requirement ratio were indicative of inadequate nutrient supply being a determinant of undesirable behaviors in AQH.
• This reinforces that appropriate management practices around horse nutrition and feeding behaviors are critical to reducing these undesirable behaviors.

Implications and Recommendations

• The study stresses the importance of correct management practices, such as proper horse nutrition, feeding behaviors, and training routines, for reducing undesirable behaviors in AQH kept in box stalls.
• Despite nutritional status, physiological status, and training routine not having direct impacts, these factors should still be taken into consideration, particularly since feeding behavior (linked to nutrition) had a significant effect.