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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Equine Activities Influence Horses’ Responses to Diffe...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(6); 290; doi: 10.3390/ani9060290

Equine Activities Influence Horses’ Responses to Different Stimuli: Could This Have an Impact on Equine Welfare?

Abstract: The learning and cognitive challenges that horses may face differ according to the activities in which they are involved. The aim of this investigation was to study the influence of equine activities on the behavioral responses and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity of adult horses. Forty-one horses were divided into four groups: dressage (9), jumping (10), eventing (13) and equine-assisted activity/therapy (9). A test was created to compare the horses' behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli. The goal was always to obtain a treat. To study the ANS activity, heart rate variability was assessed using the standard deviation of the R-R intervals (SDNN), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between successive interbeat-intervals (RMSSD) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF). To assess behavioral responses, video analysis was performed considering the following behaviors: exploration, interactions with another horse, and latency to approach. Significant differences in SDNN (DF = 3; F = 3.36; = 0.0202), RMSSD (DF = 3; F = 4.09; = 0.0078), LF/HF (DF = 3; F = 4.79; = 0.0031), exploration (DF = 3; F = 5.79; = 0.0013) and latency to approach (DF = 3; F = 8.97; < 0.0001) were found among horses from different equine activities. The activity that adult horses practice appears to influence behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli, thus impacting equine welfare.
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Publication Date: 2019-05-29 PubMed ID: 31146422PubMed Central: PMC6616897DOI: 10.3390/ani9060290Google 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 investigated the impact of different equine activities on the behavior and physiological responses of horses, which could have implications for their wellbeing.

Research Objectives

  • The main objective of the study was to evaluate how different equine activities affect the behavioral responses and autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity of horses.
  • The researchers also aimed to understand if these changes could potentially affect the welfare of the horses.

Methodology

  • The sample included 41 horses which were divided into four groups depending on the type of activity they were involved in: dressage, jumping, eventing, and equine-assisted activity/therapy.
  • The researchers designed a test to compare the horses’ behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli. In each test, the goal for the horses was to obtain a treat.
  • ANS activity was studied by measuring heart rate variability using a standard deviation of R-R intervals (SDNN), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between successive interbeat-intervals (RMSSD) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio.
  • Video analysis was used to assess the horses’ behavioral responses. The behaviors observed included exploration, interactions with other horses, and latency to approach the stimuli.

Findings

  • Significant differences were found among horses from different equine activities in terms of SDNN, RMSSD, LF/HF, exploration behavior, and latency to approach the stimuli.
  • The results suggest that the type of activity that adult horses engage in could influence their behavioral and physiological responses to different stimuli.

Implications

  • This study’s findings are vital as variations in behavior and physiological responses could potentially impact the welfare of horses.
  • Future research can further delve into the specifics of how each type of activity impacts different aspects of a horse’s behaviour and physiology, which could provide valuable insights for equine care and training.

Cite This Article

APA
Mendonça T, Bienboire-Frosini C, Kowalczyk I, Leclercq J, Arroub S, Pageat P. (2019). Equine Activities Influence Horses’ Responses to Different Stimuli: Could This Have an Impact on Equine Welfare? Animals (Basel), 9(6), 290. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9060290

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 6
PII: 290

Researcher Affiliations

Mendonça, Tiago
  • Behavioral and Physiological Mechanisms of Adaptation Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France. t.mendonca@group-irsea.com.
Bienboire-Frosini, Cécile
  • Behavioral and Physiological Mechanisms of Adaptation Department, Research Institute in Semiochemistry and Applied Ethology (IRSEA), 84400 Apt, France. c.frosini@group-irsea.com.
Kowalczyk, Izabela
  • Animal Experimentation Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France. izabela.kowalczyk@cea.fr.
Leclercq, Julien
  • Animal Experimentation Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France. j.leclercq@group-irsea.com.
Arroub, Sana
  • Statistical Analysis Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France. s.arroub@group-irsea.com.
Pageat, Patrick
  • Semiochemicals' Identification and Analogs' Design Department, IRSEA, 84400 Apt, France. p.pageat@group-irsea.com.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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