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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Mana...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(7); 1867; doi: 10.3390/ani11071867

Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease.

Abstract: Housing and management conditions strongly influence the health, welfare and behaviour of horses. Consequently, objective and quantifiable comparisons between domestic environments and their influence on different equine demographics are needed to establish evidence-based criteria to assess and optimize horse welfare. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure and compare the time budgets (=percentage of time spent on specific activities) of horses with chronic orthopaedic disease and geriatric (≥20 years) horses living in different husbandry systems using an automated tracking device. Horses spent 42% (range 38.3-44.8%) of their day eating, 39% (range 36.87-44.9%) resting, and 19% (range 17-20.4%) in movement, demonstrating that geriatric horses and horses suffering from chronic orthopaedic disease can exhibit behaviour time budgets equivalent to healthy controls. Time budget analysis revealed significant differences between farms, turn-out conditions and time of day, and could identify potential areas for improvement. Horses living in open-air group housing on a paddock had a more uniform temporal distribution of feeding and movement activities with less pronounced peaks compared to horses living in more restricted husbandry systems.
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Publication Date: 2021-06-23 PubMed ID: 34201584PubMed Central: PMC8300227DOI: 10.3390/ani11071867Google 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 investigates how housing and management conditions affect the daily activity patterns of geriatric and orthopaedic-disease afflicted horses, and suggests that better housing conditions can lead to more balanced activity time in such horses.

Study Purpose

The study’s aim was to assess the impact of housing and management conditions on the health, welfare, and behavior of geriatric and chronically orthopaedically diseased horses. This evaluation was done by comparing the ‘time budget’ of equine daily activities, which stands for the percentage of time spent on specific activities.

Methodology and Findings

  • Horses’ activities were tracked and surveyed using an automated device, making the results objective and quantifiable.
  • The average day of a horse consisted of 42% eating, 39% resting, and 19% moving. This distribution was not significantly different between geriatric horses, horses with chronic orthopaedic disease, or healthy controls. This indicates that with proper care and management, geriatric and diseased horses can maintain normal activity levels.
  • Analysis showed significant variations in activity patterns depending on factors like the type of farm, conditions of turn-out, and time of the day.

Housing and Management Impact

  • Horses living in unrestricted, open-air group housing on a paddock demonstrated a more balanced distribution of feeding and moving activities, with less pronounced activity peaks than those in more confined housing systems.
  • This suggests that better husbandry conditions could improve health and behavior outcomes for geriatric and chronically orthopaedically diseased horses.

Implications and Conclusions

  • The research establishes objective, evidence-based criteria for assessing and improving horse welfare based on time-budget analysis.
  • It highlights the necessity to consider an individual horse’s needs in terms of age and health status when determining optimal housing and management practices.
  • This can potentially aid veterinarians, breeders, and horse owners in designing and implementing better husbandry practices for a healthier and more comfortable life for geriatric and orthopaedically-afflicted horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Vogl C, Long M, Cavalleri JMV, Auer U, Jenner F. (2021). Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease. Animals (Basel), 11(7), 1867. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11071867

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 7
PII: 1867

Researcher Affiliations

Kelemen, Zsofia
  • Equine Surgery Unit, University Equine Hospital, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Grimm, Herwig
  • Unit of Ethics and Human-Animal-Studies, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Vogl, Claus
  • Department of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Long, Mariessa
  • Unit of Ethics and Human-Animal-Studies, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Cavalleri, Jessika M V
  • Equine Internal Medicine Unit, University Equine Hospital, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Auer, Ulrike
  • Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.
Jenner, Florien
  • Equine Surgery Unit, University Equine Hospital, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria.

Grant Funding

  • 2020 / Gut Aiderbichl

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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