FREE SHIPPING over $40
OVER 9000 FIVE-STAR REVIEWS
5% OFF ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS
100% HAPPINESS GUARANTEE
Analyze Diet
0
Home / Equine Research Bank / Front Vet Sci / Exploring the impact of housing routine on lying behavior in...
Frontiers in veterinary science2025; 12; 1572051; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1572051

Exploring the impact of housing routine on lying behavior in horses measured with triaxial accelerometer.

Abstract: Methods to assess the positive behavior of horses in relation to their environment can be used to provide information to enhance animal welfare. One of the most important experiences that can be observed in mammals is sleep, a universal behavior relevant for the welfare of all species. To achieve paradoxical sleep, horses must lie down in lateral recumbency for a sufficient time, but they only do so when feeling safe and comfortable. Recently, technological tools like accelerometers have opened the possibility of non-invasive continuous monitoring of lying behavior, thus implementing the way we assess equine behavior in relation to their management and environment. Unassigned: The aim of this study was to investigate whether a sudden change in housing routine affects lying behavior in horses. In 10 riding school horses, lying behavior was continuously monitored using triaxial accelerometers for two separate 5-day periods, each under a different housing routine (i.e., ordinary: in a paddock in small groups; modified: in single boxes). Unassigned: The results show no statistical differences in the total daily duration of lying behavior between ordinary (25.19 ± 21.81 min) and modified (23.16 ± 20.05 min) housing routines. However, in the ordinary housing routine, when horses were kept outdoors in groups of varying sizes, larger groups exhibited synchronized lying behavior, with longer lying bouts, while smaller groups lay down more frequently throughout the day. Unassigned: The results show that sudden change in housing routine does not have a significant effect on lying behavior, while group size appears to be an important factor for behavioral synchronization. However, the small sample size, the single location, and mixed-age and sex population may have influenced the findings. Accelerometers were shown to be beneficial for monitoring natural behaviors such as lying and thus inferring information about equine behavior in relation to daily routine management.
Copyright © 2025 Gobbo, Maccario, Zupan Šemrov, Bovo, Atallah, Minero and Dalla Costa.
Get Full Text
Publication Date: 2025-05-12 PubMed ID: 40420950PubMed Central: PMC12104677DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1572051Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
LinkedInCopy
  • Journal Article

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 aimed to understand how changes in housing routines affect lying behavior in horses, using a triaxial accelerometer to monitor the behavior. The study revealed that such alterations do not significantly impact the equine lying behavior, but the size of horse groups does affect the duration and frequency of lying bouts.

Objective of the Study

  • The study was designed to investigate if any sudden changes in the housing routines can lead to alterations in the lying behavior of horses. The use of triaxial accelerometers allowed the researchers to continuously monitor the behavior of ten riding school horses under different living arrangements – normal living conditions outdoors in small groups and modified living conditions, i.e., in individual boxes.

Methods Used

  • Researchers selected ten horses from a riding school and monitored their lying behavior for two 5-day periods, each under different living conditions.
  • Lying behavior was recorded using triaxial accelerometers, a device that can track motion in three dimensions. By using this technology, the research team could get a better understanding of the horse’s movements, including when they lay down to rest or sleep.

Key Findings

  • The results of the study indicate that a sudden change in housing routines had no significant effect on the total daily duration of lying behavior.
  • However, when horses were kept outdoors in groups (standard housing condition), the size of the group had an impact on their behavior. Larger groups exhibited synchronized lying behavior and had lengthier lying bouts, while smaller groups lay down more frequently throughout the day.

Limitations and Conclusion

  • One limitation of this study is the small sample size, which could have influenced the findings. Other potential sources of bias include the single location and the mixed-age and gender distribution of the horse population.
  • Despite these limitations, the study demonstrates that triaxial accelerometers can be used effectively to monitor equine behavior. Such technology can be helpful in studying the impact of daily routine changes on horses’ natural behavior and in turn, contribute to improved animal welfare measures.

Cite This Article

APA
Gobbo E, Maccario C, Zupan Šemrov M, Bovo M, Atallah E, Minero M, Dalla Costa E. (2025). Exploring the impact of housing routine on lying behavior in horses measured with triaxial accelerometer. Front Vet Sci, 12, 1572051. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2025.1572051

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Pages: 1572051
PII: 1572051

Researcher Affiliations

Gobbo, Elena
  • Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Domžale, Slovenia.
Maccario, Chiara
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, Italy.
Zupan Šemrov, Manja
  • Department of Animal Science, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Domžale, Slovenia.
Bovo, Marco
  • Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.
Atallah, Elie
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, Italy.
Minero, Michela
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, Italy.
Dalla Costa, Emanuela
  • Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Lodi, Italy.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The author(s) declared that they were an editorial board member of Frontiers, at the time of submission. This had no impact on the peer review process and the final decision.

References

This article includes 36 references
  1. World Population Review . Horse Population by Country. (2024). Available online at: https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/horse-population-by-country (accessed February 5,2025).
  2. Luke KL, Rawluk A, McAdie T. A new approach to horse welfare based on systems thinking. Anim Welfare (2022) 31:37–49.
    doi: 10.7120/09627286.31.1.004pubmed: 0google scholar: lookup
  3. Colditz IG, Hine BC. Resilience in farm animals: biology, management, breeding and implications for animal welfare. Anim Prod Sci (2016) 56:1961–83.
    doi: 10.1071/AN15297google scholar: lookup
  4. McDonnell SM. The Equid Ethogram: A Practical Field Guide to Horse Behavior. Lexington: Eclipse Press; (2003). p. 23–89.
    doi: 10.1016/S0737-0806(03)70087-2google scholar: lookup
  5. Greening L, McBride S. A review of equine sleep: implications for equine welfare. Front Vet Sci (2022) 9:1–22.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2022.916737pmc: PMC9428463pubmed: 36061116google scholar: lookup
  6. Graves LA, Heller EA, Pack AI, Abel T. Sleep deprivation selectively impairs memory consolidation for contextual fear conditioning. Learn Memory (2003) 10:168–76.
    doi: 10.1101/lm.48803pmc: PMC202307pubmed: 12773581google scholar: lookup
  7. Killgore WD, Balkin TJ, Wesensten NJ. Impaired decisionmaking following 49 hours of sleep deprivation. J Sleep Res (2006) 28:A138–A138.
    doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2869.2006.00487.xpubmed: 16489997google scholar: lookup
  8. Hartman N, Greening LM. A preliminary study investigating the influence of auditory stimulation on the occurrence of nocturnal equine sleep-related behavior in stabled horses. J Equine Vet Sci (2019) 82:102782.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2019.07.003pubmed: 31732116google scholar: lookup
  9. Haines A. Improve Veterinary Practice. Sleep Deprivation in Horses. (2022). Available online at: https://www.veterinary-practice.com/article/sleep-deprivation-in-horses (accessed February 5, 2025).
  10. Greening L, Downing J, Amiouny D, Lekang L, McBride S. The effect of altering routine husbandry factors on sleep duration and memory consolidation in the horse. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2021) 236:105229.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105229google scholar: lookup
  11. Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Long M, Auer U, Jenner F. Recumbency as an equine welfare indicator in geriatric horses and horses with chronic orthopaedic disease. Animals (2021) 11:3189.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11113189pmc: PMC8614510pubmed: 34827921google scholar: lookup
  12. Burla J-B, Rufener C, Bachmann I, Gygax L, Patt A, Hillmann E. Space allowance of the littered area affects lying behavior in group-housed horses. Front Vet Sci (2017) 4:1–12.
    doi: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00023pmc: PMC5339441pubmed: 28326309google scholar: lookup
  13. Stachurska A, Kowalska N, Kolstrung R, Pluta M. Time of lying in the horse with regard to its sex and system of management. Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Zootechnica (2016) 15:77–86.
    doi: 10.21005/asp.2016.15.2.07google scholar: lookup
  14. Helmerich P, Bachmann I, Gygax L. 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 (2024) 57:1–5.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14041pmc: PMC11616951pubmed: 38163442google scholar: lookup
  15. Rose-Meierhoefer S, Standke K, Hoffmann G. Effect of different group sizes on activity, body condition score, lying and social behaviour of young horses. Zuchtungskunde (2010) 82:282–91.
    doi: 10.5555/20103250123google scholar: lookup
  16. Kjellberg L, Yngvesson J, Sassner H, Morgan K. Horses' use of lying halls and time budget in relation to available lying area. Animals (2021) 11:3214.
    doi: 10.3390/ani11113214pmc: PMC8614411pubmed: 34827946google scholar: lookup
  17. Oliveira T, Santos A, Silva J, Trindade P, Yamada A, Jaramillo F. Hospitalisation and disease severity alter the resting pattern of horses. J Equine Vet Sci (2022) 110:103832.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2021.103832pubmed: 34875280google scholar: lookup
  18. Greening L, Shenton V, Wilcockson K, Swanson J. Investigating duration of nocturnal ingestive and sleep behaviors of horses bedded on straw versus shavings. J Vet Behav (2013) 8:82–6.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jveb.2012.05.003google scholar: lookup
  19. Ninomiya S, Aoyama M, Ujiie Y, Kusunose R, Kuwano A. Effects of bedding material on the lying behavior in stabled horses. J Equine Sci (2008) 19:53–6.
    doi: 10.1294/jes.19.53pmc: PMC4013947pubmed: 24833955google scholar: lookup
  20. Raabymagle P, Ladewig J. Lying behavior in horses in relation to box size. J Equine Vet Sci (2006) 26:11–7.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2005.11.015google scholar: lookup
  21. Chaplin SJ, Gretgrix L. Effect of housing conditions on activity and lying behaviour of horses. Animal (2010) 4:792–5.
    doi: 10.1017/S1751731109991704pubmed: 22444135google scholar: lookup
  22. Williams M, Hatto S. Evaluation of accelerometer fitting position, sampling intervals and data editing techniques for measuring equine lying postures when stabled. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2023) 266:106036.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2023.106036google scholar: lookup
  23. DuBois C, Zakrajsek E, Haley DB, Merkies K. Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses. Animal (2015) 9:110–4.
    doi: 10.1017/S175173111400247Xpubmed: 25273864google scholar: lookup
  24. Dalla Costa E, Dai F, Lebelt D, Scholz P, Barbieri S, Canali E. Welfare assessment of horses: the AWIN approach. Animal Welfare (2016) 25:481–8.
    doi: 10.7120/09627286.25.4.481google scholar: lookup
  25. Kjellberg L, Dahlborn K, Roepstorff L, Morgan K. Frequency and nature of health issues among horses housed in an active open barn compared to single boxes—a field study. Equine Vet J (2024) 57:54–61.
    doi: 10.1111/evj.14054pmc: PMC11616948pubmed: 38173124google scholar: lookup
  26. Fureix C, Bourjade M, Henry S, Sankey C, Hausberger M. Exploring aggression regulation in managed groups of horses Equus caballus. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2012) 138:216–28.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2012.02.009google scholar: lookup
  27. Jongman EC, Bidstrup I, Hemsworth PH. Behavioural and physiological measures of welfare of pregnant mares fitted with a novel urine collection device. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2005) 93:147–63.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2004.12.005google scholar: lookup
  28. Kjellberg L, Sassner H, Yngvesson J. Horses' resting behaviour in shelters of varying size compared with single boxes. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2022) 254:1–7.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105715google scholar: lookup
  29. Werhahn H, Hessel EF, Bachhausen I, Van den Weghe HFA. Effects of different bedding materials on the behavior of horses housed in single stalls. J Equine Vet Sci (2010) 30:425–31.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2010.07.005pubmed: 0google scholar: lookup
  30. Pedersen GR, Sondergaard E, Ladewig J. The influence of bedding on the time horses spend recumbent. J Equine Vet Sci (2004) 24:153–8.
    doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2004.03.013pubmed: 0google scholar: lookup
  31. Jonckheer-Sheehy VSM, Houpt KA. Management methods to improve the welfare of horses used in research. Lab Anim (2015) 44:350–8.
    doi: 10.1038/laban.741pubmed: 26300095google scholar: lookup
  32. Rault JL. Friends with benefits: social support and its relevance for farm animal welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2012) 136:1–14.
    doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2011.10.002google scholar: lookup
  33. Duranton C, Gaunet F. Behavioural synchronization from an ethological perspective: overview of its adaptive value. Adapt Behav (2016) 24:181–91.
    doi: 10.1177/1059712316644966google scholar: lookup
  34. Rifá H. Social facilitation in the horse (Equus caballus). Appl Anim Behav Sci (1990) 25:167–76.
    doi: 10.1016/0168-1591(90)90078-Rgoogle scholar: lookup
  35. Belling TH. Sleep patterns in the horse. Equine Practice (1990) 12:22–6.
    doi: 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1990.tb04702.xpubmed: 9079108google scholar: lookup
  36. Heleski CR, Shelle AC, Nielsen BD, Zanella AJ. Influence of housing on weanling horse behavior and subsequent welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci (2002) 78:291–302.
    doi: 10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00108-9google scholar: lookup

Citations

This article has been cited 0 times.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Join 99,357 horse owners like you who receive our email updates on horse health and nutrition.