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Frontiers in veterinary science2024; 11; 1504116; doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1504116

Forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions remain essential fundamentals for the welfare of high-level sport horses.

Abstract: Societal concerns for animal welfare extend to all domestic species, including high-level sport horses. The welfare of these horses, notably highlighted during the recent Olympics, has garnered significant public interest, prompting inquiries into their living conditions. Animal welfare studies have emphasised three key needs crucial to equine welfare: unlimited access to forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions with peers, commonly referred to as the "3Fs"-access to Forage, Freedom of movement, and interactions with Friend conspecifics. However, the feasibility and benefits of satisfying these needs specifically for sport horses remain unexplored. Indeed, they may face unique challenges such as high physical workload, extensive travel, limited time in their home stables, weight management, and high economic value necessitating careful handling. Consequently, restrictions on feeding, freedom of movement, and social contact are often deemed necessary. This field study aims to assess the actual level of implementation of welfare in high-level sport horses by evaluating body condition, injury risk, and behavioural welfare indicators in their home stable. To achieve this objective, the welfare of 56 high-level sport horses competing internationally was assessed using behavioural indicators of welfare through scan sampling (abnormal behaviours, i.e., stereotypies, aggression towards humans, withdrawn behaviour, and alert behaviours; positions of the ears in a backward position while foraging, watching behaviours, and through other Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) protocol measures). This study shows that there exists a large variability among horses regarding their access to the 3Fs, with some of them having a lot of restrictions and others not, meaning it is possible to respect them while competing at a high level. Second, we observed that the fewer restrictions the horses experience regarding the 3Fs while in their home stables, the better their welfare, as demonstrated by the indicators we assessed. These results undeniably support the fact that unrestricted access to forage, the ability to move freely outdoors, and the opportunity to interact socially with conspecifics are fundamental needs of horses that could be provided to horses, also to high-performance ones. It is therefore essential that solutions are put in place to ensure that these conditions are met.
Copyright © 2024 Phelipon, Hennes, Ruet, Bret-Morel, Górecka-Bruzda and Lansade.
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Publication Date: 2024-11-20 PubMed ID: 39634765PubMed Central: PMC11615640DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1504116Google 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.

The research article investigates the welfare conditions of high-level sport horses, with findings suggesting that these horses experience better welfare when granted unrestricted access to food, freedom of movement, and opportunities for social interaction.

Background and Purpose of the Study

  • The study was prompted by increased societal concerns for animal welfare, which extend to high-level sport horses whose welfare conditions often become a topic of public interest, particularly during significant events like the Olympics.
  • Previously identified essentials for equine welfare include the “3Fs”: unlimited access to forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions with peers.
  • This research aims to explore the feasibility and benefits of these needs specifically for sport horses. It is recognized that these horses might face unique challenges such as high workload, extensive travel, weight management, and high economic value, which often necessitate restrictions on feeding, movement, and social contact.

Methodology

  • The study takes the form of a field study aimed at assessing welfare implementation in high-level sport horses. This was done by evaluating the body condition, risk of injury, and behavioral welfare indicators of these horses in their home stable.
  • The welfare of 56 high-level sport horses competing internationally was assessed using behavioral indicators of welfare. The researchers used scan sampling to rate abnormal behaviors like aggression towards humans, withdrawn behavior, alert behaviors, and the horses’ ear positions during certain activities. Additional measures were also taken from the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) protocol.

Findings and Implications

  • The study found a wide variability among the horses regarding their access to the 3Fs, revealing that it’s possible to provide unrestricted access to these essentials even for those competing at high levels.
  • Moreover, the researchers observed that the fewer restrictions the horses experience concerning the 3Fs when in their home stables, the better their welfare. This finding is substantiated by the various indicators assessed during the study.
  • These results underscore the importance of the 3Fs in the welfare of high-performance horses, highlighting the need to find solutions that could ensure these conditions are met.

Cite This Article

APA
Phelipon R, Hennes N, Ruet A, Bret-Morel A, Górecka-Bruzda A, Lansade L. (2024). Forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions remain essential fundamentals for the welfare of high-level sport horses. Front Vet Sci, 11, 1504116. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2024.1504116

Publication

Frontiers in veterinary science
ISSN: 2297-1769
NlmUniqueID: 101666658
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Pages: 1504116
PII: 1504116

Researcher Affiliations

Phelipon, Romane
  • INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France.
Hennes, Noémie
  • INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France.
Ruet, Alice
  • INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France.
Bret-Morel, Alexia
  • French Equestrian Federation, Lamotte-Beuvron, France.
Górecka-Bruzda, Aleksandra
  • Department of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Science, Magdalenka, Poland.
Lansade, Léa
  • INRAE, CNRS, Université de Tours, PRC, Nouzilly, France.

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.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
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