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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Horses’ Use of Lying Halls and Time Budget in Relation...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(11); 3214; doi: 10.3390/ani11113214

Horses’ Use of Lying Halls and Time Budget in Relation to Available Lying Area.

Abstract: Sleep is crucial to horses' wellbeing, and their lying time can vary according to such factors as climate, exercise, bedding, and housing. This study aimed to analyze behavior and time spent in lying halls of various sizes. We examined the influence of housing systems on total lying time and behavior, and how changes to available lying area can affect lying time. Two open barns were used in this study, with lying areas of 8, 15, and 18 m/horse available in the lying halls. The horses' behavior was video recorded and logged using scan sampling and interval observations. Individual boxes were used as a control. The horses were found to spend longer time in sternal and lateral recumbency in the hall with a lying area of 18 m/horse than the hall with a lying area of 8 m/horse. Increasing the area of the lying hall also increased overall time spent there. Consequently, the hypothesis that increasing lying area will increase the horses' use of the lying hall, as well as their total lying time, was accepted.
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Publication Date: 2021-11-10 PubMed ID: 34827946PubMed Central: PMC8614411DOI: 10.3390/ani11113214Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • 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 examined how the size of lying areas in horse barns affects the amount of time horses spend lying down, an important factor in their wellbeing. Findings suggested that horses spent more time in larger lying areas, supporting the hypothesis that increasing the size of the lying area promotes more time spent in lying.

Research Aims and Hypothesis

  • The study sought to analyze the behavior of horses and how much time they spend in lying halls of different sizes. Specifically, it investigated how changes in the available lying area impact horses’ total lying time.
  • The hypothesis was that increasing the size of the lying area would increase the horses’ use of the lying hall and, consequently, their total lying time.

Methodology

  • Two open barns, with lying areas of different sizes were used – 8, 15, and 18 m/horse were made available to the animals.
  • The horses’ behavior within these areas was recorded and logged using video recording, scan sampling, and interval observations. As a base indicator for comparison, or control, individual boxes were used.

Findings

  • The study found that horses spent a longer time in both sternal recumbency (lying down on their breast with the legs tucked under) and lateral recumbency (lying on their side) in the hall with a lying area of 18m/horse when compared to the lying area of 8m/horse.
  • The act of increasing the size of the lying area also escalated the overall time horses spent therein.
  • Thus, the hypothesis that larger lying area increases the use of the lying hall and total lying time was supported by the research findings.

Implications

  • The study indicates the importance of providing adequate lying areas in horse barns for their wellbeing as it directly affects their lying time.
  • Insight from this research could be valuable to horse keepers, trainers, and barn designers to provide optimum conditions for horses’ health and comfort.

Cite This Article

APA
Kjellberg L, Yngvesson J, Sassner H, Morgan K. (2021). Horses’ Use of Lying Halls and Time Budget in Relation to Available Lying Area. Animals (Basel), 11(11), 3214. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113214

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 11
PII: 3214

Researcher Affiliations

Kjellberg, Linda
  • Swedish National Equestrian Center Ridskolan Strömsholm, Stallbacken 6, SE-734 94 Strömsholm, Sweden.
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7011, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
Yngvesson, Jenny
  • Department of Animal Environment & Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 234, SE-532 23 Skara, Sweden.
Sassner, Hanna
  • Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 190, SE-234 22 Lomma, Sweden.
  • Swedish National Equestrian Center Flyinge, Flyinge Kungsgård, SE-247 93 Flyinge, Sweden.
Morgan, Karin
  • Swedish National Equestrian Center Ridskolan Strömsholm, Stallbacken 6, SE-734 94 Strömsholm, Sweden.
  • Department of Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7011, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 5 times.
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  3. Gobbo E, Maccario C, Zupan Šemrov M, Bovo M, Atallah E, Minero M, Dalla Costa E. Exploring the impact of housing routine on lying behavior in horses measured with triaxial accelerometer. Front Vet Sci 2025;12:1572051.
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