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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Keeping Stallions in Groups-Species-Appropriate or Relevant ...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2021; 11(5); 1317; doi: 10.3390/ani11051317

Keeping Stallions in Groups-Species-Appropriate or Relevant to Animal Welfare?

Abstract: This literature review was aimed at analyzing whether stallion husbandry in groups is possible and desirable or poses risks. This was determined on the basis of different studies in order to be able to give practical recommendations from the viewpoint of animal welfare. Consequently, 50 different sources were analyzed, as well as observations of an experiment of the Swiss National Stud on the subject of change from single-stallion to group husbandry and its influence on animal welfare. The results revealed that stallion husbandry in groups is possible but still rarely practiced. It was found that 6% of stallions in 2003, more than 11% in 2012, and nearly 23% of the stallions in 2015 were kept in groups. Furthermore, studies showed that the still widespread individual husbandry of stallions has a negative impact on psyche and body health. Almost half of all stallions showed undesirable patterns of behavior, mostly stallions in individual housing. In addition, many of the latter stallions had problems with their respiratory, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems, which improved when the husbandry conditions of the horses were changed, with the exception of the problems with the digestive system. Conversion into group husbandry is possible, as revealed by an experiment by the Swiss National Stud with a socialization of active breeding stallions outside the breeding season. Therefore, the widespread fear of serious injuries for stallions housed in groups was refuted and the aggressive behavior of the stallions decreased rapidly. Success rates for group husbandry are influenced by the individual character of the stallion, previous experience of the stallion, changes in the group, qualification and management of the farm, and organization of the group housing and husbandry system. This enables species-appropriate husbandry in groups while also considering animal welfare without stress, disadvantages, and serious injuries for stallions.
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Publication Date: 2021-05-04 PubMed ID: 34064522PubMed Central: PMC8147931DOI: 10.3390/ani11051317Google 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 article is a review of how the practice of keeping stallions in groups affects their welfare. The findings suggest that while group husbandry is still uncommon, it is beneficial for the animals’ health and behaviour, with success largely dependent on various factors.

Overview of the Study

  • The research conducted is a literature review aimed at determining whether or not keeping stallions in groups, rather than individually, is beneficial for the stallions’ overall welfare.
  • The authors analyzed fifty different sources, including an experiment conducted at the Swiss National Stud, which attempted the transition from individual to grouping stallion husbandry.

Key Findings of the Study

  • Based on the analyzed sources, the researchers found that keeping stallions in groups is possible and beneficial, but only happening in a small number of cases. For instance, in 2003, only 6% of stallions were kept in groups, which increased to 11% in 2012 and about 23% in 2015.
  • The study identified that individual stallion rearing could negatively affect the horses’ psychological and physical health, with almost half of all stallions showing undesirable behavior, mostly those kept in individual housing.
  • Furthermore, individually-kept stallions often had health problems with their respiratory, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems. These conditions improved when the husbandry conditions of the horses were changed – i.e., when they were moved to group husbandry conditions, except for digestive system issues.

Conclusion and Recommendations

  • Transitions to group husbandry are feasible, as proved by an experiment conducted by the Swiss National Stud, which revealed a decrease in aggressive behavior among stallions, contradicting the widely-held fear of stallions causing serious injuries to each other when kept in groups.
  • The research concluded that success rates for group husbandry are influenced by factors including the individual character of the stallion, previous experience of the stallion, changes in the group, qualification and management of the farm, and organization of the group housing and husbandry system.
  • Importantly, the researchers recommend group husbandry as it allows for species-appropriate housing while also considering animal welfare, without causing stress, disadvantages, and serious injuries to stallions.

Cite This Article

APA
Gehlen H, Krumbach K, Thöne-Reineke C. (2021). Keeping Stallions in Groups-Species-Appropriate or Relevant to Animal Welfare? Animals (Basel), 11(5), 1317. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051317

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 11
Issue: 5
PII: 1317

Researcher Affiliations

Gehlen, Heidrun
  • Equine Clinic, Veterinary Department, Freie Universitaet Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany.
Krumbach, Katrin
  • Equine Clinic, Veterinary Department, Freie Universitaet Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany.
Thöne-Reineke, Christa
  • Animal Behavior and Laboratory Animal Science, Institute for Animal Welfare, Veterinary Department, Freie Universitaet Berlin, 14163 Berlin, Germany.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 7 times.
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  2. Zollinger A, Wyss C, Bardou D, Bachmann I. Social Box: A New Housing System Increases Social Interactions among Stallions. Animals (Basel) 2023 Apr 20;13(8).
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