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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Minimizing the Effects of Social Isolation of Horses by Cont...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(17); 2271; doi: 10.3390/ani12172271

Minimizing the Effects of Social Isolation of Horses by Contact with Animals of a Different Species: The Domestic Goat as an Example.

Abstract: This study aimed to perform a comparative analysis of the horses' heart rate parameters and locomotor activity in a herd or isolation, with or without the company of goats. Twenty horses were tested in a paddock, accompanied (or not) by three goats. The experiment comprised four tests (a control test of a herd of horses without goats, a horse isolation test without goats, a test of a herd of horses with goats and a test of an isolated horse with goats). The horse's locomotor behavior, and the HR, RR, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF were recorded. The data analysis included a 15-min rest, procedural and recovery HR/HRV periods, and a 5-min period at the beginning of the test. The duration of the horses standing in the company of goats increased significantly. The rMSSD parameter was the significantly lowest in the test of a herd of horses with goats. The company of goats in a paddock does not eliminate the emotional effects of the phenomenon. However, the locomotor behavior decreases. Goats in a paddock can provide a positive distraction for horses in a herd as a decrease in emotional excitability can be regarded as having a relaxing impact on a different animal species.
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Publication Date: 2022-09-02 PubMed ID: 36077991PubMed Central: PMC9454851DOI: 10.3390/ani12172271Google 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 study focuses on mitigating the social isolation of horses by using domestic goats as companions. It analyses the changes in horses’ heart rate and locomotor activity in different setups – herd or isolation, with or without goats.

Objectives of the Study

  • The main aim of the study was to understand how horses’ heart rate and locomotor activity varied in different contexts such as herd or isolated, in the presence or absence of goats.
  • The researchers wanted to determine whether the company of goats has any observable effect on the horses, and if so, measure the extent of this effect.

Research Methods

  • The study was conducted with twenty horses in a paddock, where they were tested under four different conditions – in a herd without goats, in isolation without goats, in a herd with goats, and in isolation with goats.
  • The parameters studied included the horse’s locomotor behavior and various heart rate values including HR, RR, rMSSD, LF, HF, and LF/HF.
  • The research was designed to note down these parameters at various stages including 15-min rest, procedural and recovery HR/HRV periods, and a 5-min period at the beginning of the test.

Findings

  • The results of the experiment showed that the time horses spent standing increased significantly when they were in the company of goats.
  • The rMSSD parameter was found to be significantly lower when horses were in a herd with goats, indicating a decrease in heart rate variability, a measure of wellbeing and stress.
  • The presence of goats in a paddock did not completely erase the emotional effects of isolation in horses, but it did decrease locomotor behavior, suggesting a calming influence.
  • The study concluded that goats can serve as a positive distraction for horses, especially within a herd setting, as they appear to provide a calming effect on horses.

Cite This Article

APA
Wiśniewska A, Janczarek I, Tkaczyk E, Wilk I, Janicka W, Próchniak T, Kaczmarek B, Pokora E, Łuszczyński J. (2022). Minimizing the Effects of Social Isolation of Horses by Contact with Animals of a Different Species: The Domestic Goat as an Example. Animals (Basel), 12(17), 2271. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12172271

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 17
PII: 2271

Researcher Affiliations

Wiśniewska, Anna
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janczarek, Iwona
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Tkaczyk, Ewelina
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Wilk, Izabela
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Janicka, Wiktoria
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Próchniak, Tomasz
  • Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Kaczmarek, Beata
  • Department and Clinic of Animal Internal Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Pokora, Elżbieta
  • Department of Horse Breeding and Use, Faculty of Animal Breeding and Bioeconomy, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Akademicka 13 Str, 20-950 Lublin, Poland.
Łuszczyński, Jarosław
  • Department of Genetics, Animal Breeding and Ethology, Faculty of Animal Science, University of Agriculture in Cracow, 30-059 Cracow, Poland.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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