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Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses.
Abstract: Circadian rhythms reflect extensive programming of biological activity that meets and exploits the challenges and opportunities offered by the periodic nature of the environment. In the present investigation, we recorded the total activity of athletic horses kept at four different times of the year (vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox and winter solstice), to evaluate the presence of seasonal variations of daily activity rhythms. Athletic Thoroughbred horses were kept in individual boxes with paddock. Digitally integrated measure of total activity of each mare was continuously recorded by actigraphy-based data loggers. Horse total activities were not evenly distributed over the day, but they were mainly diurnal during the year. Daily activity rhythms showed clear seasonal variations, with the highest daily amount of activity during the vernal equinox and the lowest during the winter solstice. Interestingly, the amount of activity during either photophase or scotophase changed significantly throughout the year. Circadian analysis of horse activities showed that the acrophase, the estimated time at which the peak of the rhythm occurs, did not change during the year, it always occurred in the middle of the photoperiod. Analysing the time structure of long-term and continuously measured activity and feeding could be a useful method to critically evaluate athletic horse management systems in which spontaneous locomotor activity and feeding are severely limited. Circadian rhythms are present in several elements of sensory motor and psychomotor functions and these would be taken into consideration to plan the training schedules and competitions in athletic horses.
Publication Date: 2008-07-01 PubMed ID: 22443706DOI: 10.1017/S1751731108002267Google 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.
- Journal Article
Summary
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This study evaluated the variability in the daily activity patterns of athletic horses over different seasons of the year. The researchers found notable seasonal changes in activity level, with horses being most active during the vernal equinox and least active as winter solstice, but the timing of peak activity didn’t change with seasons.
Research Methodology
- Researchers conducted this study using athletic Thoroughbred horses. These horses lived in individual boxes with access to a paddock.
- They used actigraphy-based data loggers to continuously record the horse total activities at four different points in the year: vernal equinox, summer solstice, autumn equinox, and winter solstice.
Findings
- The results showed that horses were not uniformly active throughout the day. Their total activities were mainly diurnal, or occurring during the day, regardless of the season.
- They observed clear seasonal differences in everyday activity rhythms. The horses were most active during the vernal equinox and least active during the winter solstice.
- Even the amount of activity during the photophase (period of light during a 24-hour cycle) or scotophase (period of darkness during a 24-hour cycle) exhibited significant seasonal changes.
- From the circadian analysis, it was found that the acrophase, i.e., the estimated time of peak activity, was constant throughout the year, always happening in the middle of the photoperiod (the period when light is available).
Implications
- The structure of long-term and continuously measured horse activity offers valuable insights that could help evaluate athletic horse management systems, especially those where spontaneous locomotor activity and feeding are severely constrained.
- These findings are also important for considering the sensory motor and psychomotor functions which are influenced by circadian rhythms. This information could be valuable in planning training schedules and competitions for athletic horses to optimise performance.
Cite This Article
APA
Bertolucci C, Giannetto C, Fazio F, Piccione G.
(2008).
Seasonal variations in daily rhythms of activity in athletic horses.
Animal, 2(7), 1055-1060.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1751731108002267 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- 1Dipartimento di Biologia ed Evoluzione, Università di Ferrara, via L. Borsari 46, 44100 Ferrara, Italy.
Citations
This article has been cited 9 times.- Rumpel AS, Alievi MM, Jardim Filho JO, Rozo CAC, Schuster LAH, da Silva AV, Ferreira MP. Can the training regimen influence night time physical activity in racehorses?. Vet Anim Sci 2021 Dec;14:100208.
- Kelemen Z, Grimm H, Vogl C, Long M, Cavalleri JMV, Auer U, Jenner F. Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jun 23;11(7).
- Farsi H, Harti D, Achaâban MR, Piro M, Ouassat M, Challet E, Pévet P, El Allali K. Validation of locomotion scoring as a new and inexpensive technique to record circadian locomotor activity in large mammals. Heliyon 2018 Dec;4(12):e00980.
- Zakari FO, Ayo JO, Rekwot PI, Kawu MU, Minka NS. Diurnal rhythms of heart and respiratory rates in donkeys of different age groups during the cold-dry and hot-dry seasons in a tropical savannah. Physiol Rep 2018 Sep;6(17):e13855.
- Takahashi Y, Takahashi T. Seasonal fluctuations in body weight during growth of Thoroughbred racehorses during their athletic career. BMC Vet Res 2017 Aug 18;13(1):257.
- Aubè L, Fatnassi M, Monaco D, Khorchani T, Lacalandra GM, Hammadi M, Padalino B. Daily rhythms of behavioral and hormonal patterns in male dromedary camels housed in boxes. PeerJ 2017;5:e3074.
- Passantino A, Giannetto C, Passantino L, Piccione G. Trotter welfare's protection: A legislative perspective. Vet World 2015 Mar;8(3):427-31.
- Aragona F, Rizzo M, Arrigo F, Arfuso F, Fazio F, Giudice E, Pugliatti P, Piccione G, Giannetto C. Pilot Study: Simultaneous Daily Recording of Total Locomotor Activity and Heart Rate in Horses for Application in Precision Livestock Farming. Animals (Basel) 2025 Apr 22;15(9).
- Farag HI, Murphy BA, Templeman JR, Hanlon C, Joshua J, Koch TG, Niel L, Shoveller AK, Bedecarrats GY, Ellison A, Wilcockson D, Martino TA. One Health: Circadian Medicine Benefits Both Non-human Animals and Humans Alike. J Biol Rhythms 2024 Jun;39(3):237-269.
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