100 Effects of space and exercise on the rolling behaviour in stabled horses

Abstract

Scientific studies on the mechanism of rolling behavior are limited. Therefore, the objective of this current study was to investigate the factors that influence the rolling behavior in stabled horses. This study hypothesized that if rolling is an intrinsically motivated behavior, the horses may frequently demonstrate the behavior if given enough space and this will be heightened after hard exercise. The frequency and angles of rolling behavior were video recorded using all occurrence sampling in the confined and open spaces (stable box vs riding arena) as well as after exercise (no exercise vs post-light vs post-hard exercises). Nine healthy geldings aged from 11 to 20 years old were used for this study. Four of the horses were Thoroughbred, 3 were Arabian, one American Quarter horse, and one Holsteiner with body weights ranging between 450 and 650 kg and withers ranging from 150cm to 165cm tall. To measure the effects of space, horses were observed individually in their stable box and riding arena for an hour between 08:00 to 11:00 over 6 consecutive days. Whereas for the effects of exercise, horses were shifted from the stable box into the riding arena without prior exercise (no exercise). For post-light and post-hard exercises, horses were released into the riding arena after 45 min of exercise. The light exercise consisted of riding activity divided into 40% walk, 50% trot, and 10% canter. On the other hand, the horses were ridden at 20% walk, 50% trot, and 30% canter for hard exercise. All tacks were removed before observations. Data was analyzed by using SPSS for Window, Version 26.0. Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to determine the differences in the frequency and angles of rolling behavior between stable box and riding arena. Whereas, the effects of exercise were analyzed with Friedman test, P < 0.05. The horses rolled significantly more in the riding arena (25.1%) than stable box (6.15%). The rolling frequency was also significantly higher after post-hard exercise (41%) compared with post-light (37%) and no exercise (21%). Three types of rolling angles that of 0–45°, 45–90°, and 90–180° were observed. 45–90° was the most preferred angle in both stable box and arena whereas 90–180° was not seen in the stable box and was less frequently observed in the arena. These findings indicated that the standard size of the stable box, 12 × 12 ft, allows sufficient room for the horses to roll safely at a maximum of 45–90° and they should be allowed to roll after a hard exercise.