126 Time-budget and welfare indicators of stabled horses in three different stall architectures: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Keeping horses in single stalls can prevent them from performing natural behaviors leading to the development of abnormal behaviors (AB) and stereotypic behaviors (SB). Time-budget (TB) is the daily amount of time an animal engages in behavioral activities. Differences in the TB of domesticated horses compared with feral conspecifics in their natural environment can be used to reveal welfare impairment. Other measurements indicative of stress levels in horses are the cortisol circadian rhythm (CCR), and the leucocyte numbers (LN). The current study aimed to identify how 3 different stall architectures can influence the TB and physiological parameters in full-time stabled horses fed at 1.45% DMI/BW twice a day with a 34:66 grain: forage ratio. Stall types included: 1) 3.2 × 3.7m stalls with tactile contact (TC) between horses, B1; 2) 2.6 × 3.5m stalls with only visual contact (VC) between horses with outside view, B2; 3) 2.3 × 3.4m stalls with VC and outside view, B3. The horses were used for light exercise, 4 d a week. Surveillance cameras were installed in one stall per barn. Twenty-nine mixed breed horses (10 horses from B1 and B3, and 9 from B2) were randomly selected and filmed for one period of 24 h per horse. The video was analyzed with continuous sampling and the time spent in SB, AB and other activities was measured second-by-second and inserted into a spreadsheet. Blood collection wasperformed one day after de recording period at 8:00 a.m. and at 5:00 p.m. The samples were used to determine the cortisol levels, and CCR. The effects of the different stall architectures were analyzed by ANOVA and significant results compared by post hoc Tukey test. B1 had higher social interaction time (2.77% of the TB) compared with B2 (0%) and B3 (0.01%) (P = 0.020), with no other differences among barns. Restricted availability of food had a direct impact on all the horses’ TB, creating long periods of idleness (41% of the TB observing the exterior, 18% of the TB standing attentively) and fasting. The low time spent eating (204 ± 13 min) may have led horses to develop AB like bed-eating (176 ± 19 min), coprophagy (18 ± 9 min) and wood-chewing (42 ± 19 min). All horses presented SB and AB, 25% of the horses low LN, 38% of the horses had cortisol above the reference range, and 29% of the horses an altered CCR. The physiological and TB alterations along with high prevalence of SB and AB indicate that horses were in a state of chronic stress and the stalls’ architecture did not affect the horses’ capability to cope with such housing conditions. Feed restriction likely led to AB and SB.