127 Exercise management of horses in Pennsylvania: A survey

Abstract

Exercise is an integral part of most domesticated horses’ lives. Understanding the frequency, duration, and intensity of exercise is important for determining the correct diet and management for the horse. The 2007 NRC categorizes exercise workloads into light, moderate, heavy, and very heavy to help determine the energy and nutrient requirements. The objective of the current study was to characterize the exercise management of horses in Pennsylvania. An online survey was distributed through Penn State Equine Extension's online outlets and through other Pennsylvania equine groups from February 27th to August 31st, 2020. NRC exercise workload guidelines were presented to respondents for them to self- report their horses’ exercise workload. Kurskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data, and the significance level was set at P < 0.05. Nonparametric statistics were used when data were not normally distributed (Mdn = median). Of the 470 total responses collected, 58.5% of the horses were geldings, 39.8% were mares, and 1.7% were stallions. The average age was 15.7 years (SD = 7.5), and the most common breeds were the Quarter Horse and the Thoroughbred. Respondents reported that 40.2%, 28.9%, 24.0%, and 6.8% horses could be categorized as no exercise, light, moderate, or heavy/very heavy exercise, respectively. Of the horses exercised, 43% (120/278) were ridden recreationally (not used for competition). The median total minutes per week spent exercising for all horses was 180 min (IQR = 183). The average number of exercise sessions per week for all horses was 3.6 (SD = 2.2). Horses in heavy/ very heavy exercise (Mdn = 220, IQR = 272) and moderate exercise (Mdn = 180, IQR = 180) spent more minutes exercising per week compared with horses in light exercise (Mdn = 120, IQR = 180; P < 0.05). The total number of exercise sessions completed per week differed between horses in light (Mdn = 2, IQR = 3), moderate (Mdn = 4, IQR = 2), and heavy/ very heavy exercise (Mdn = 6, IQR = 2) ( P < 0.05). According to the 2007 NRC, horses in light, moderate, and heavy/ very heavy exercise should spend 1–3, 3–4, and 4–5 h or more per week exercising, respectively. The current survey found horses placed in light, moderate, and heavy/ very heavy exercise spent 2, 3, and 3.7 h per week exercising, respectively. Equine caretakers’ perception of their horse's exercise intensity appeared to match the NRC exercise categories. This may not be indicative of the actual exercise workload, as self-reports can differ from actual management practices. In conclusion, this survey collected valuable information about how caretakers perceive the exercise workload of horses within Pennsylvania.