Abstract
Although housing horses in single stalls limits their natural behavior to a great extent, this housing system is widespread in Germany, especially for competition horses. To improve the welfare of this system, free exercise on pastures or paddocks is deemed suitable, but it is also feared because of injuries and decreased willingness or motivation to perform. In the present study, three treatments were investigated with regard to their effect on the behavior of six competition horses in the stable, behavior during training, and on their degree of stress: daily training without free exercise (no turnout [NT]), solitary turnout for 2 hours after training, and 2-hour turnout in groups of two after training (group turnout). The horses’ behavior in the stable was continuously analyzed through video recordings (2 pm to 6 am) on 3 days at the end of each treatment. The degree of stress was evaluated daily by heart rate variability at rest. The behavior during training was evaluated by a questionnaire answered by the riders, and the distance covered during training was measured by global positioning system. When NT was allowed, the horses showed less lying in the stable compared with the treatments with turnout. Heart rate variability measurements resulted in great individual differences, but generally, there was a higher degree of stress shown with the treatment NT according to the following parameters: standard deviation of inter-beat-intervals (SDNN), square root of the mean of the sum of the squares of differences between successive inter-beat-intervals (RMSSD), and ratio between low frequency and high frequency (LF/HF). The willingness to perform was evaluated as being slightly better in the treatments with turnout than in the treatment without turnout.
Highlights
Free-ranging horses spend up to 16 hours a day foraging, which generally happens with a slow and steady walk [1, 2]
Housing horses in single stalls limits their natural behaviour to a great extent, this housing system is widespread in Germany, especially for competition horses
Free exercise on pastures or dry lots can improve the degree of animal welfare in the system [5], but allowing free exercise is not taken for granted by many horse keepers [6]
Summary
Free-ranging horses spend up to 16 hours a day foraging, which generally happens with a slow and steady walk [1, 2]. They spend their whole lives in (family) bands with a constant social hierarchy [3, 4]. Housing horses in single stalls limits their natural behaviour to a great extent (especially exercise and social behaviour), this housing system is widespread in Germany, especially for competition horses. Competition horses can be worth a lot of money, so the most frequent reason for not allowing free exercise is the risk of injury [7, 8]. Preventing horses’ natural requirement for exercise most likely poses a stressful situation for them
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