Determining the Frequency of Discomfort-Related Behaviors Displayed by Horses When Pulling Carriages

Abstract

The aim was to quantify the frequency of distress and discomfort related behaviors displayed by horses during their carriage pulling activity. The study lasted three months during the 2018 rainy season in Merida, México, using 24 light-morphology (400 ± 50 kg liveweight) horses randomly selected to be observed. All animals were in good body condition and health status. Horses served for tourism tours of five kilometers, being theoretically used for a maximum of six tours per day and having one resting day every three working days. Behavior observations were performed at three points of the carriage tour: at the start point with horses stopped at the middle during carriage pulling activity, at the end with horses stopped. Behaviors chosen corresponded to measurable criteria, for the welfare of working equids according to the World Organization for Animal Health and easy to be observed on field conditions: aberrant vocalization as related to distress or high-level stressors exposure, and nodding, nibbling, limp and hit the floor as related to discomfort or mid to low-level stressors. Frequencies of behaviors were compared between the three points of the tour using a Fisher Exact Test in R Studio software. Horses were tracked from one to six tours performed in different days totaling 66 observed tours. None of the horses had aberrant vocalizations. Seven horses (62.5%) showed zero or one concerning behavior (8 horses), and only a 4.2% (one horse) demonstrated six behaviors. No discomfort behaviors were observed in 60.6% of the tours, with one discomfort behavior noted in 25.7% of the tours, and 1.5% of the tours where five discomfort behaviors were noted. Similar frequencies of behaviors (P>0.05) were found at the start, middle and final points of the tour. Although it was displayed at a low frequency, nodding at the start point was the main behavior observed (19.6% of the 66 tours). This frequency could have been lower if drivers had avoided staying more than 90 minutes in the waiting zones with the animals stopped.