Abstract
The horses’ responses to exercise are commonly monitored using physiological variables, nonetheless physical and mental states can also be expressed through body language. The aims of this study were: (i) to identify how facial expressions and other behavioural variables change in ranch horses after a routine workday, and (ii) to investigate if these changes can be used as indicators of physical tiredness by relating them to known variables of physical fitness and workload. Fourteen crossbred ranch horses were assessed pre- and post-workday on two farms, recording the body language, physiological and workload variables. Statistical analysis consisted of four stages: (i) comparisons between the sampling times (pre- vs post-workday) using linear mixed-effects models with repeated measures and a paired Wilcoxon test; (ii) selection of the most powerful variables by applying Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and principal components analyses (PCA); (iii) evaluations of the relationships within these selected variables utilizing PCA and Spearman rank coefficients; and (iv) identifying a critical level of the most robust behavioural indicators using a non-hierarchical cluster analysis. Results showed that after a workday the horses increased the frequency/duration of body language indicative of resting. They also decreased the frequency/duration of body language indicative of attention and movements to avoid flies. However, some of these behaviours are also shown when horses are in pain, leading us to suggest that some ranch horses were probably experiencing a combination of of tiredness and slight soreness. Of particular interest, because of the ease with which it can be assessed on the farm and generalized to other situations, we suggest that the frequency of shifting weight between the forelegs has potential to be used as an indicator of physical tiredness in horses. The results can also be used in the development of tools to improve the welfare of ranch horses as well as horses used in other activities, although more research is needed to validate this assumption.
Highlights
Around 72% of approximately 5 million horses in Brazil are on beef cattle farms [1], being used mainly for cattle driving and for moving around on the farm to check the condition of the animals, pastures, fences and water troughs [2]
The ranch horses were kept at two commercial beef cattle farms, Farm 1 (F1: n = 6) and Farm 2 (F2: n = 8), both located in the municipality of Sertãozinho, São Paulo State, Brazil, and presenting similar topography, with gently sloping terrains
The results partially support our hypotheses that facial expresssions and other behaviour variables change after a workday, and that some of these variables are associated with workload variables and physiological responses
Summary
Around 72% of approximately 5 million horses in Brazil are on beef cattle farms [1], being used mainly for cattle driving and for moving around on the farm to check the condition of the animals, pastures, fences and water troughs [2]. Long and intense workdays could result in muscle fatigue, rhabdomyolysis, exhaustive disease syndrome, as well as overtraining [4, 5] that can compromise the ranch horses’ welfare. For this reason, the intensity of the exercise performed by ranch horses and the horse’s physical response to the work should be investigated more thoroughly, the current study
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
