Abstract
Simple SummaryWe compared welfare indicators of riding school horses in group housing and tie-stalls/boxes. Of a total of 207 health conditions in 158 horses, tie-stall/box horses tended to have more small skin lesions at the saddling and girth sites, and in commissures of the lips. Tie-stall/box horses had had more respiratory problems and colic, possibly because of not having similar access to outdoor movement and water as group-housed horses. Many horses in both housing systems were above optimal weight. We conclude that group-housed riding school horses have better health and that all riding school horses would benefit from independent feed advice to maintain a healthy weight.We compared welfare measures of horses among Swedish riding schools (RS) during winter where horses were kept either in group housing (n = 8) or in tie-stalls/boxes (n = 8), Health data for six previous months were obtained for all horses at each RS from their records. Ten horses per RS were examined, with the exception of one where only 8 horses were examined. Health conditions and body condition score (BCS) using the Henneke scale were recorded and management factors were quantified (health check routines, feeding, housing-related risk factors, time outside). RS-recorded health data (for 327 horses in total) revealed that lameness was the most common issue in both systems. Respiratory problems and colic were significantly more common in tie-stall/box horses. The percentage of horses with respiratory problems (mean ± SEM) was 5.8 ± 1.4 in tie-stall/box systems and 1.1 ± 0.8 in group housing (F = 8.65, p = 0.01). The percentage with colic was 2.38 ± 0.62 in tie-stall/box systems and 0.38 ± 0.26 in group housing (F = 8.62, p = 0.01). Clinical examination of 158 horses revealed 207 conditions in these horses, the most common being minor skin injuries in areas affected by tack (i.e., saddle and bridle, including bit). Such injuries tended to be more prevalent in horses housed in tie-stalls/boxes (1.8 ± 0.6) than in group housing (0.5 ± 0.3) (F=3.14, p = 0.01). BCS was similar between systems (tie-stall/box 6.2 ± 0.1, group 6.3 ± 0.1), but the average BCS exceeded the level that is considered optimal (BCS 4–6). In conclusion, we found that Swedish RS horses are generally in good health, particularly when group-housed. However, 25%–32% were overweight. Riding schools would thus benefit from having an independent feeding expert performing regular body condition scoring of all horses and advising on feeding regimens.
Highlights
One useful definition of animal welfare, and horse welfare, is to include health, behavioral physiology, and production/reproduction when assessing the welfare of an individual [1]
The team collecting the data comprised an agronomist specializing in horse feeding, an agronomist specializing in housing-related injuries, an ethologist, and an equine veterinarian
In the working riding schools (RS) horses that we examined, lameness was the most common health issue recorded by managers, and it was similar between systems
Summary
One useful definition of animal welfare, and horse welfare, is to include health, behavioral physiology, and production/reproduction when assessing the welfare of an individual [1]. The housing requirements and general welfare of ridden horses have been debated [2,3] and researchers are approaching consensus on the basic needs of horses, such as social interaction with conspecifics, access to roughage, and free movement [4]. Many horse owners are re-evaluating conventional individual housing systems and, at least in Sweden, increasing numbers of riding school horses are being kept in loose, group housing enclosures [5]. Group housing designs for horses vary, but the system is generally characterized by a large or small paddock, mostly outdoors, preferably with a drained surface, a shelter, some sort of roughage (often straw combined with haylage), and ad libitum access to water. A common feature of group housing systems is that they aim to enable the horses to move about more freely and interact more naturally with conspecifics, improving horse welfare
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