Horses under an enrichement program showed better welfare, stronger relationships with humans and less fear

Abstract

In the life of a domestic horse, social isolation, confinement and unvaried food are commonplace. These conditions can induce welfare and behavioral issues. We tested whether an enrichment protocol 1could improve welfare , have an impact 2on fearfulness and 3on human relationships. Nineteen 10-month old Welsh ponies lived during five weeks in a standard (N59) or enriched environment (N510). In the standard environment, horses lived in individual stables with wood shaving bedding. They were fed concentrated pellets and were left outside in individual paddocks thrice per week. In the enriched environment, horses lived in individual stables with straw bedding during the day and by groups on a pasture during the night. Enrichment consisted in fractionating and delivering varied food all day long, offering social contacts, large stables and sensory stimulations (e.g., music, objects). The behavior of the horses was recorded in the stable. We found many indications of welfare improvement in enriched conditions from the 1 to the 5 week. On the 5 week, enriched horses expressed less aberrant behavior, alert postures, ears pointed backwards and more lateral sleeping posture. At the end of the five weeks, temperament tests showed that enriched yearlings were less fearful and closer to humans (e.g., glances at an unknown object, latency to return eating after a sudden event, sniffing and nibbling a passive e16 Journal