Abstract
A scientific consultation tool is currently being developed in Germany to assess, analyze, and improve animal welfare on site and simultaneously consider aspects of environmental sustainability in horse husbandry in order to contribute to a resource-conserving and responsible handling of natural resources and the welfare of living beings. To date, no study has assessed to what extent species-appropriate free-range locomotion possibilities are implemented on horse farms and to what extent turnout areas are affected by unwanted nutrient inputs from horse excretions. Using the indicators “species-appropriate turnout” (hereafter: “turnout”) and “unwanted nitrogen inputs in water bodies” (based on “nitrogen surplus”), we exemplarily examine animal- and environmentally relevant aspects of horse husbandry. We conducted 88 assessments on 46 horse farms (n = 2220 horses) to test literature-based indicators of animal welfare and environmental sustainability. We found that the indicator “nitrogen surplus,” used to assess an aspect of environmental sustainability, was mostly a problem in the wintertime (summertime = −4.24, range: −109.27–58.97; wintertime: mean: 12.01, range: −35.19–468.00 nitrogen surplus per hectare, n = 44 farms, p < 0.001), when the horses had a reduced space allowance for free locomotion. On most farms, “turnout” was provided daily for several hours, but in many of the single housing systems, not all horses had the possibility for free locomotion (24.1 ± 20.4% of horses per farm), which is unacceptable in terms of animal welfare. Husbandry systems with a large enough space allowance for turnout (≥200 m2 per horse) were found to be measures with a valuable synergetic effect, providing a resource which is an opportunity both for an environmentally sustainable and welfare-friendly horse husbandry. Demanuring remarkably decreased the nitrogen surplus (p < 0.001). Hence, based on the study, we recommend to daily demanure the pasture or paddock if the space allowance is less than 200 m2 per horse. In conclusion, regarding animal welfare, group housing is favorable, but regarding a site-specific environmentally friendly or even biodiversity-enhancing management, space allowance per horse is a crucial factor rather than the type of housing system. The two selected exemplary indictors demonstrate the need for a holistic and comprehensive decision support system that considers the linkage between horse welfare and environmental sustainability in order to assist peoples’ decision-making with horses under their care.
Highlights
Single housing was defined as housing systems with horses housed in single boxes and group housing was defined as housing systems with horses live at least with one other horse in a loose housing system
We found tendentially higher nitrogen surpluses on turnout areas of single-housed horses compared with turnout areas of group-housed horses, suggesting that group housing of horses may support a better paddock and pasture management due to the generally integrated turnout areas and thereby reduce excretions of the horses in the soil
Many factors are included in the calculation of nitrogen surplus, our results show that a space allowance of less than 0.02 ha per horse (200 m2 per horse) for several hours of turnout can only be compensated with daily demanuring or with sowing of the pasture after the winter grazing period—because demanuring reduces nitrogen inputs by 90% and sowing reduces nitrogen surplus by 38 kg/ha [12,15,16]
Summary
Relevance and Linkage of Horse Welfare and Environmental Effects in Horse Husbandry. Aspects of environmental sustainability and animal welfare play an important role in the social acceptance of farm animal and horse husbandry [1]. According to a survey conducted by the “German Equestrian Federation” 70% of the more than 21,000 respondents see a substantial need for improvement in horse husbandry and ask for a more thorough control of husbandry conditions for horses [2]. Considering farm animal welfare from a consumers perspective, outdoor access to pasture ranks first [3]. Horseman et al [4]
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