Influence of air temperature and humidity in the stable on the physiological parameters in horses: Preliminary study

Abstract

The aim of the study was to analyse selected air parameters in the stable (microclimate) and basic physiological parameters in horses maintained in this stable in different seasons of the year. The material consisted of 24 adult warmblood leisure horses maintained in two brick-built box stables. The technical parameters in the stables (air temperature and humidity in the hall and in two places in a box) were determined on the first day of summer, autumn, winter and spring in the same year. The measurements of each parameter were performed with an LB-518 wireless battery thermohygrometer Bluetooth BLE-LOGGER at noon in five places in the stable situated 300 cm apart from each other. The physiological parameters in horses, that is, the internal body temperature (Veterinär – Thermometer S.C. 12), the heart rate (Polar ELECTRO OY – RS800CX device with PolarProTrainer 5.0. software) and the respiratory rate (manual stopwatch), were measured at 6:00 and 18:00 every day of the test. It was found that the season of the year significantly influenced the microclimate of the stable. To maintain the optimal relative air humidity, the airing of the stable should be limited only in winter and partly in autumn. It should also be emphasised that the microclimate of the stable considerably influences the basic physiological horse parameters. A high temperature in the stable during summer may cause an adverse increase in the internal body temperature in the evening, whereas a high relative humidity can contribute to a decrease in the animal’s body temperature during winter. The other parameters, that is, the heart and respiratory rates, can be excessively elevated mainly in summer. Horses tend to have less difficulty maintaining proper levels of physiological parameters in winter, still less in autumn, and the least in spring.