Abstract
This literature review was aimed at analyzing whether stallion husbandry in groups is possible and desirable or poses risks. This was determined on the basis of different studies in order to be able to give practical recommendations from the viewpoint of animal welfare. Consequently, 50 different sources were analyzed, as well as observations of an experiment of the Swiss National Stud on the subject of change from single-stallion to group husbandry and its influence on animal welfare. The results revealed that stallion husbandry in groups is possible but still rarely practiced. It was found that 6% of stallions in 2003, more than 11% in 2012, and nearly 23% of the stallions in 2015 were kept in groups. Furthermore, studies showed that the still widespread individual husbandry of stallions has a negative impact on psyche and body health. Almost half of all stallions showed undesirable patterns of behavior, mostly stallions in individual housing. In addition, many of the latter stallions had problems with their respiratory, digestive, and musculoskeletal systems, which improved when the husbandry conditions of the horses were changed, with the exception of the problems with the digestive system. Conversion into group husbandry is possible, as revealed by an experiment by the Swiss National Stud with a socialization of active breeding stallions outside the breeding season. Therefore, the widespread fear of serious injuries for stallions housed in groups was refuted and the aggressive behavior of the stallions decreased rapidly. Success rates for group husbandry are influenced by the individual character of the stallion, previous experience of the stallion, changes in the group, qualification and management of the farm, and organization of the group housing and husbandry system. This enables species-appropriate husbandry in groups while also considering animal welfare without stress, disadvantages, and serious injuries for stallions.
Highlights
The demand for keeping horses in groups is growing due to an increased social awareness of animal welfare [1]
The studies were included in the literature review if they dealt with the husbandry of stallions, group husbandry, and/or husbandry-related diseases
The study by Pollmann et al [7], in which the housing conditions of 66 stallions, more precisely, 29 small horses (148 cm), were investigated in 20 farms with breeding stallions in Baden-Württemberg, showed that only 6% of the stallions were kept in groups
Summary
The demand for keeping horses in groups is growing due to an increased social awareness of animal welfare [1]. Owners are aware of the importance of keeping horses in a species-appropriate manner for their wellbeing by keeping them as close to nature as possible, i.e., living in a herd and the natural environment. Horses are very social animals that live in groups in the wild, and husbandry methods in recent years have increasingly aimed at species-appropriate management in groups [2,3]. Stallions are still kept in the traditional way [4,5,6] and, according to a survey from a province in Germany (Baden-Württemberg), in which 20 farms keeping breeding stallions were examined, 74% of the stallions are still kept individually in indoor stalls [7]. The guidelines for the assessment of horse husbandry under animal welfare aspects
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