Abstract
The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a self-loading training using positive reinforcement on stress-related behaviors shown by meat horses during loading procedures into a truck. Thirty-two meat horses (M = 18; F = 14; 6 month-old) were included in the study. All horses had limited interactions with the farmer and were not used to be restrained nor lead by halter. Horses were divided in two groups: Control Group (C; N = 14) and Training Group (T; N = 18). T horses were trained to self-load: in order to teach the horses to enter into the truck, a targeting training technique throughout a shaping process was applied. Training sessions were performed three times a week, from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., for 6 weeks; training was then repeated once a week to maintain the memory until the transport toward a slaughterhouse. The loading phase was video-recorded and loading time was directly recorded using a stopwatch. All horses were transported to the same slaughterhouse in 14 different days using the same truck. Behavior was subsequently analyzed with a focal animal continuous recording method. Loading time was shorter in T horses (mean ± SD = 44.44 ± 47.58 s) than in C horses (mean ± SD = 463.09 ± 918.19 s) (T-test; p = 0.019). T horses showed more forward locomotion toward the truck than C horses (T-test; p = 0.029). Our preliminary findings suggest that self-loading training may be useful to mitigate loading-related stress in meat horses, minimally socialized with humans.
Highlights
Loading is considered one of the most stressful stages of animal transport [1, 2], involving new experiences such as being handled by humans, being mixed with unfamiliar animals and entering a novel environment [3]
While there is a body of literature reporting about the effect of training to load in sport horses [i.e., [4, 11, 14, 16]], nothing has been published on meat horses completely naïve to transport
The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a self-loading training technique on stress-related behaviors and loading problems in meat horses loading into a truck
Summary
Loading is considered one of the most stressful stages of animal transport [1, 2], involving new experiences such as being handled by humans, being mixed with unfamiliar animals and entering a novel environment (the vehicle) [3]. Training Reducing Horse Transport-Related Stress [5], which, severely affect their welfare, but can be costly for the owner. Among suggested pre-transport measures reported in the literature, we can find: adequate route planning [12], proper evaluation of animal-related factors, such as species, breed, age, temperament, behavior, and health status [3], appropriate handling during loading and unloading (i.e., collection of animals, weighing, loading, penning should be done in calm and gentle manner to minimize stress) [3]. Studies suggest that habituation to loading and traveling significantly reduces the likelihood that horses develop transport related behavioral problems and injury [16, 17]. The present work aimed to evaluate the efficacy of a self-loading training technique on stress-related behaviors and loading problems in meat horses loading into a truck
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