Time-Budget of Horses Reared for Meat Production: Influence of Stocking Density on Behavioural Activities and Subsequent Welfare.

Federica Raspa,Domenico Bergero,Ermenegildo Valvassori,Martina Tarantola,Emanuela Valle,Joana Nery,Damiano Cavallini,Alice Visconti,Chiara Maria Mastrazzo

doi:10.3390/ani10081334

Federica Raspa, Domenico Bergero + Show 7 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10081334

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Abstract

Simple SummaryHorses reared for meat production are kept in group pens at high stocking densities. Due to the lack of scientific knowledge concerning the welfare of horses reared in this way, the aim of the present work was to assess whether their behaviours were affected by stocking density. The time-budget of the horses was also studied to evaluate if and how it differed compared with that of wild-living horses. We found that the expression of locomotion, playing, and self-grooming increased as the space allowance per horse within the group pens increased, indicating the potential to use these behaviours as indicators of positive welfare. Moreover, an altered time-budget was identified, implicating the condition of compromised welfare in these animals. Standing was the main expressed behavioural activity. A higher than usual amount of time was spent in a lying position, and a lower than usual amount of time was dedicated to feeding and locomotion. This study was the first to assess the behaviour of horses reared for meat production. The results show that more attention needs to be directed at the housing and management conditions under which horses reared for meat production are kept in in order to improve their welfare.Horses reared for meat production can be kept in intensive breeding farms where they are housed in group pens at high stocking densities. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the expressed behaviours correlated with stocking density, and to compare their time-budget with that of wild-living horses. An ethogram of 13 mutually exclusive behavioural activities was developed. Behavioural observations were performed over a 72 h period on group pens selected on the basis of stocking density and the homogeneity of breed, age, height at the withers, and time since arriving at the farm. Scan sampling (n = 96 scans/horse/day) was used on 22 horses. The mean frequency (%) ± standard deviation (±SD) for each behavioural activity was calculated to obtain the time-budget. The associations between time-budget and stocking density were evaluated using a bivariate analysis. The relationships were analysed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r). Our results show that locomotion, playing, and self-grooming positively correlated with a reduction in stocking density, indicating the potential to use these behaviours as positive welfare indicators for young horses kept in group pens. The data also revealed an unusual time-budget, where the main behavioural activity expressed was standing (30.56% ± 6.56%), followed by feeding (30.55% ± 3.59%), lying (27.33% ± 2.05%), and locomotion (4.07% ± 1.06%).

Highlights

Most of the scientific literature on horses reared for meat production is focused on the final product—the meat—in terms of its consumption [1] and nutritional values [2,3]
Studying the behaviours of animals reared in human-managed environments and comparing their time-budgets with those of animals living in natural environments is important for understanding animal welfare in the former [20]
Considering the different factors that could affect the time-budget of horses, the reduction in stocking density had a positive impact on the expression of some behaviours, such as locomotion, playing, and self-grooming, which could be proposed as indicators of positive welfare in young horses kept in group pens

Summary

Introduction

Most of the scientific literature on horses reared for meat production is focused on the final product—the meat—in terms of its consumption [1] and nutritional values [2,3]. There is a lack of scientific studies assessing equine faming conditions and how to safeguard horse welfare. Among the European community countries, the consumption of horse meat is limited to Spain, Italy, France, and Belgium [1,2]. It is reported that there are no standardised farming conditions for the breeding of the horses reared for meat production [2]. What is clear is that farms breeding horses for meat production rear young horses [5], and that these animals are often kept in intensive farming systems in order to increase meat production performances [6].

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