Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T17:20:18.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of housing conditions on activity and lying behaviour of horses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 January 2010

S. J. Chaplin  and
L. Gretgrix
S. J. Chaplin*
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Land and Food Resources, Dookie Campus, Victoria 3647, Australia
L. Gretgrix
Affiliation:
Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne School of Land and Food Resources, Dookie Campus, Victoria 3647, Australia
*
†E-mail: schaplin@unimelb.edu.au
Get access

Abstract

Housing conditions for horses impose various levels of confinement, which may compromise welfare. Lying behaviour and activity can be used as welfare indicators for domestic animals and rebound behaviour suggests a build-up of motivation resulting from deprivation. The objective of this study was to determine if activity and lying behaviour of horses are affected by housing conditions and to investigate the occurrence of rebound behaviour after release from confinement. Eight horses were subjected, in pairs, to each of four experimental treatments; paddock (P), fully stabled (FS), partly stabled (PS) and yard (Y). Each horse received 6 days acclimatisation prior to the 24 h recording period. Time spent in lying and activity were electronically recorded using a tilt switch and motion sensor connected to a data logger worn on the horse’s left foreleg. Time spent active during the first 5 min of release from stable to paddock in the PS treatment (days 1 and 5) and at the same time of day in the P treatment was used as a measure of rebound behaviour. Effect of housing conditions on total time spent active was highly significant (FS = 123 s, PS = 158 s, Y = 377 s, P = 779 s, P < 0.001). Housing conditions did not significantly affect total time spent lying (P = 0.646). Horses were significantly more active, compared with baseline paddock behaviour, on release from stabling on both days 1 (P = 0.006) and 5 (P = 0.025) of PS treatment. These results suggest that activity patterns of horses, but not lying behaviour, are affected by the housing conditions tested and that rebound activity occurs in horses after a period of confinement.

Keywords

lying, behaviour, activity, equine, housing
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 4 , Issue 5 , May 2010 , pp. 792 - 795
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Aoyama, M, Yoshimura, N, Sugita, S, Kusumose, R 2004. Effects of used bedding straw and drying it sunshine on lying behavior of stable horses. Journal of Equine Science 15, 67–73.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boyd, LE, Carbonaro, DA, Houpt, KA 1988. The 24-hour time budget of Przewalski horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 21, 5–17.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caanitz, H, O’Leary, L, Houpt, KA, Petersson, K, Hintz, H 1991. Effect of exercise on equine behaviour. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 31, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chaplin, SJ 2000. Rest in dairy cows: applications to welfare assurance. PhD, University of Glasgow.Google Scholar
Dallaire, A, Ruckebusch, Y 1974. Sleep and wakefulness in the housed pony under different dietary conditions. Canadian Journal of Comparative Medicine 38, 65–71.Google ScholarPubMed
Fader, C, Sambraus, HH 2004. The resting behaviour of horses in loose housing systems. Tieraarzlicke Umschau 59, 320–326.Google Scholar
Fraser and Broom 1997. Farm animal behaviour and welfare, 3rd edition. CAB International, Oxon, UK.Google Scholar
Heleski, CR, Shelle, AC, Nielsen, BD, Zanella, AJ 2002. Influence of housing on weanling horse behaviour and subsequent welfare. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 78, 291–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houpt, KA 1998. Domestic animal behavior for veterinarians and animal scientists, 3rd edition. Manson Publishing, London, UK.Google Scholar
Houpt, KA, Houpt, TR, Johnson, JL, Erb, HN, Yeon, SC 2001. The effect of exercise deprivation on the behaviour and physiology of straight stall confined pregnant mares. Animal Welfare 10, 257–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Houpt, KA, O’Connell, MF, Houpt, TA, Carbonaro, DA 1986. The night-time behaviour of stabled and pastured peri-parturient ponies. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 15, 103–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jongman, EC, Bidstrup, I, Hemsworth, PH 2005. Behavioural and physiological measures of welfare of pregnant mares fitted with a novel urine collection device. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 93, 147–163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jørgensen, GHM, Bøe, KE 2007. Short communication: a note on the effect of daily exercise and paddock size on the behaviour of domestic horses (Equus caballus). Applied Animal Behaviour Science 107, 166–173.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Littlejohn, A 1972. Equine recumbency. The Veterinary Record 90, 83–85.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McBane, S 1988. A natural approach to horse management. Methuen, London, UK.Google Scholar
Pedersen, GR, Sondergaard, E, Ladewig, J 2004. The influence of bedding on the time horses spend recumbent. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 24, 153–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Siegel, JM 2005. Clues to the functions of mammalian sleep. Nature 437, 1264–1271.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sweeting, MP, Houpt, KA 1987. Water consumption and time budgets of stabled pony (Equus caballus) geldings. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 17, 1–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar