Housing conditions have a significant impact on the welfare of horses. Not all factors affecting welfare have animal-based metrics in stable operations, thus making data collection and analysis of the specific stable resources and practices necessary. Stable management can affect fundamental aspects of equine welfare. These can be freedom of movement, opportunities for social interactions, or the fulfillment of species-specific behavioral needs. Additionally, factors such as bedding comfort and suitable temperature also have an impact. This can be further explored in the previous article.
Movement
Horses are naturally inclined to cover long distances while foraging. In the wild, horses spend 16–18 hours a day foraging, covering distances of up to 20 km. However, domesticated horses typically only travel an average of 7.5 km per day. In their natural environment, horses’ days are structured according to daylight, with most time spent foraging and resting.
Keeping horses in stalls poses a challenge to their welfare. Free movement promotes physical fitness of the horse and can reduce the risk of back pain and gastric ulcers. Improvements in behavioral markers have been observed shortly after horses have been turned out to pasture. The correction of stress-related values in blood tests takes longer than the change in behavior, though. Horses kept in individual stalls for long periods and with controlled outdoor access quickly adapt to being turned out to pasture.
The benefits of outdoor access are greatest when the turnout area is large, with diverse and healthy terrain and vegetation. In paddocks, free or nearly free access to hay enhances welfare. Horses benefit most from grazing when allowed to do so from a young age. Pasture access before weaning promotes the development of the foal’s skeleton and muscles, reducing the risk of injury in later life. It is essential for horses to have varied and voluntary movement. The healthiest form of movement for horses is to move without a load, such as a saddle or rider on their back.
Social Relationships
Movement within a herd and herd dynamics are natural needs for horses, so facilitating them is essential for the physical and mental welfare of the horse. Horses are social animals that form strong bonds with their conspecifics. Providing social relationships is also crucial for foals, whose normal development of social skills requires the presence of peers of the same age as well as older conspecifics.
However, keeping horses alone is common nowadays, although the value and impact of herd movement on horse welfare is well-known. Usually, horse owners fear that the risk of injury to horses increases when they are kept with other horses because horses move more and often play with each other in herds. However, according to a study by Jørgensen et al. (2009), being in a herd does not necessarily increase the number of injuries.
Feeding Practices
Continuous access to fiber-rich feed is crucial for the functioning and health of a horse’s digestive system. Grazing on quality pasture is nutritionally the healthiest option for horses. Incorporating grazing-like feeding practices into stable routines can promote the health and welfare of horses. This solution is popular in so-called active stables, where the indoor and outdoor areas are designed to motivate the horse’s natural behaviors by placing feed in multiple places that are rather far away from each other.
What we feed our horse can affect equine welfare hugely. In addition to the type of feed, the frequency of feeding and the amount of roughage affect especially the health of the gastro-intestinal-tract. High-energy, grain-based feeds, as well as long feeding intervals, impair the function of the horse’s digestive system. This kind of feeding can also predispose horses to laminitis, colic, and gastric ulcers. Studies (eg. Luthersson et al. (2009)) show that high starch concentrations in feed are particularly challenging for a horse’s digestive system.
Summary
Voluntary and versatile movement, as well as facilitating social relationships, enhance the welfare of horses. Additionally, these factors are essential for fulfilling the basic, intrinsic needs of horses. Access to roughage as freely as possible and choosing a concentrate feed that is appropriate for the horse’s digestive system, play a crucial role in keeping horses healthy. All these factors are influenced by stable management practices, which is why it is important to provide horses with enriched and appropriate stable conditions.
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