Abstract
Horses tend to be housed in loose boxes, stalls, barns and shelters for ease of management, however these systems present several possible threats to equine health and welfare. These systems are reviewed together with the concerns they raise. A common system for the evaluation of the welfare of contained animals focuses on the provision of five freedoms. These are freedom from hunger, thirst and malnutrition, from discomfort, from pain, injury and disease, from fear and distress and to express most normal patterns of behaviour. This approach is used to assess the ways in which horse welfare may be compromised by certain housing practices and management regimes. Recommendations as to how these problems can be resolved and to promote good practice are provided.
Keywords
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsPreview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alexander, F. and Hickson, J.C.D. (1970) The salivary and pancreatic secretions of the horse. In Phillipson, A.T. (ed.), Physiology of Digestion and Metabolism in the Ruminant. Oriel Press, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, pp. 375–389.
Bailey, M. (1992) Lung parasites, in Current Therapy in Equine Medicine 3. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, USA, p. 332.
Bruce, J.M. (1978) Natural ventilation through openings and its application to cattle building ventilation. J. Agricultural Engineering Research 23, 151–167.
Clarke, A.F. (1987) Stable environment in relation to the control of respiratory disease. In Hickman, J. (ed.), Horse Management, 2nd Edn. Academic Press, Orlando, USA, p. 125.
Clarke, A.F. (1993) Stable dust-threshold limiting values, exposures variables and host risk factors. Equine Veterinary J. 25, 172–174.
Clarke, A.F. (1994) Stables. In Wathes, C.M. and Charles, D.R. (eds.), Livestock Housing. CAB International, Cambridge, UK, pp. 379–403.
Cullinane, B. (1987) Viral respiratory disease, in Current Therapy in Equine Medicine 4. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, p. 443.
Cooper, J.J. and Mills, D.S. (1997) Welfare considerations relevant to behaviour modification in domestic animals. In Mills, D.S., Heath, S.E. and Harrington, L.J. (eds.), Proceedings of the First International Conference on Veterinary Behavioural Medicine. Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, Potters Bar, pp. 164–173.
Cooper, J.J., MacDonald, L. and Mills, D.S. (2000) The effect of increasing visual horizons on Stereo-typic weaving: implications for the social housing of stabled horses. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 69, 67–83.
Cuddeford, D. (1999) Why feed fibre to the performance horse today? In Harris, P.A., Gomarsall, G.M., Davison, H.P.B. and Green, R.E. (eds.), Proceedings of the British Equine Veterinary Association Specialist Days on Behaviour and Nutrition. Equine Veterinary Journal Ltd, Suffolk, UK, pp. 50–54.
Crowell-Davis, S.L., Houpt, K.A. and van Ree, J.M. (1985) Feeding and drinking behavior of mares and foals with free access to pasture and water. J. Animal Science 60, 883–889.
Curtis, E.F., Raymond, S.L. and Clarke, A.F. (1996) Respirable dust and atmospheric ammonia levels in horse stalls with different ventilation rates and bedding. Aerobiologia, International J. Aerobiology 12, 239–247.
Duncan, P. (1980) Time budgets of Camargue horses. 2. Adults and weaned sub-adults. Behaviour 72, 27–49.
Farm Animal Welfare Council (1992) FAWC updates the five freedoms. Veterinary Record 131, 357.
Harrison, R. (1964) Animal Machines. Vincent Stuart Ltd., London, UK.
Henderson, J.V. and Waran, N. (2001) Reducing equine stereotypics using an ‘Equiball’. Animal Welfare 10, 73–80.
Holcombe, S.J., Jackson, C., Gerber, V., Jefcoat, A., Berney, C., Eberhardt, S. and Robinson, N.E. (2001) Stabling is associated with airway inflammation in young Arabian horses. Equine Veterinary J. 33, 244–249.
Houpt, K.A. and Houpt, T.R. (1988) Social and illumination preferences of mares. J. Animal Science 66, 2159–2164.
Jackson, C.A., Berney, C., Jefcoat, A.M. and Robinson, N.E. (2000) Environment and prednisolone interactions in the treatment of recurrent airway obstruction (heaves). Equine Veterinary J. 32, 432–438.
Jezierski, T. (1992) Effects of Social Isolation on heart rate in horse. In Nichelmann, M., Wierenga, H. and Braun, S. (eds.), Proceedings of the 26th International Congress on Applied Ethology. KTML, Berlin, pp. 387–388.
Johnson, K.G., Tyrell, J., Rowe, J.B. and Pethick, D.W. (1998) Behavioural changes in stabled horses given non-therapeutic levels of virginiamycin as Founderguard. Equine Veterinary J. 30, 139–143.
Kiley-Worthington, M. (1987) The Behaviour of Horses. J.A. Allen, London, UK.
Krzak, W.E., Gonyou, H.W. and Lawrence, L.M. (1991) Wood chewing by stabled horses: Diurnal pattern and effects of exercise. J. Animal Science 69, 1053–1058.
Kusunose, R., Hatakeyama, H., Kubo, K., Kiguchi, A., Asai, Y., Fuji, Y. and Ito, K. (1985) Behavioural studies on yearling horses in field environments 1. Effects of the field size on the behaviour of horses. Bulletin of the Equine Research Institute 22, 1–7.
Kusunose, R., Hatakeyama, H., Ichikawa, F., Oki, H., Asai, Y. and Ito, K. (1987) Behavioural studies on yearling horses in field environments 3. Effects of the pasture shape on the behaviour of horses. Bulletin of the Equine Research Institute 23, 1–5.
Luescher, U.A., McKeown, D.B. and Dean, H. (1998) A cross-sectional study on compulsive behaviour (stable vices) in horses. Equine Veterinary J. Suppl. 27, 14–18.
Lupton, J.I. (1884) Evils of Modern Stables. Mayhew’s Illustrated Horse Management. W.H. Allen, London, UK.
Mal, M.E., Friend, T.H., Lay, D.C., Vogelsang, S.G. and Jenkins, O.C. (1991) Behavioural responses of mares to short-term confinement and social isolation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 31, 13–24.
Marsden, M.D. (1999) Behavioural problems (stable vices). In Colahan, P.T., Merritt, A.M., Moore, J.N. and Mayhew, I.G. (eds.), Equine Medicine and Surgery (5th edn), Mosby, St Louis, pp. 914–931.
Mason, G.J. (1991) Stereotypics: a critical review. Animal Behaviour 41, 1015–1037.
McAfee, L.M., Mills, D.S. and Cooper, J.J. (in press) The use of mirrors for the control of Stereotypic weaving behaviour in the stabled horse. Applied Animal Behaviour Science.
McBride, G.E., Christopherson, R.J. and Sauer, W.C. (1983) Metabolic responses of horses to temperature stress. Journal of Animal Science 57, 175.
McBride, S.D. and Cuddeford, D. (2001) The putative welfare-reducing effects of preventing equine Stereotypic behaviour. Animal Welfare 10, 173–189.
McBride, S.D. and Long, L. (2001) Management of horses showing Stereotypic behaviour, owner perception and the implications for welfare. Veterinary Record 148, 799–802.
McGreevy, P.D., Cripps, P.J., French, N.P., Green, L.E. and Nicol, C.J. (1995) Management factors associated with Stereotypic and redirected behaviour in the Thoroughbred horse. Equine Veterinary J. 27, 86–91.
McGreevy, P.D. and Nicol C.J. (1998) The effect of short term prevention on the subsequent rate of crib-biting in Thoroughbred horses. Equine Veterinary J. Suppl. 27, 30–34.
Mills, D.S. (1999) The origin and development of behavioural problems in the horse. In Harris, P.A., Gomarsall, G.M., Davison, H.P.B. and Green, R.E. (eds.), Proceedings of the British Equine Veterinary Association Specialist Days on Behaviour and Nutrition. Equine Veterinary Journal Ltd., Suffolk, UK, pp. 17–21.
Mills, D.S. and Davenport, K. (in press) The effect of a neighbouring conspecific versus the use of a mirror for the control of Stereotypic weaving behaviour in the stabled horse. Animal Science.
Mills, D.S., Eckley, S. and Cooper, J.J. (2000) Thoroughbred bedding preferences, associated behaviour differences and their implications for equine welfare. Animal Science 70, 95–106.
Mills, D.S. and Nankervis, K.J. (1999) Equine Behaviour: Principles and Practice. Blackwell Science, Oxford.
Murray, M.J., Schusser, G.F., Pipers, F.S. and Gross, S.J. (1996) Factors associated with gastric lesions in Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Veterinary J. 28, 368–374.
Nicol, C.J. (1999) Understanding equine stereotypics. Equine Veterinary J. Suppl. 28, 20–25.
Ogilvie-Graham, T.S. (1994) Time Budget Studies in Stalled Horses. DVM&S Thesis, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
Pagan, J.D. (1997) Gastric ulcers in horses: A widespread but manageable disease. World Equine Veterinary Review 2, 28–30.
Racklyeft, D.J. and Love, D.N. (1990) Influence of Head posture on the respiratory tract of healthy horses. Australian Veterinary J. 67, 402–405.
Ralston, S.L., van den Broek, G. and Baile, C.A. (1979) Feed intake patterns and associated blood glucose, free fatty acid and insulin changes in ponies. J. Animal Science 49, 838–845.
Raymond, S.L. and Clarke, A.F. (1997) Equine Respiratory Health, World Equine Veterinary Review. The J. the World Equine Health Network 2, 41–44.
Raymond, S.L., Curtis, E.F. and Clarke, A.F. (1994) Comparative dust challenges faced by horses when fed alfalfa cubes or hay. Equine Practice 16, 42–47.
Raymond, S.L., Curtis, E.F., Winfield, L.M. and Clarke, A.F. (1997) A comparison of respirable particles associated with various forage products for horses. Equine Practice 19, 23–26.
Raymond, S.L., Heiskanan, M.L., Smith, T.K., Reiman, M., Laitinen, S. and Clarke, A.F. (2000) An investigation of the Concentrations of Fusarium mycotoxins and the degree of mould contamination of Ontario field-dried hay. J. Equine Veterinary Science 20, 616–621.
Rees, L. (1984) The Horse’s Mind. Stanley Paul, London, UK.
Rolls, E.T. (1990) A theory of emotion and its application to understanding the neural basis of emotion. Cognition and Emotion 4, 161–190.
Rowe, J.B., Pethick, D.W. and Lees, M.J. (1994) Prevention of acidosis and laminitis associated with grain feeding in horses. J. Nutrition 124, 2742–2744.
Sainsbury, D.W.B. (1987) Housing the Horse. In Hickman J. (ed.), Horse Management. Academic Press, London.
Schatzmann, U. (1998) Winter pasturing of sport horses in Switzerland-an experimental study. Equine Veterinary J. Suppl. 27, 53–54.
Tyler, S.J. (1972) The behaviour and social organisation of the New Forest ponies. Animal Behaviour Monographs 5, 2.
Welford, D., Mills, D., Murphy, K. and Marlin, D. (1999) The effect of changes in management scheduling on water intake by the Thoroughbred horse. Equine Veterinary J. Suppl. 28, 71–72.
Wilson, W.D. (1997) Foal pneumonia in Current Therapy in Equine Medicine 4. W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, USA, p. 612.
Winskill, L.C., Young, R.J., Channing, C.E., Hurley, J. and Waran, N.K. (1996) The effect of a foraging device (the modified ‘Edinburgh Foodball’) on the behaviour of the stabled horse. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 48, 25–35.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2007 Springer
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mills, D.S., Clarke, A. (2007). Housing, Management and Welfare. In: Waran, N. (eds) The Welfare of Horses. Animal Welfare, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48215-1_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-306-48215-1_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-6142-4
Online ISBN: 978-0-306-48215-1
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)