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Like Humans, Exercise Reduces Stress In Horses

Exercise has been shown to lower stress levels in humans and research has shown that horses are no different: horses that are regularly exercised have lower levels of stress hormones than those who are not worked.

Drs. Ok-Deuk Kang and Wang-Shik Lee of the Jeju National University used 61 horses in a study to test stress levels of horses in various endeavors. Each of the horses fell into one of three groups: horses that weren't ridden at all, horses ridden in lessons and horses that gave rides to tourists.

Salivary samples were collected from each horse four times a day, including before and after an exercise session for the horses that were worked. The saliva samples were tested for cortisol levels; cortisol is a hormone produced when an animal is stressed.

The cortisol levels of all three groups of horses were lowest in the samples taken on the third day. The lesson horses had the greatest decrease in cortisol throughout the day. The horses ridden by tourists had the next most-significant drop, followed by the unridden horses.

The research team also tracked spikes in cortisol levels, which correspond with periods of increased stress. The highest spikes were found in the horses that were not ridden and the lowest spikes were found in the lesson horses.

The researchers concluded that consistent exercise reduces stress levels in horses even when the horses are ridden by beginner riders.

Study Shows Which Equine Activities Make Horses Stressed

A new study shows that the type of riding a horse is asked to do and his age affect cortisol release. Drs. Boguslawa Dlugosz, Tomasz Próchniak, Monika Stefaniuk, Marta Basiaga, Jaroslaw Łuszczyńśki and Magdalena Pieszka created a study to determine what level of stress horses experienced when engaged in a variety of types of riding.

The research team used 68 horses that were divided into groups based on the type of activity they were asked to do, their breed, age, gender and type of saliva collection. Activities the horses were involved in included dressage, jumping, giving lessons, reining, driving, hippotherapy exercises, lunging and hacking outside an arena. Saliva samples were taken at 6 a.m., 6 p.m. and immediately after the horse was ridden.

It was discovered that salivary cortisol was lowest before noon and highest during the night; cortisol levels can be affected by management, transport and weather. The scientists noted that monotonous training, changing the hours of training and handling the horse in an unprofessional manner that may cause pain and discomfort can all affect the horse's cortisol levels.

Young horses had higher levels of cortisol no matter what activity they did; it's assumed that age and skill level allow horses to better cope with the demands of recreational riding. The team also found that horses with the highest levels of cortisol are those involved in dressage, jumping, driving and reining; school horses and hippotherapy horse had cortisol levels that changed the least.

It's believed that the stress dressage horses feel is related to the way in which they are asked to carry themselves to correctly complete movements.

Read the study here.

‘Vacations’ Not Always Relaxing For Horses

Though vacations can be a good way to relieve stress and relax for humans, new research has found that the same can't be said for horses that experience time off from work. A study out of Spain shows that horses that are in work regularly become stressed when they're turned out for a lengthy break. However, after a few weeks, the horse's stress levels decrease, allowing them to get in some quality vacation time, reports The Horse.

Dr. Manel Lopez-Bejar, of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, noted that the downtime is difficult on horses as it changes almost everything about their environment, including feeding, management and work routines.

Lopez-Bejar and a study team tested eight Spanish stallions owned by the Municipal Police of Barcelona, Spain, for stress caused by an increase in leisure time. The horses were turned out in a pasture for three weeks and not worked. The researchers clipped hair from each horse's abdomen once a month from August through February to analyze the hair for the presence of long-term stress, denoted in the cortisol levels. Five police stallions were used as controls and had their hair samples taken from November to October.

The police horses went on vacation during the last 22 days in August. They were removed from the stalls where they are traditionally housed while working, loaded on a van for a 45-minute trip and turned out in fields. The horses had no set routines and were exposed to unknown caretakers and horses.

The researchers found a significant increase in cortisol in the hair samples during the rest period. Though the move itself didn't stress the horses, everything else that lasted throughout the period did. Lopez-Bejar noted that this doesn't indicate that a vacation is bad, but that the horse is responding physiologically to an environmental change. The cortisol response should return to normal once the horse adapts to his new environment.

It's important to ensure that the horses don't remain in a constant state of stress, however, as this could compromise his welfare. When giving horses time off, it's imperative to monitor him to be sure he's adapting to his new normal—no matter how long that will be.