Though most humans seek shade on swelteringly hot days, horses don't necessarily feel the same way. Even when provided with a respite from the sun in the form of a run-in shed or shade trees, not all horses will use it, though most welfare guidelines recommend offering a horse a place to get out of the sun.
Drs. Iwona Janczarek, Anna Stachurska, Izabela Wilk, Anna Wiśniewska, Monika Różańska-Boczula, Beata Kaczmarek, Witold Kędzierski and Jarosław Łuszczyński created a study to test horses' preference for shade, sun or a mist curtain, which offers immediate cooling capabilities.
The team used 12 Warmbloods that were normally kept in stalls for the study. They turned out each horse for 45 minutes on a sandy paddock on a day when temperatures were between 84 and 89 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity was 42 percent. Almost half the paddock was covered in shade and there was a mist curtain in one corner.
The research team monitored heart variables to determine if the horses' behavior or emotional states were affected when they stood in different areas of the paddock. The scientists found that the horses had no strong preference on the amount of time spent in a particular area.
The horses showed slightly heightened relaxation when standing under the mist curtain, but they displayed similar levels of emotional arousal in all three areas. They showed no signs of overheating when standing in the sun.
The team suggests that additional studies be completed that focus on longer periods of turnout. The ability to choose between sun and shade may be crucial for maintaining body temperature, so the provision of shade for equine welfare is reasonable, they conclude.
Read the full study here.
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