welfare | Horse Racing Free Tips

Study: Your Horse’s Mood Affects His Way Of Going

A new study shows that observing how a horse acts in his stall could offer clues to how a ride might go: A horse that's angry or unhappy in his stall will most likely carry that negative attitude into the arena.

Lead researcher Alice Ruet used 43 lesson horses to test her theory. The study horses were kept in stalls and turned out for one hour a week in individual paddocks. They were used by advanced riders six hours a week for dressage, eventing or jumping lessons.

The study team watched the stalled horses for six weeks, noting their behavior several times each day. The scientists were specifically looking for clues that the horse was in a negative mental state—that he may be experiencing “compromised welfare” from being in a stall. The behaviors they were looking for included aggression toward people, cribbing or other stereotypies, hypervigilance, or a withdrawn posture, which indicated a depressed state.

The researchers then asked the head instructor three questions about each horse's way of going under saddle, including whether he was anxious or fearful, if he seemed uncomfortable, or if he was unwilling to go forward.

The final phase of the study had one rider who was unfamiliar with the horses ride each horse using the same tack. The rider was equipped with inertial sensors on her head and back. The horse wore a sensor on his girth. The ride was recorded, and an independent assessor noted behaviors that may indicate a negative attitude, like head shaking, tail swishing or bolting, as well as the horse's overall demeanor.

The scientists found a correlation between behavior in the stall and how a horse moved under saddle: Horses that were aggressive to humans while in their stalls had choppier gaits while being ridden. They also found that horses that were withdrawn in their stall were more reluctant to go forward when asked. The scientists conclude that a horse in a poor state of welfare is likely to be more unhappy when being ridden, linking welfare to performance.

Ruet suggests additional studies could be done to investigate whether management changes could influence a horse's mood and under-saddle movement.

Sun Worshiper Or Shade Seeker? No Common Denominator For Hot Horses

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.

Study: Bronc Horses Can Become Accustomed To The Rodeo Environment

A new study — the first to deal with the welfare of bucking horses used in rodeos — shows that horses used for bronc riding in rodeos can become accustomed to the high-pressure performance. Drs. Christy Goldhawk, Temple Grandin and Ed Pajora found that experienced horses used at the Calgary Stampede had fewer reactive behaviors during loading and holding in the chute before they performed. Horses with increased rodeo experience were also less likely to balk during loading.

The three-year study used 116 horses involved in saddle bronc, novice saddle bronc, bareback and novice bareback events. The research team observed the horses in holding areas behind the chutes, where they found a low frequency of adverse behaviors in rodeo horses. They note that this may be because the horses have been habituated to the rodeo, meaning they understand the sequence of the event.

The places where the horses exhibited discomfort can easily be modified to make them more comfortable, the research team said. For example, when the horses appeared uneasy when spectators were above them, the research team recommended that a tent be placed over the holding area to shield the horses from view.

Read the study here.

Report: The Difference Between ‘Training’ And ‘Abuse’ Not Always Clear

The way horsemen and the public think about training and abuse is changing. In some cases, the line is clear, but in others, it's a more subjective question, according to a recent report from The Horse.

Though equine training methods differ between breed and discipline, certain practices can be considered abusive regardless of the goal. In the past, more attention has been paid to getting a horse to submit to a rider's will than to ensuring a horse's welfare is protected. Situations that create obvious pain like tying a horse's head down or to the side, rollkur, or too-tight nosebands are one kind of abuse. The Horse reports than in other cases, abuse is the absence of something; keeping horses in stalls with no social interaction as punishment, or limiting diets can also be considered a type of abuse.

Often, horses subjected to these methods are emotional scapegoats for a stressed trainer, or they may be pushed to achieve a particular financial or performance result. There is also a disconnect between some horsemen about certain training tactics that are overlooked as things that have “always been done.”

Horse owners may be reluctant to speak up against perceived abuse as they feel the professional knows what is best for the horse.

A horse in an abusive training situation may be at increased risk of harm and even death, as the horse may injure itself while in training or colic from the stress. Generally speaking, The Horse reports, physical and mental welfare of horses is becoming better understood and that understanding is guiding changes in philosophies and training methods.