Forage, freedom of movement, and social interactions remain essential fundamentals for the welfare of high-level sport horses.
Authors: Phelipon Romane, Hennes Noémie, Ruet Alice, Bret-Morel Alexia, Górecka-Bruzda Aleksandra, Lansade Léa
Journal: Frontiers in veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary High-level competition horses often experience restrictions on forage access, movement, and social contact due to concerns about weight management, injury prevention, and the logistical demands of international sport. Researchers from the University of Rennes assessed welfare in 56 elite sport horses competing internationally by recording behavioural indicators including stereotypies, aggression, withdrawn behaviour, ear posture during foraging, and vigilance levels using established scan sampling and AWIN protocol methods. Significant variation existed between individual horses in their access to the "3Fs" (forage, freedom of movement, and social interaction), with those experiencing fewer restrictions demonstrating markedly better welfare outcomes across all measured behavioural indicators. These findings demonstrate that implementing unlimited forage access, outdoor movement, and peer interaction—even at elite competition level—is both feasible and beneficial, rather than the inevitable trade-off commonly assumed necessary for high-performance horses. Given the robust correlation between unrestricted access to these fundamental needs and improved welfare status, equine professionals should advocate for integrated management strategies that maintain these provisions throughout the competition season, as restriction is neither universally required nor universally practised amongst successful international competitors.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •High-performance horses can maintain competition fitness while having access to unlimited forage and pasture time—investigate whether your current feeding/turnout restrictions are truly necessary or habitual
- •Monitor your sport horses for stereotypies, backward ear positions while foraging, and withdrawn behaviour as practical welfare indicators; their presence suggests your management restrictions may be excessive
- •Peer interactions and outdoor freedom demonstrate measurable welfare benefits; explore whether social turnout and larger exercise areas can be incorporated into your high-level competition programme without compromising performance
Key Findings
- •Large variability exists among high-level sport horses in access to forage, freedom of movement, and social contact, demonstrating that restrictions are not uniformly necessary
- •Horses with fewer restrictions on the '3Fs' (forage, freedom of movement, friend interactions) showed significantly better welfare indicators including fewer stereotypies and abnormal behaviours
- •Unrestricted access to forage, outdoor movement, and peer interaction are feasible to provide even to internationally competing sport horses without compromising performance
- •Behavioural welfare indicators (stereotypies, aggression, withdrawn behaviour, ear position) effectively demonstrated welfare differences correlated with restriction levels