Do You Think I Am Living Well? A Four-Season Hair Cortisol Analysis on Leisure Horses in Different Housing and Management Conditions.
Authors: Mazzola Silvia Michela, Colombani Carla, Pizzamiglio Giulia, Cannas Simona, Palestrini Clara, Costa Emanuela Dalla, Gazzonis Alessia Libera, Bionda Arianna, Crepaldi Paola
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Owners and yard managers routinely make housing decisions for leisure horses based on intuition rather than evidence, despite growing recognition that single-box confinement compromises welfare by restricting social contact and natural behaviours. This study measured chronic stress through hair cortisol analysis—a validated biomarker of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis activation—in 47 leisure horses across three management systems (mixed stabling with paddock access, full-time paddock, and natural management) sampled quarterly over a year. Mixed management horses (stabled at night, paddock access during day) demonstrated significantly lower cortisol concentrations than full-time paddock horses in summer, autumn and winter, suggesting more stable physiological homeostasis, whilst natural management horses showed intermediate values; notably, all groups exhibited elevated cortisol in summer and autumn regardless of housing type, and older horses (>15 years) displayed persistently higher levels irrespective of management strategy. These findings suggest that nocturnal stabling combined with daytime paddock access may represent the optimal compromise for leisure horse welfare in temperate climates, though the seasonal stress peaks warrant further investigation to identify whether temperature, parasite burden, or other environmental factors require targeted management interventions.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Stabling horses at night while providing daytime paddock access appears to reduce chronic stress markers compared to 24/7 paddock living, suggesting this mixed approach may optimize welfare for leisure horses
- •Seasonal variation in stress hormones is significant (elevated summer/autumn); owners should anticipate and mitigate heat/fly stress during these periods
- •Older horses (>15 years) show elevated baseline stress regardless of management; consider additional welfare considerations for geriatric horses
Key Findings
- •Hair cortisol levels were significantly higher in autumn and summer compared to other seasons, independent of management strategy
- •Horses older than 15 years showed significantly elevated hair cortisol compared to younger horses
- •Mixed management group (stabled at night, paddock during day) had significantly lower hair cortisol in summer, autumn, and winter versus Paddock group horses
- •Natural management group horses showed intermediate cortisol levels between Mixed and Paddock groups across all seasons