The Effect of Stabling Routines on Potential Behavioural Indicators of Affective State in Horses and Their Use in Assessing Quality of Life.
Authors: Bradshaw-Wiley Ella, Randle Hayley
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Stabling Routines and Equine Behavioural Indicators of Affective State Bradshaw-Wiley and Randle (2023) addressed a significant gap in equine welfare science by investigating how different stabling regimens influence measurable behavioural markers of emotional state in horses. Ten mature horses were observed across consecutive 24-hour periods under either daytime stabling (approximately 7.7 hours confinement) or night-time stabling (13.6 hours confinement), with eight specific behaviours quantified during each regime. Night-stabled horses exhibited significantly elevated frequencies of forward and neutral ear positioning, forward and lateral stepping, sternal recumbency, yawning, non-nutritive chewing, and eye-closing—all statistically significant findings (p = 0.001)—suggesting these behaviours may reflect the heightened constraint and restricted movement associated with prolonged confinement. The practical importance of this work lies in establishing objective, observable behavioural benchmarks that practitioners can use to assess individual horse welfare and affective state, moving beyond subjective interpretation towards evidence-based quality-of-life monitoring that could inform evidence-based decisions on stabling protocols, turnout management, and enrichment strategies tailored to each horse's behavioural responses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Monitor specific behaviors (ear position changes, stepping movements, eye closing, yawning, chewing) as indicators of how stabling schedules affect individual horse welfare
- •Consider implementing day-stabling over night-stabling to reduce confinement duration and potentially improve affective state based on observed behavioral changes
- •Use these identified behavioral indicators to assess whether your current stabling routine is meeting horses' welfare needs and to identify which animals may be experiencing negative affective states
Key Findings
- •Night-stabled horses were confined for 13.60 ± 0.04 hours compared to 7.73 ± 0.07 hours for day-stabled horses
- •Eight behaviors occurred significantly more frequently during night-stabling: forward ears, neutral ears, stepping forward, stepping laterally, sternal recumbency, yawning, non-nutritive chewing, and closing eyes (all p = 0.001)
- •These eight behaviors may serve as objective indicators of affective state and quality of life in stabled horses