A Preliminary Assessment of Shade and Shelter Use in Paddock-Kept Horses in Australia: A Pilot Study
Authors: M. Douglas, Hayley Randle
Journal: International Journal of Equine Science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Douglas and Randle's 2024 pilot study examined shade-seeking behaviour in 19 paddock-kept horses across six days of observation, recording hourly location data alongside ambient temperature and weather conditions to understand how non-extreme weather influences shelter use. Despite having free access to both natural and artificial shade structures, horses spent the vast majority of their time (85.5%) in open paddock, with only 10.2% in natural shade and 4.3% in artificial structures, though when sheltering was chosen, 78% of that time occurred under natural shade. Notably, shade preference was unrelated to time of day or ambient temperature alone; instead, horses demonstrated selective use patterns based on weather type—seeking artificial shelter during fog and cloudy conditions, whilst preferring natural shade during partly cloudy weather. These findings suggest that weather characteristics beyond simple temperature extremes drive shade-seeking behaviour and that equine thermoregulation is more nuanced than previously appreciated in the literature. For practitioners, this emphasises the importance of providing diverse shelter options (both natural trees and man-made structures) matched to local environmental conditions, as horses appear to discriminate between shelter types based on specific meteorological contexts rather than treating all shade provision as functionally equivalent.
Read the full abstract on the publisher's site
Practical Takeaways
- •Provide natural shade options (trees) as a priority, as horses strongly prefer these over man-made structures when both are available
- •Shade remains important even in mild weather—horses seek shelter in fog and cloud cover for reasons beyond heat management, likely visibility and weather protection
- •Monitor behavioral indicators of thermal comfort and wellbeing rather than relying solely on temperature thresholds to determine when shade is needed
Key Findings
- •Horses spent 85.5% of time in non-shade areas, 10.2% in natural shade, and 4.3% in artificial shade during non-extreme weather conditions
- •Horses significantly preferred natural shade over artificial shelter, using natural shade for 78% of all shade time
- •Shade-seeking behavior increased in foggy or cloudy conditions for artificial shelter and partly cloudy conditions for natural shade (p < 0.05)
- •Shade-seeking behavior was not related to time of day, suggesting factors other than solar intensity influence shelter use