Effects of weaning-related stress on the emotional health of horses-A scoping review.

Summary

# Editorial Summary: Weaning-Related Stress and Emotional Health in Horses Weaning constitutes a significant physiological and psychological stressor during equine development, with emerging evidence suggesting consequences extending well beyond the immediate separation period into adult behavioural patterns. This scoping review examined the literature surrounding different weaning methodologies—ranging from abrupt removal to gradual separation protocols—and their effects on emotional wellbeing in foals. A critical finding across the reviewed studies was the inconsistency in how stress responses and long-term impacts are evaluated; researchers employed varying measures including cortisol concentrations, behavioural indicators, and heart rate variability, making meaningful comparisons between weaning approaches difficult. Despite this measurement variability, the evidence suggests that progressive weaning protocols generally elicit less acute stress than abrupt separation, though standardised assessment frameworks remain absent from equine practice. For practitioners, this review underscores the importance of adopting individualized, gradual weaning strategies whilst highlighting an urgent need within the profession to establish consensus on stress biomarkers and behavioural evaluation tools—standardisation that could ultimately improve recommendations for foal welfare and inform evidence-based management decisions across studs and breeding operations.

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Key Findings

• •Weaning is identified as one of the most stressful life events for horses with potential long-term behavioral impacts
• •Multiple weaning approaches exist (abrupt and progressive separation methods) with varying stress outcomes
• •Current literature lacks consensus on standardized measurement methods for stress and impact assessment during weaning

Conditions Studied

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