Basic Needs in Horses?-A Literature Review.
Authors: Krueger Konstanze, Esch Laureen, Farmer Kate, Marr Isabell
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Basic Needs in Horses—A Literature Review Krueger and colleagues conducted a systematic review of 38 peer-reviewed studies to determine whether four commonly cited equine welfare requirements—social contact, social companionship, free movement and access to roughage—genuinely constitute basic needs, evidenced by measurable suffering when restricted. The researchers categorised behavioural and physiological responses to deprivation across four response types: stress indicators, active coping behaviours, passive responses (suggesting acute distress), and abnormal behaviours (stereotypies and learned helplessness). Whilst evidence for social companionship alone remained limited, restriction of social contact, free movement and roughage access—particularly in combination—consistently triggered passive responses and abnormal behaviours indicative of genuine suffering, substantiating these three as legitimate basic needs. The authors emphasise that behavioural parameters (such as stereotypies and lethargy) carry equal diagnostic weight to physiological markers (cortisol elevation, heart rate changes) and should be assessed together when evaluating welfare outcomes. For practitioners, this validates evidence-based stabling practices: solitary confinement, prolonged box rest without social proximity, and restricted forage access represent genuine welfare threats rather than operational conveniences, necessitating management restructuring wherever possible.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Ensure horses have concurrent access to social contact, free movement, and roughage—restricting multiple basic needs simultaneously increases risk of suffering and welfare problems
- •Monitor for passive behavioral responses (lethargy, withdrawal) and abnormal behaviors (stereotypies) as indicators of current or past suffering from management restrictions
- •Evaluate management practices holistically rather than optimizing single factors in isolation, as combinations of restrictions have greater welfare impact
Key Findings
- •Combinations of social contact, free movement, and roughage access restrictions resulted in behavioral and physiological responses consistent with suffering in many horses
- •Passive responses (acute suffering) and abnormal behavior (chronic suffering) were especially clearly demonstrated when basic needs were restricted
- •Insufficient studies available to draw conclusions on effects of single management restrictions in isolation
- •Assessment of behavioral parameters combined with physiological measurements is recommended for evaluating horse welfare