Changes in Management, Welfare, Emotional State, and Human-Related Docility in Stallions

Abstract

Despite an increase in awareness of their essential needs, many stallions continue to be kept in conditions limiting their social interactions and movement. To supplement the studies which highlight the effects of these practices on selected aspects of equine mental and physical wellbeing, we aimed to monitor a group of 32 adult intact stallions during their transition from tethered housing with limited outdoor access to free group housing through the lens of their overall welfare, perceived emotional status, and docility toward humans. Over three visits (before the management change, two weeks, and three months after, respectively), their welfare, qualitative behavior, and docility were assessed. Analysis of the data collected showed an improvement in the stallions’ overall welfare and no decrease in their docility after their group-release, with a constant correlation between these two aspects. The evaluation of their emotional states was less relevant, lacking consistency between the assessments for most of the descriptors used, warranting further research in similar conditions. Although our study covered a relatively short period of time, our results provide encouraging support for stallion owners in deciding on a similar management change for the welfare of their animals.

Pasture Access Effects on the Welfare of Dairy Cows Housed in Free-Stall Barns

“…The QBA was meant to bring the positive emotional state indicators of the evaluated animals to the welfare assessment protocol [19]. Although it is not generally accepted as an ideal method and its limitations are extensively discussed in the literature [52][53][54], QBA continues to be used until the development of more appropriate indicators.…”

The Social and Reproductive Challenges Faced by Free-Roaming Horse (Equus caballus) Stallions

“…It was confirmed that in bachelor bands of juvenile and adult non-breeding stallions, aggression does not usually translate into real combat but is expressed in a ritualised form of prancing, parallel parades, or playing [ 36 , 75 , 81 ]. Successful attempts at providing stabled stallions mutual companionship after the reproductive season were reported [ 81 , 82 , 83 ]. As evidenced in Figure 1 , the stallions can harmoniously live without any aggression causing mutual injuries.…”

“…A number of specific recommendations can be made to safeguard and improve captive stallion welfare; many of these have been outlined in previous publications [ 6 , 7 , 82 , 83 , 123 ]. However, our review gives a baseline to refer to when planning and managing stallion housing facilities; only by understanding the social environment in which stallions have evolved can we hope to replicate this where possible in captivity.…”