Effect of housing conditions on activity and lying behaviour of horses

Chaplin, S. J.; Gretgrix, L.

doi:10.1017/s1751731109991704

Cited by 35 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Lying bouts occurred during the night, which is consistent with the existing literature (Chaplin and Gretgrix, 2010). These findings are further supported by earlier work done by Dallaire and Ruckebusch (1974) who reported that older horses were less likely to lie down during the day when compared with younger animals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

“…which is similar to the maximum bout length (32.5 min) documented by Chaplin and Gretgrix (2010) for horses that were partially stabled, however the standard deviation indicates that there was considerable variation among bouts. Bout duration ranged from as little as 4 min to as long as over an hour, and little is known about what factors affect lying bout duration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

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Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses

Dubois

Zakrajsek

Haley

et al. 2015

Animal

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Examining the characteristics of an animal's lying behaviour, such as frequency and duration of lying bouts, has become increasingly relevant for animal welfare research. Triaxial accelerometers have the advantage of being able to continuously monitor an animal's standing and lying behaviour without relying on live observations or video recordings. Multiple models of accelerometers have been validated for use in monitoring dairy cattle; however, no units have been validated for use in equines. This study tested Onset Pendant G data loggers attached to the hind limb of each of two mature Standardbred horses for a period of 5 days. Data loggers were set to record their position every 20 s. Horses were monitored via live observations during the day and by video recordings during the night to compare activity against accelerometer data. All lying events occurred overnight (three to five lying bouts per horse per night). Data collected from the loggers was converted and edited using a macro program to calculate the number of bouts and the length of time each animal spent lying down by hour and by day. A paired t-test showed no significant difference between the video observations and the output from the data loggers (P = 0.301). The data loggers did not distinguish standing hipshot from standing square. Predictability, sensitivity, and specificity were all >99%. This study has validated the use of Onset Pendant G data loggers to determine the frequency and duration of standing and lying bouts in adult horses when set to sample and register readings at 20 s intervals.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 75%

Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses

Dubois

Zakrajsek

Haley

et al. 2015

Animal

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“…In a study by Kiley-Worthington (1989, cited in Zeitler-Feicht 2001 a lying period of 10 % of the time budget of horses could be ascertained in loose-housing on straw with hay being available ad libitum, while in the case of strawless box stall housing with rationed hay 16 % of the time budget was given over to lying. In contrast, a study of Chaplin and Gretgrix (2010) with eight horses showed no significant affect of the housing conditions (paddock, fully stabled, partly stabled or yard) on the total time spent lying.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 71%

“…According to Crowell-Davis (1994) this is responsible for the psychological well-being of horses. Furthermore, lying behaviour can be used as welfare indicator for domestic animals (Chaplin and Gretgrix 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lying behaviour of horses depending on the bedding material in individual housing in boxes with or without adjacent pen

Hoffmann¹,

Bockisch²,

Kreimeier³

et al. 2017

PHK

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Summary: Horses require, as do all mammals, sufficient sleep in order to maintain their physical and psychological performance.The aim of the present study was to clarify whether different bedding material in free-stall housing and box stall housing show significant influences on the lying behaviour of horses. The influence of the housing system was investigated as well. The bedding material used was wheat straw, wood shavings and straw pellets. In the course of one year the lying behaviour of six Hanoverian mares aged 2 years was recorded by means of ALT (activity, lying time, temperature) pedometers and video recordings (continuous sampling). At the same time three horses were housed in a free-stall housing system (box with adjacent pen) and three horses in closed single boxes. The total recumbency time, sternal recumbency, lateral recumbency, the number of lying occurrences, as well as the usage of the partly available pen were examined at night (18:00 -06:00). When considering the total recumbency time in the box (without consideration of the housing system) a significantly longer recumbency time was detected when using wood shavings (211.56 ± 69.87 min/night) in comparison to straw pellets (177.34 ± 98.87 min/night). On wheat straw the total recumbency time in the box was 200.92 ± 86.32 min/night. When considering the housing systems (without taking the bedding materials into account) 100 % of the recumbency time in the box stall housing system occurred in the box, inevitably due to the experimental set-up (235.56 ± 55.82 min/night). In the free-stall housing sysem the total recumbency time in the box and pen was significantly lower with 204.44 ± 63.43 min/night (recumbency time in the box: 158.00 ± 94.62 min/night; 77 %). The recumbency time varied depending on the bedding material as well as the housing system. On the various bedding materials (wheat straw: 243.77 ± 50.08min/night; wood shavings: 233.02 ± 58.92 min/night; straw pellets: 229.67 ± 57.99 min/night) the total recumbency time in the box stall housing system showed no significant differences. In the free-stall housing system in comparison the total recumbency time for each bedding material (wheat straw: 157.48 ± 93.64 min/night; wood shavings: 190.7 ± 73.67 min/night; straw pellets: 126.46 ±104.01 min/night) was significantly lower than in the box stall housing system. In comparison with the other bedding materials the wood shavings in the free-stall housing system partly showed a significantly longer recumbency time in the box. The use of straw pellets resulted in a longer recumbency time and a higher number of lying occurrences in the pen (free-stall housing system) in comparison to wood shavings and wheat straw. In conclusion, horses kept in single boxes with adjacent sandy pen, prefer wheat straw or wood shavings in the box as opposed to straw pellets. The total recumbency time of horses housed in box stall housing was longer on all bedding materials than in free-stall housing. However, none of the used bedding materials shortened or length...

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“…Every additional motion caused a reduction of the stress load (Hoffmann et al, 2009). Chaplin and Gretgrix (2010) also showed that housing conditions have a strong influence on the activity behavior of horses. In their investigation, horses were significantly more active when they were kept in a large paddock day and night than when they were stabled in a loose box.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Influence of an active stable system on the behavior and body condition of Icelandic horses

Hoffmann

Bentke

Rose-Meierhöfer

et al. 2012

animal

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Horses are often stabled in individual boxes, a method that does not meet their natural needs and may cause psychical and musculoskeletal diseases. This problem is particularly evident in Iceland, where horses often spend the long winter periods in cramped boxes. The aim of this study was to analyze the suitability of a group housing system in Iceland, but the results are also applicable to horses of other regions. Eight Icelandic horses were observed in an active stable system, and their behavior and time budget were recorded. Movement and lying behavior were studied with ALT (Activity, Lying, Temperature detection) pedometers. The effect of an automatic concentrate feeding station (CFS) on the horses' behavior was examined. In the first period of investigation, the horses were fed concentrates manually, and in the second period, they were fed with the CFS. Additional behavioral observations and a determination of social hierarchy occurred directly or by video surveillance. The physical condition of the horses was recorded by body weight (BW) measurement and body condition scoring (BCS). The results showed a significant increase between the first and second trial periods in both the activity (P , 0.001) and the lying time (P 5 0.003) of the horses with use of the CFS. However, there was no significant change in BW during the first period without the CFS (P 5 0.884) or during the second period with the CFS (P 5 0.540). The BCS of the horses was constant at a very good level during both trial periods, and the horses showed a low level of aggression, a firm social hierarchy and behavioral synchronization. This study concludes that group housing according to the active stable principle is a welfare-friendly option for keeping horses and is a suitable alternative to conventional individual boxes.

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Effect of housing conditions on activity and lying behaviour of horses

Cited by 35 publications

References 13 publications

Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses

Validation of triaxial accelerometers to measure the lying behaviour of adult domestic horses

Lying behaviour of horses depending on the bedding material in individual housing in boxes with or without adjacent pen

Influence of an active stable system on the behavior and body condition of Icelandic horses

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