Using a Citizen Science Approach with German Horse Owners to Study the Locomotion Behaviour of Horses on Pasture

Abstract

Engaging farmers as citizen scientists may be a cost-efficient way to answering applied research questions aimed at more sustainable land use. We used a citizen science approach with German horse farmers with a dual goal. Firstly, we tested the practicability of this approach for answering 'real-life' questions in variable agricultural land-use systems. Secondly, we were interested in the knowledge it can provide about locomotion of horses on pasture and the management factors influencing this behaviour. Out of 165 volunteers, we selected 40 participants to record locomotion of two horses on pasture and provide information on their horse husbandry and pasture management. We obtained complete records for three recording days per horse from 28 participants, resulting in a dataset on more individual horses than any other Global Positioning System study published in the last 30 years. Time spent walking was greatest for horses kept in box-stall stables, and walking distance decreased with increasing grazing time. This suggests that restrictions in pasture access may increase stress on grass swards through running and trampling, severely challenging sustainable pasture management. Our study, involving simple technology, clear instructions and rigorous quality assessment, demonstrates the potential of citizen science actively involving land managers in agricultural research.

Citizen Scientists’ Engagement in Flood Risk-Related Data Collection: A case study in the Bui River Basin, Vietnam

“…This nding is similar to the research results of community-based rainfall monitoring in Nepal byDavids et al (2019). Unlike developing countries, in developed countries such as Germany and Italy, citizen science programs access citizens through unions, agencies, mass media(Pernat et al, 2021;Scaini et al, 2021;Schmitz et al, 2020), or individual invitations via email(Phillips et al, 2019…”

Citizen scientists’ engagement in flood risk-related data collection: a case study in Bui River Basin, Vietnam

“…This finding is similar to the research results of community-based rainfall monitoring in Nepal by Davids et al ( 2019 ). Unlike developing countries, in developed countries such as Germany and Italy, citizen science programs access citizens through unions, agencies, mass media (Pernat et al, 2021 ; Scaini et al, 2021 ; Schmitz et al, 2020 ), or individual invitations via email (Phillips et al, 2019 ). We assume that participants feel safe when they are informed about citizen science programs by friends and relatives.…”

Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus

“…Restrictions in pasture access bear additional negative effects in the form of rebound behaviors. For example, Schmitz et al [59] found that horses increase running and trampling on pasture with decreasing grazing duration. Consequently, the stress on grass swards increases and poses a challenge to sustainable grassland management.…”

“…We found tendentially higher nitrogen surpluses on turnout areas of single-housed horses compared with turnout areas of group-housed horses, suggesting that group housing of horses may support a better paddock and pasture management due to the generally integrated turnout areas (e.g., daily demanuring) and thereby reduce excretions of the horses in the soil. Schmitz and Isselstein [59] also pointed out the potential of free-range stabling (i.e., active stables, paddock trails), as opposed to box-stall stabling, to enable sustainable grazing management. However, when the space allowance per horse is taken into account, the effect of housing system vanishes.…”

“…A large pasture space allowance not only benefits the horses by allowing peaceful coexistence (less aggression) [60] and providing enough space to satisfy the need for locomotion and permit higher speed while running [59]; it can also contribute considerably to reducing the nitrogen surplus. In summary, we could identify measures that enhance both animal welfare and the conservation of resources and thus transform allegedly conflicting goals into a synergetic effect.…”