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Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Animal welfare has been the subject of growing interest in recent decades among scientists and riders alike. What does this notion really mean and what can we do to improve the well-being of our horse?
Well-being is a rather difficult concept to define. For some people it boils down to a life in the meadow, for others to a life in the box with a lot of care and others will situate it to a ride without constraint.
Welfare can be considered as "the state of complete mental and physical health of the animal that results from the satisfaction of its essential physiological and behavioural needs and its ability to adapt to its environment " (ANSES, 2014).
It is currently accepted that well-being begins first and foremost with a good physical condition. Five elements are designed to promote the welfare of farmed animals :
Animal welfare is a complex multifactorial state. It is declined according to 4 main principles: thepower, l’hostingthe health and the behaviour. Its evaluation requires the assessment of different criteria using indicators. There are 3 types of indicators: health, behavioural and physiological indicators. Well-being is assessed in a horse at rest as well as on the job.
The forage should be the main component of the ration. The optimal amount of hay is 2% of the horse's live weight (PV) of the horse in kg of dry matter (DM) - i.e. around 10kg for a 500kg horse that is not overweight - to enable consumption to be spread over the day, without exceeding 4-6h of fasting. Daily quantities of hay that are too low increase the risk of colic, ulcers and stereotypies. Read our article on stall feeding here.
Regardless of the delivery device, it is necessary to verify that the horse has access to a permanently clean water. A horse drinks about 5L water for 100 kg live weight per day. This consumption can go up to 60 litres per day. Consumption varies according to the temperatureof the type offood or thephysiological condition. The exercise also leads to significant water losses. For example, a saddle horse performing intense exercise in hot and humid conditions will lose between 10 and 15 litres of water per hour.
Ideally, horses should have hay at will to eat their daily ration in 3 to 4 p.m. without the amount ingested exceeding their normal ration. This can be achieved by either multiply distributionsThe access can be limited by bar racks or hay nets.
For the distribution of concentratesthe ideal is to eat more meals. Studies have shown that the automatic dispensing of concentrates reduces the excitement of the horses at the time of dispensing and thus helps to limit the development of gastric ulcers. If the distribution is manual, care should be taken to do it as quickly as possible so that the last horse served does not have too much time to secrete gastric acid into its still empty stomach. Functional wheelbarrows, accessible feeders and clearly identified rations contribute to rapid distribution.
It is necessary to provide the horse with a clean space, sec and secured for rest whether it's inside or outside. If the horse lives indoors, the stall should be large enough for the horse to move around, roll around, lie down without injury. The litter must be maintained and in sufficient quantityWhatever the type of bedding (straw, shavings or mattresses...). Under no circumstances should the floor be visible and the litter must be dry.
Both inside and outside, it is important to consider the thermal comfort zone of the horse (between +5°C and +25°C for unsheared horses in temperate regions). If necessary, do not hesitate to provide a blanket or shelter, especially in winter. Do not hesitate to consult our article "What kind of blanket for my horse". You will find all our advice to help you get through the winter.
It is also necessary to follow the ambient conditions of the horse's environment. The humidity level must be reasonable and between 40 and 70%, the breakdown adapted and lighting enough.
Boxes are confined spaces, the opportunities to get in and out of the hurt are not missing. In order to limit injuries, the use of a damping cover on the wall is appreciable, even indispensable for the most nervous horses. The lying down rest is unanimously recognized as a sign of a horse's well-being. The installation of a rubber lining on the floor of the stall insulates it thermally and its flexibility gives it a comfort that encourages the horse to lie down peacefully.
Finally, the people's behaviour in the stables has a direct impact on the well-being of the horses. People quiet and attentive to the needs of their horses are the keystone of a restful and pleasant atmosphere at the stables.
It is important to check that the horse is expressing the social behaviour and the normal behaviours of the species.
The horse must be able to interact with his fellow man whether by total, olfactory, visual or auditory contact. He must also be able to trot, gallop freely without being at work by having access to a relaxing spot : paddock or meadow. Whether the horse is at work or not, and whatever the type and level of work, it is recommended to get out the horses unfettered on average at least 2h/dayif they're housed in a stall.
The appearance of abnormal behaviours such as stereotypies reflect a certain state of unease (stress, boredom...). Stereotypies, more commonly known as tics (such as the bear tic, the leaning tic...) are sequences of repetitive, relatively invariant movements. They can be observed directly: a horse swinging from one foot to the other, for example, or indirectly: teeth marks on a fence/stall door, etc.
In the stables, the horses will still seek out social relationships. Allowing these relationships to be established while maintaining safety contributes to well-being. Horses and ponies that are deferred from the hindquarters can be released into neighbouring paddocks initially before being released together regularly so that they have the opportunity to express their feelings. social behaviours (mutual scratching, games, etc.).
In stables where horses that spend a lot of time boxing, installing barred partitions allows horses to feel and see themselves and provides a better atmosphere than with solid partitions.
L’absence of injury and disease is one of the factors to be taken into account when assessing the horse's welfare. At rest, the following indicators can detect the possible presence of a disease, but not its identification:
Do not hesitate to contact your veterinarian when in doubt!
In addition to indicators of well-being of the resting horse, there are also indicators for the horse at work.
Any modification of locomotion of the working horse is indicative of pain or discomfort : irregular gaits, reluctance to move or motivation to move forward, stiffness, difficulty bending, unsolicited changes or variations in gait, lameness...
Thanks to Seaver and the analysis of the work sessions proposed by the application, in particular the measurement of the time spent on each hand, of the symmetry in trot, the cadence, the rebound or the symmetry of the thrust of the hind legs at the obstacle, you will be able to highlight some of these irregularities.
The time spent walking for a horse living in a stall is an important factor. It is necessary to allow the horse to warm-up At least 10 to 15 minutes of pacing are recommended at the start of the session, followed by 10 minutes of calming down at the end. These times should be increased in cold weather and according to pathologies.
We can also detect pain through cardiac constants an abnormal increase in heart rate during a session and a decrease in heart rate variability can indicate a state of stress or an abnormality such as abscess or lameness. These constants also enable us to check that the workload is appropriate for the horse's condition, by looking at post-exertion recovery.
Finally, at the end of the working session, remember to check theabsence of injuries or swollen areasThis is particularly true in areas of friction in the saddle, net, bit, various equipment (gaiters, etc.) or areas subject to stress from work.
