Equine

Using the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) to assess pain associated with acute laminitis in horses (Equus caballus)

Acute laminitis is a common equine disease characterized by intense foot pain, both acutely and chronically. The Obel grading system is the most widely accepted method for describing the severity of laminitis by equine practitioners, however this method requires movement...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Dalla Costa, E., Stucke, D., Dai, F. et al. 2016. Using the Horse Grimace Scale (HGS) to assess pain associated with acute laminitis in horses (Equus caballus). Animals 6(8), 47.

Using the five domains model to assess the adverse impacts of husbandry, veterinary, and equitation interventions on horse welfare

The aim of this study was to conduct a series of paper-based exercises in order to assess the negative (adverse) welfare impacts, if any, of common interventions on domestic horses across a broad range of different contexts of equine care...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Husbandry & Management, Restraint, Social Housing & CompanionshipAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: McGreevy, P., Berger, J., de Brauwere, N. et al. 2018. Using the five domains model to assess the adverse impacts of husbandry, veterinary, and equitation interventions on horse welfare. Animals 8(3), 41.

Toward a choice-based judgment bias task for horses

Judgment bias tasks for nonhuman animals are promising tools to assess emotional valence as a measure of animal welfare. In view of establishing a valid judgment bias task for horses, the present study aimed to evaluate 2 versions (go/no-go and...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Hintze, S., Roth, E., Bachmann, I. et al. 2017. Toward a choice-based judgment bias task for horses. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 20(2), 123-136.

Developing a horse welfare assessment protocol

This paper describes the development and pilot-testing of a horse welfare assessment protocol (HWAP). The HWAP consists of the collective measurement of numerous factors considered likely to affect a horse's welfare and is thereby designed to provide a holistic score...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Viksten, S. M., Visser, E. K., Nyman, S. 2017. Developing a horse welfare assessment protocol. Animal Welfare 26(1), 59-65.

Welfare assessment of horses: the AWIN approach

The EU-funded Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) research project (2011–2015) aimed to improve animal welfare through the development of practical on-farm animal welfare assessment protocols. The present study describes the application of the AWIN approach to the development of a welfare...

Year Published: 2016Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Dalla Costa, E., Dai, F., Lebelt, D. et al. 2016. Welfare assessment of horses: the AWIN approach. Animal Welfare 25(4), 481-488.

An unexpected acoustic indicator of positive emotions in horses

Indicators of positive emotions are still scarce and many proposed behavioural markers have proven ambiguous. Studies established a link between acoustic signals and emitter's internal state, but few related to positive emotions and still fewer considered non-vocal sounds. One of...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Vocalization, Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Stomp, M., Leroux, M., Cellier, M. et al. 2018. An unexpected acoustic indicator of positive emotions in horses. PLOS ONE 13(7), e0197898.

A standardised equine-based welfare assessment tool used for six years in low and middle income countries

The majority of horses, donkeys and mules (equids) are in low- and middle-income countries, where they remain a key source of labour in the construction, agriculture and tourism industries, as well as supporting households daily through transporting people and staple...

Year Published: 2018Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Sommerville, R., Brown, A. F., Upjohn, M. 2018. A standardised equine-based welfare assessment tool used for six years in low and middle income countries. PLOS ONE 13(2), e0192354.

Low plasma cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite measures as indicators of compromised welfare in domestic horses (Equus caballus)

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis response to chronic stress is far from straight forward, particularly with regards to animal welfare. There are reports of no effect as well as both decreases and increases in cortisol after chronic stressors. Therefore, the first...

Year Published: 2017Topics: Welfare AssessmentAnimal Type: Equine

Citation: Pawluski, J., Jego, P., Henry, S. et al. 2017. Low plasma cortisol and fecal cortisol metabolite measures as indicators of compromised welfare in domestic horses (Equus caballus). PLOS ONE 12(9), e0182257.

Heart rate changes in the horse to human contact

The effects of human social contact on the electrocardiogram (EKG) and general behavior of 2 horses were explored. Petting elicited a slowing of heart rate, while a person entering and exiting elicited transient, but often marked heart rate increases. In...

Year Published: 1974Animal Type: Equine

Citation: Lynch, J. J., Fregin, G. F., Mackie, J. B. et al. 1974. Heart rate changes in the horse to human contact. Psychophysiology 11(4), 472-478.

Effect of diet on cecal pH and feeding behaviour of horses

The horses fed the hay diet spent significantly more time eating feed and significantly less time chewing wood, in coprophagy, in searching (for feed) and in standing than did horses receiving the concentrate diet.

Year Published: 1977Animal Type: Equine

Citation: Willard, J. G., Willard, J. C., Wolfran, S. A. et al. 1977. Effect of diet on cecal pH and feeding behaviour of horses. Journal of Animal Science 45, 87-92.