via www.naturalhorsetrim.com, copied from the Columbus, Ohio 'Columbus Dispatch'
Recently, an interesting article written by an Australian gentleman by the name of John O’Leary was brought to my attention (thank-you Beks!).
Mr O’Leary has given horse transport and safety a lot of thought and provides a detailed account of how he thinks horses perceive their world and its impacts on their travelling problems. To access this opinion-piece click on the link and check “I agree”. John O’Leary’s horsefloat dangers discusses the issues, along with pictures illustrating his concepts; there is no ‘beating about the bush’ here!
I have to say, this man has more good safety tips than you could shake a stick at!
The article link above is off John O’Leary’s website. The following associated horse float dangers pics Mr O’Leary refers to are from the Centaur Transport Logistics Horsefloat site. You owe it to your horses to check it out and make any changes you can.
Incidentally, the other horseman Mr O’Leary mentions at the start of the article is another Australian, John Chatterton, who designed the JR Easy Traveller (read the product profile, I couldn’t get the link to add here) - with unique flared walls that enable the horse to spread his legs, enabling improved balance.
JR Easy Traveller Horse Float with patented flared sides
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Food for thought – and safe travelling.
Do you stable your horse? Do you experience unwanted behaviours as a result, possibly caused by the incarceration? You are not alone.
Movement in pastured and feral horses
A huge insight into the deficits of our housing systems on horses is seen by the information that horses are built to move up to 65-80km per day. Feral horse home-ranges have been found to vary from 0.6 to 78km² across 13 studies undertaken in Argentina, Canada, New Zealand, UK and the USA (1).
An estimated daily average for pastured horses is 20km of locomotion (2). It is little wonder therefore, that horses frequently show explosions of energy when ridden, led out, or upon release from the stable.
Benefits of exercise on explosive behaviours
How should one handle these behaviours, known as ‘post-inhibitory rebound’? A recently released Australian study showed the benefit of at least an hour’s exercise for boxed horses – on a walker, treadmill, turn-out, or by being ridden (3). The 24 horses in the study acted as their own control in matched treatments. There are some questions over the researchers’ choice of tasks (e.g. loading into a horse trailer) as a true measure of the effects.
Turnout showed the most improvement of all the exercise types, reducing the number of canter steps, bucks and rolls undertaken by the horses. Additionally, exercise significantly reduced the problem behaviours shown during routine tasks, including vocalisations (often shown when under stress).
The findings of the Australian study confirm what horsemen and women have endeavoured to undertake for years, but at least the framework of science can lead to an improvements in the way horses are kept.
When I worked in European stable, owned a three-day event rider and veterinarian, the rule was that each horse was to ‘move’ three times a day – be it ridden, on the walker, lunged or turned out. We didn’t experience any discernible stabling-related behaviour problems, despite many of the horses being competition-ready, fit eventers, including several stallions.
The importance of movement also raises the possibility of value of open housing systems which allow increased movement and social interaction when horses are housed together with room to move. Norway and Scandinavian countries seem to be leading the research on the effects of group-housing.
Practicalities – what to do regarding movement in stabled horses?
- Get stabled horses to move as much as possible – at least once per day, to alleviate the ‘rebound effect’.
- Increase turn-out.
- Consider group housing as a possibility.
- Realise that stabling can add to or produce ‘behavioural problems’- this may have flow-on effects to ‘wastage’ (i.e. culling of otherwise healthy horses due to ‘problem’ behaviours’).
- Seek to consider the evolution of the horse, including his evolved behaviours when choosing how best to manage domesticated horses.
References:
(1) Boyd, L, Keiper, R. Behavioural ecology of feral horses. In Mills, D. & McDonnell, S. (Eds) The Domestic Horse – the evolution, development and management of its behaviour (pp.55-82)
(2) Fraser, A.F. (1992). The behaviour of the horse. London : CAB International.
(3) Freire R, Buckley P & Cooper, JJ (2009). Effects of different forms of exercise on post inhibitory rebound and unwanted behaviour in stabled horses. Equine Veterinary Journal, 41, 487-492.
Consider the appropriate living environment for the horse – a social, roaming flight animal. Give him as much room as is possible and practicable; give him at least one friend, preferably in the same paddock (if not another horse , then at least a sheep or goat…); if stabled, ensure he can easily see and preferably touch other horses next door.
If he lives out doors, ensure he has adequate shelter from the elements – rain & wind, snow, sun. This doesn’t mean he HAS to have a shelter built, but if he has some trees, can get down in a gully or can move and obtain protection from a bank or cliff, this is useful. To be able to be buffered from the winds by a shed is a big help.
If your horse needs rugging, make sure it is appropriate to the conditions – it is cruel for horses to sweat under rugs… they have a great thermo-regulatory system, and hair that raises to trap air, to keep them warm. Humans tend to feel the cold and therefore think that what is appropriate for us is appropriate for the horse. Don’t you hate to see horses standing tied up at trucks and trailers at an event, sweating under rugs?
The horse’s optimal temperature is 38 degrees C.
Call back soon, for more on helping your horse…
