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Foraging opportunity: a crucial criterion for horse welfare?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2009

H. Benhajali ,
M.-A. Richard-Yris ,
M. Ezzaouia ,
F. Charfi  and
M. Hausberger
H. Benhajali
Affiliation:
Université de Rennes I, Ethologie Animale et Humaine, UMR CNRS 6552, Campus de Beaulieu, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042, Rennes cedex, France Université Tunis-ElManar, Unité de Biologie Animale et de Systématique Evolutive, Campus universitaire, 2060, Tunis, Tunisia
M.-A. Richard-Yris
Affiliation:
Université de Rennes I, Ethologie Animale et Humaine, UMR CNRS 6552, Campus de Beaulieu, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042, Rennes cedex, France
M. Ezzaouia
Affiliation:
Haras national de Sidi Thabet 2020, Tunisia
F. Charfi
Affiliation:
Université Tunis-ElManar, Unité de Biologie Animale et de Systématique Evolutive, Campus universitaire, 2060, Tunis, Tunisia
M. Hausberger*
Affiliation:
Université de Rennes I, Ethologie Animale et Humaine, UMR CNRS 6552, Campus de Beaulieu, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, 35042, Rennes cedex, France
*
†E-mail: martine.hausberger@univ-rennes1.fr
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Abstract

This study aimed at determining the effect of the increase of foraging opportunities on the behaviour and welfare of breeding mares housed in individual boxes but allowed outside 6 h a day in a bare paddock. One hundred Arab breeding mares were divided into two groups of 50 according to the treatment and allowed outside in two bare paddocks at the same density (115 mare/ha) where water and shelter were provided. The treatment consisted in providing the opportunity to forage on hay. Twenty-minute animal focal samplings and scan samplings were used to determine the time budget of the mares during the period from 0900 to 1500 h and study their social behaviour. A total of 300 focal sampling (6000 min), 3300 individual scan sampling (6000 min) and 62 group observations (1240 min) corresponding to the 100 mares were recorded. Non-parametric tests were used to analyse data. Results showed that experimental mares spent more time feeding (65.12% ± 2.40% v. 29.75% ± 2.45%, P < 0.01) and less time in locomotion (11.70% ± 1.31% v. 23.56% ± 1.34%, P < 0.01), stand resting (11.76% ± 2.57% v. 27.52% ± 2.62%, P < 0.01) and alert standing (5.23% ± 1.2% v. 14.71% ± 1.23%, P < 0.01). There was more bonding among experimental mares than control ones (26 v. 14, P < 0.05). Experimental mares showed more positive social interactions (P < 0.01) and less aggression (P < 0.01). These results suggest that giving densely housed mares foraging opportunities improves their welfare.

Keywords

welfaretime-budgetmaresocial behaviourforaging opportunities
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 3 , Issue 9 , September 2009 , pp. 1308 - 1312
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2009

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