Groundbreaking new report on equine welfare in the European Union (EU)

Owers, Roly; Tabram, H.

doi:10.1111/eve.12380

Cited by 2 publications

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“…The European Union official text (Council Directive 98/58/CE, L221/26/7 of the directive) states that "the freedom of movement of an animal […] must not be restricted in such a way as to cause it unnecessary suffering or injury" but also that continuous or regular confinement is accepted if "appropriate space is given to fulfil the physiological and ethological needs in accordance with established experience and scientific knowledge". Large discrepancies also arise between national countries' laws (Owers and Tabram, 2005), which all state that an animal has to be able to lie down and to stand up (French rural code 2018, Hungarian law on animal welfare and protection 1998, Polish Animal Protection Act 2010, Swiss Ordinance on animal protection 2018), but may even forbid outdoor housing in the absence of a shelter including (French rural code 2018) or not (Swiss A u t h o r s ' p o s t -p r i n t…”

Section: I-introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free movement: A key for welfare improvement in sport horses?

Lesimple

Reverchon-Billot

Galloux³

et al. 2020

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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Horses, and in particular sport horses, remain housed predominantly in single stalls. One of the main reported reasons is the fear that they will become agitated and injure themselves and thereby impair their performance if released in paddocks. The hour spent daily at work is also assumed to be sufficient to satisfy the horses' needs for locomotion. Growing scientific evidence shows that single stall housing has negative consequences on horses' welfare and that time for free movement is necessary. Our aim was to assess the feasibility of allowing sport horses used to staying permanently in their stall (except for 1hour riding/day) daily free time in a paddock and to evaluate its potential impact on their welfare using two behavioural reliable indicators (stereotypic behaviours and ear position), as well as selected blood parameters (blood cell count, oxytocin and serotonin concentrations). Two experiments were conducted on the same site. The first experiment evaluated sport horses' habituation to the novel situation of daily sessions in a paddock, and recorded welfare indicators in their stall before and during the experiment, comparing horses that were taken outdoors (experimental) and those that stayed in their stall (control). The second experiment evaluated the impact of this daily free time in a paddock on horses' welfare and its durability, focusing on positive indicators.. Behavioural observations in paddocks showed that even horses that had never experienced free movement outside their stall habituated rapidly to this situation. The presence of hay in the paddock, may have speeded up habituation. Their restricted living conditions were associated with abnormalities in blood cell count that were not overcome during the time of daily paddock sessions but behavioural indicators showed that their welfare improved. In the second study, the experimental horses' welfare improved during the paddock release period, in particular their stereotypic behaviours decreased and oxytocin levels increased. No effects on serotonin concentrations could be evidenced. These effects were directly associated with being in paddock, as the indicators returned rapidly to their previous levels indicating compromised welfare when the paddock release sessions stopped. In conclusion, it can be recommended to release sport horses for free movement in paddocks as welfare is improved and subjective assessment by caretakers indicated minimal risks.

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Section: I-introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Free movement: A key for welfare improvement in sport horses?

Lesimple

Reverchon-Billot

Galloux³

et al. 2020

Applied Animal Behaviour Science

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“…Stewart (2012): "Promotion of racehorse welfare is absolutely a key requirement for the future viability, even survival of the racing industry". Such a statement is much to our relief and also in accordance with the new report on equine welfare in the European Union (Owers and Tabram 2015). Moreover, all the enormous progress in veterinary medicine and genetics offer good possibilities for realizing such goals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 55%

The life of a racehorse – 150 years ago and today

Meier¹

2015

PHK

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Summary: 'The Life Of A Racehorse' is the title of a booklet, published 1865 in London by John Mills. In 21 chapters on 112 pages, it embraces the fate of the fictitious racehorse Sheet Anchor. His recollection of a life fraught with sorrowful changes starts with the basic education and training, where a horse should not be blamed and punished for his natural sensitiveness. He nevertheless underwent these preparations without problems and developed into a successful two-year-old and the winner of the Derby. His success kindled the interest of the betting community and Sheet Anchors' fate turned. He became the victim of safe methods for the increase of betting returns by laying against him. He suffered defeats caused by ruthless tactics, broke down, was drugged and nobbled, was sold several times and ended after a raffle as the property of a cabman. At this stage he wondered whether leaving back in his birthplace would have been a fare more pleasing scene. Although the story of Sheet Anchor is presented as a novel, the gloomy pictures reflect the situation of racing in the first half of the 19th century reliably. At these times, racing in Great Britain is reported to have been at the lowest moral ebb of its history. The described methods of the education and training also are criticized elsewhere and even may still be encountered in our days. Deplorably, the same can be said in regard to some medical treatments of the racehorse. In the history of racing, betting obviously was a main reason for grievances, and these risks (or human frailties) also still have to be dealt with in our society. Fortunately, in regard to welfare-issues in the context with the retirement of racehorses, meanwhile true progress happened in different places. Today, there is a generally accepted understanding that the commitment to the care and well-being of a horse must come along with the thrill of owning it. In accordance with this, the promotion of welfare is considered a key requirement for the future viability of the racing industry.

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Groundbreaking new report on equine welfare in the European Union (EU)

Cited by 2 publications

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Free movement: A key for welfare improvement in sport horses?

Free movement: A key for welfare improvement in sport horses?

The life of a racehorse – 150 years ago and today

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