Equine welfare : Assessing the suitability of three different animal-based measures for horses’ positive state of mind in an assessment protocol
Siskova, Lenka (2024)
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024121636345
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2024121636345
Tiivistelmä
This thesis focused on the human-animal relationship and the state of mind of a horse as an essential part of horse welfare. Considering the shared history of horses and humans as well as the horses’ ever-changing role in society, the importance of improving horse welfare around the world was identified, with a special focus on sustainability and ethics implications. Three different animal-based measures – Voluntary Animal Approach (VAA) & Forced Human Approach (FHA), Conflict behaviour during tacking (CBT) and Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHPE) – were used to assess the state of mind of a horse in regard to humans during a piloting visit to a horse stable in the South of Finland. The aim of the experiment was to perform the tests in a piloting audit, analyse and compare the collected data and gather observations about the practicality, feasibility and potential suitability of the tests for a future horse welfare assessment protocol based on the Welfare Quality® framework.
25 horses were assessed during the piloting audit. VAA & FHA, which was done on 80% of the stable population, had a positive result in general as most horses voluntarily approached the assessor, which showed a good overall attitude of the horses towards humans. The test was time-efficient, practical and easily adaptable to different conditions. In CBT and RHPE, only 36% of horses were assessed in each test, proving that both tests were time-consuming, heavily dependent on the stable’s daily schedule and impractical. The variability of equine facilities as well as routines, for instance solo vs group riding, professional vs riding school stables etc, were found to pose a limitation on the amount and the validity of data collection. Despite many obstacles, a correlation between CBT and RHPE was found; horses exhibiting higher numbers of CBT behaviours were observed to perform higher numbers of behaviours included in the RHPE.
The VAA & FHA tests were the most feasible ones and provided the general attitude of horses towards humans in the stable. Even though CBT and RHPE were both more complicated in terms of practical implementation, detailed insights into individual horse welfare were gained throughout their implementation. The horses with higher scores in these two tests were brought to the manager’s attention, and although the precise reason for the scores cannot be determined during the observation, an investigation into the horses’ health was prompted, hopefully having a positive impact on their welfare in the future. Keeping this in mind, it was suggested that a combination of VAA & FHA and CBT or RHPE would be suitable for the protocol.
25 horses were assessed during the piloting audit. VAA & FHA, which was done on 80% of the stable population, had a positive result in general as most horses voluntarily approached the assessor, which showed a good overall attitude of the horses towards humans. The test was time-efficient, practical and easily adaptable to different conditions. In CBT and RHPE, only 36% of horses were assessed in each test, proving that both tests were time-consuming, heavily dependent on the stable’s daily schedule and impractical. The variability of equine facilities as well as routines, for instance solo vs group riding, professional vs riding school stables etc, were found to pose a limitation on the amount and the validity of data collection. Despite many obstacles, a correlation between CBT and RHPE was found; horses exhibiting higher numbers of CBT behaviours were observed to perform higher numbers of behaviours included in the RHPE.
The VAA & FHA tests were the most feasible ones and provided the general attitude of horses towards humans in the stable. Even though CBT and RHPE were both more complicated in terms of practical implementation, detailed insights into individual horse welfare were gained throughout their implementation. The horses with higher scores in these two tests were brought to the manager’s attention, and although the precise reason for the scores cannot be determined during the observation, an investigation into the horses’ health was prompted, hopefully having a positive impact on their welfare in the future. Keeping this in mind, it was suggested that a combination of VAA & FHA and CBT or RHPE would be suitable for the protocol.