Fighting Horse Boredom With Special Housing
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FARM&BARN LUCILE VIGOUROUX
TheHorse.com/FarmandBarn
Fighting Horse Boredom With Special Housing
Practical adaptations and alternatives to
traditional stabling methods
A
s a horse owner, if you find your-
self wondering about your stabled
companion’s happiness, you’re not
alone. In recent years scientists have like-
wise pondered and investigated domestic
horses’ physical and mental welfare.
New research highlighting the benefits
of accommodating horses’ genetically
ingrained needs is booming, and we are
listening. Equestrians are opening their
minds, some even their stall doors, leaving
behind traditional single-horse stabling
in favor of more natural options such as
group housing and track paddocks.
Meeting Your Horse’s Needs
To best provide for our horses, we
must first understand what they need
for optimal health, welfare, and longev-
ity. Some basics—food, water, shelter,
ALAYNE BLICKLE
veterinary care—apply to all animals.
Then, we dive into species-specific needs.
Horses evolved over the past 50 million Track paddocks are fenced networks of paths that offer horses enrichment, foraging, social, and exer-
years as foraging herbivores and social cise opportunities.
herd animals. Therefore, providing ample
opportunities to move freely, graze, and being conscientious observers, we too can 5. Stress-specific behaviors, including
browse while forming social bonds allows take steps to gauge our horses’ welfare. hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, and
these innate needs to be met. While each “Monitoring your horse’s behavior is excessive vocalization.
horse is different, and we must be flexible one way to assess well-being without the “Often, when placed in suboptimal en-
in our management programs to accom- need for expensive, specialized equip- vironments, horses develop an apathetic
modate various situations, providing a ment,” says Kelly Yarnell, PhD, professor state identified by a depressive demeanor,
lifestyle aligned with the animal’s nature of animal and equine science at Not- sensory withdrawal, and a flattened
offers many physical and mental benefits. tingham Trent University, in the U.K. She posture,” Yarnell says. “This can be an
studies equine physiology and welfare, indicator of impaired welfare. On the flip
Assessing Your Horse’s Welfare notably the impact of housing design on side, it’s important to also note positive
The next step in optimizing your well-being. Yarnell and other researchers behaviors. For example, increased resting
horse’s quality of life is evaluating how consider horses’ welfare to be less than time in sternal or lateral recumbency (ly-
his living conditions impact his well- ideal if they display any of these b
ehaviors: ing on one’s chest or side) is emerging as
being. We can recognize adequate welfare 1. Stereotypies such as cribbing, pacing, an indicator of well-being in the absence
at its most basic level as the absence of or weaving. of negative behaviors.”
pain, discomfort, and stress. In research 2. Aggression toward humans. The simplest way to catalog your
settings ethologists (animal behavior- 3. Unresponsiveness to things going on in horse’s behaviors is to use a purpose-built
ists) have at their fingertips an array of the environment. ethogram. This past February, University
cutting-edge technologies to identify and 4. Evasive or undesirable behaviors when of Pennsylvania researchers Sue McDon-
quantify stress and pain levels. Just by handled or ridden. nell, PhD, and Catherine Torcivia, VMD,
TheHorse.com THE HORSE 1
FARM&BARN
first setup had groups of horses turned
out in paddocks. The second consisted
of pairs kept together in large bedded
indoor enclosures. With the third option,
horses were kept in separate box stalls
but had visual, auditory, and tactile
communication with their neighbors
through openings in the walls. The fourth
category isolated horses in individual box
stalls with solid walls that prevented any
social contact—a common setup in many
American barns. Yarnell and colleagues
found significantly higher stress levels
in horses kept in housing situations that
COURTESY DR. KELLY YARNELL
prevented contact.
“Housing that limits social interaction
and requires the horse to live in semi-
isolation has been a reported concern for
equine welfare,” she says. “These results
An example of a horse-friendly housing setup at Nottingham Trent University. indicate that incorporating social contact
into housing design could improve the
published a comprehensive “equine to render horses’ otherwise-bland stalls standard of domestic horse welfare.”
discomfort” ethogram with data compiled more entertaining. Confined horses often In addition to providing much-needed
from thousands of horses observed over find themselves surrounded by balls, interactions among horses, group hous-
35 years (TheHorse.com/197801). toys, flavored bricks, treat dispensers, ing generally comes with more acreage
With such resources available, how hanging ropes, and mirrors, all in the for the animals. More space translates to
difficult can it be to recognize a stressed, name of enrichment. If they are safely more movement, and horses are meant to
uncomfortable, or unhappy horse? designed, such items do no harm and stay in motion. Their physical and mental
Perhaps more than you might think, sci- are popular with some individuals. But health depend on it. Studies by Werhahn
entists have found. And here’s why: Two in 2019 French researcher Lea Lansade, et al. (2011, TheHorse.com/120159) and
major pitfalls exist in our current ability PhD, shed fresh light on their true role Chaya et al. (2006) showed horses ex-
to accurately evaluate a stabled horse’s in equine welfare. Her research team pressed more restlessness and frustration
well-being. First, as was brought to light observed 187 stalled horses for 50 days when their turnout access was restricted.
in a 2019 study by Torcivia and McDon- and disappointedly concluded that these
nell, horses hide their discomfort-related gadgets seemingly fail to significantly al- Enrichment Through Foraging
behaviors by an average of 77% when leviate the boredom and stress of solitary While it’s possible to meet all our
people (in the case of their study, hospital confinement. While ethologists recognize horses’ nutritional needs by tossing them
staff) are observing them. Researchers the value of enrichment items as potential hay and grain twice a day, we shouldn’t
have concluded this likely stems from complements to horses’ living spaces, neglect their behavioral need to graze and
an evolutionary survival instinct in prey these objects cannot replace appropriate browse for forage. “Horses, which, again,
animals to conceal any disability or injury living conditions. Lansade reiterates that have evolved as a social, free-ranging
when predators approach. Second, in a the essentials—free movement, social species, spend a significant portion of
2020 study the same authors revealed contact, and round-the-clock access to their day grazing in their natural habitat,”
that horses’ displays of discomfort are forage—must come first. Then we can Yarnell says. In the wild they can spend
particularly subtle and easily missed by add toys as perks. upward of 16 to 18 hours a day eating.
horse owners and professionals alike. “With this in mind, allowing horses
These two factors combined make Housing Design the ability to display natural (foraging)
it harder for us to assess our horses’ A grumpy horse in the stall is prob- behaviors and providing suitable forage
welfare, therefore limiting our ability to ably also grumpy when ridden, Lansade’s will benefit both their welfare and their
make changes necessary to help them. team concluded last year (TheHorse. digestive systems,” she says. The type,
But such obstacles shouldn’t stop us from com/197128). We don’t yet fully under- quantity, and location(s) of forage can all
striving to give our animals the happiest, stand the cause-effect relationship of this be used to provide enrichment. Because
healthiest lives possible. This is where the observation, but we can certainly attempt the goal is to maximize the amount of
discussion of enrichment begins. to break what might be a vicious cycle time horses have access to fiber-based
back at the barn, starting with its very feed, hanging mixed-grass haynets in
Enrichment Options in Stalls design. Yarnell led a 2015 study compar- different parts of the stall or paddock can
Full of good intentions, some of us are ing the stress levels and behavior of 16 help stimulate the horse’s mind while
quick to provide contraptions intended horses housed in four arrangements. The prolonging the supply.
TheHorse.com THE HORSE 2
FARM&BARN
Thinking Outside the Box Stall TRACK PADDOCK LAYOUT
A key element of enrichment is mimick-
ing the horse’s natural environment. Track
Water Track (20 ft) Hay
paddocks embody that goal and take it to
the next level. Gabriele Neurohr manages
the Haras Naturel du Plessis, a renowned
track-paddock-based boarding facility in
France. Ten years ago, unsatisfied with
traditional stall/pasture b
oarding—mainly Sand
because her herd was dealing with exces-
Pasture
sive weight, thrush, and weak hooves
prone to abscesses—Neurohr built a track
paddock for the farm’s 17 horses. Shelter
“Within three months we noticed
drastic improvements in hoof health, Inner electric fencing
body condition, and muscle develop-
ment, not to mention behavior changes,”
she says. “Our horses became calm and
pleasant to work with. We now have way Outer fencing
fewer incidents involving spooking or
energy outbursts from cooped-up horses.
And issues such as colic, ulcers, and hoof temporary fencing, that traces the inside field and that of a horse in a mile-long
abscesses are a thing of the past.” perimeter of a paddock’s permanent fenc- track paddock using GPS technology,”
Neurohr saw her vet bills plummet ing. A track paddock that’s too narrow she explains. Their observations revealed
after making the switch. Such improve- can create crowding and cornering issues a staggering disparity. The pastured horse
ments might make this innovative horse among residents. Inside this track horses only traveled an average of 1.5 miles per
keeping alternative appealing and worth a are channeled to move, both because of day, while the track paddock resident
closer look. the presence of pathways and the strate- averaged a whopping 9 miles per day.
gic placement of resources. At the most Providing this kind of opportunity for
Track Paddock Setup basic level, a track paddock contains sev- movement without the rich grass that
Natural horse keeping guru Jamie eral hay stations and two enlarged areas often comes with traditional pasture
Jackson coined the track paddock con- to accommodate a watering station and a boarding is ideal for easy keepers and
cept “Paddock Paradise” in 2007. By de- camping station with shelter. horses prone to metabolic issues. Track
sign, a track paddock is a fenced network “The goal is to decentralize resources paddocks can also serve as more enrich-
of paths. It generally involves creating an as much as possible,” Neurohr explains. ing, healthier alternatives to drylots.
approximately 20-foot-wide track, with “In our experience, horses won’t move
if there is no incentive. Separate shelter, Final Thoughts
water, and resting areas, and provide as No turnout solution is perfect. While
many feeding stations as possible.” advantageous in many ways, the track
Dispersing feed is especially important paddock does come with contraindica-
because it encourages foraging behaviors. tions. For example, truly aggressive horses
The horses move as a herd along the track pose a safety risk, Neurohr cautions.
from one interest point to the next, con- “Skinny, very old, or low-ranking hors-
stantly interacting with their environment es won’t thrive in a track paddock either,”
and each other. Food, water, and shelter she says. “They move too much and don’t
are the absolute necessities, but you can find enough peace to ingest their energy
get creative with your track paddock de- requirements.”
sign. Neurohr’s features rolling areas and Neurohr also predicts disappointment
wooded sections. Some have scratching if your goal for building a track paddock
posts with brushes, others offer a pond or is to save time, money, or energy. In her
creek for refreshment. Of course, safety experience the reality of setting up and
remains paramount when designing your maintaining a track paddock is expensive
horse’s living quarters. and takes just as much time and labor as
LUCILE VIGOUROUX
If you’re still unsure about the benefits running a traditional stall barn. But the
of a track paddock over a ‘regular’ pad- benefits that arise from providing living
dock, consider this experiment Neurohr conditions aligned with the horse’s natu-
Gabriele Neurohr designed this track paddock for and her team conducted: “We tracked ral needs for movement, foraging, and
the 17 horses at her Haras Naturel du Plessis. the daily mileage of a horse in a 12-acre social contact are priceless. h
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