Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Kiel University, Kiel, Germany.
J Equine Vet Sci. 2020 Dec;95:103282. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103282. Epub 2020 Oct 6.
Group housing is claimed to possibly provide horses with a species-appropriate movement possibility, and hence, better welfare. Thus, this study analyzed the daily walked distances of 51 horses held in one group in a "HIT Active Stable" (Hinrichs Innovation + Technik) in Northern Germany by using global positioning system (GPS) technology during a 7 ½-month time span. The daily walking distances of the whole group, as well as newcomers, were investigated. The horses traveled an average of 8.43 km/day. Linear mixed models were applied. The observation day had a significant effect on the daily walking distances (P < .01) due to season and the available area per horse. The age as covariate also had a significant effect (P < .01). The breed had no significant effect (P = .96). No significant differences were found in sex (P = .69), which can be explained by the fact that only mares and geldings were investigated, which do not show increasing locomotion caused by sexual behavior as stallions do. On six of the first nine days, new horses moved significantly more compared to the remaining 24 of the 30 observation days directly after individuals' inclusion. This is probably due to more exploration and rank-fighting behavior. Similar walking distances were seen among the horses on the single observation days because all horses had to travel the same distance to reach resources. Further, it is suspected that not all horses can sufficiently live out their urges to move, especially in winter, when pasture is inaccessible.
群居被认为可以为马提供更合适的运动机会，从而提高其福利。因此，本研究使用全球定位系统（GPS）技术，分析了在德国北部的一个“HIT 主动马厩”（Hinrichs Innovation + Technik）中，51 匹马在一个群组中生活时的日常行走距离，持续了 7 个半月。研究了整个群组以及新成员的日常行走距离。马匹平均每天行走 8.43 公里。应用了线性混合模型。由于季节和每匹马可用的面积，观察天数对每日行走距离有显著影响（P <.01）。年龄作为协变量也有显著影响（P <.01）。品种没有显著影响（P =.96）。性别没有差异（P =.69），这可以解释为只研究了母马和骟马，它们不会像种马那样因性行为而增加活动量。在最初的 9 天中的 6 天里，新马的移动距离明显高于其余 30 天中的 24 天，这可能是由于更多的探索和等级斗争行为。在单天观察中，马匹的行走距离相似，因为所有马匹都需要走相同的距离才能到达资源。此外，人们怀疑并非所有的马都能充分满足它们的运动需求，尤其是在冬季，无法进入牧场时。
