Activating group keeping of horses- a modern housing system för improving

welfare and reducing costsMichael Ventorp

Swedish University of Agricultural Science/ Hushållningssällskapet (consult company) - Sweden

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Contents

1. Housing systems for horses2. Describing of the activating group keeping system3. Advantage and disadvantage of the system; and

comparisons with other systems, recommendations

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Equine housing systems

Individual In Groups

STALL

SINGLE BOX

INSULATEDSTABLE

UNINSULAT-ED STABLE

GROUP-BOX

FREE- RANGED

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Free-ranged horses/Loose housing outdoors

AVANTAGES WITH LOOSE HOUSING:• Natural behaviour• Fresh air and voluntary movement • Cheap buildings• Working time saving• …………………..AND, OF COURSE, DISVANTAGES:• …………………..• Problem at restricted feeding

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Activating group housing

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Activating group housing

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Concentrate feed station

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Activating group housing

Handling stable

Roughage feed station

Lying hall

Foto Michael Ventorp

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Activating group housing

Foto Michael Ventorp

Detour to concentrate feed station

Rolling area

Concentrate feed station

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Rolling Area

• 1st level– 2nd level

• 3rd level

• 1st level

FOTO: Birgitta Friberg Sjöberg

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Basic roughage feed station

Foto: Åsa Foglé

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Activating?

Mean daily activity in activating group housing (Stable A1 and A2)

The results indicated that the activity of horses is affected by space and functional areas. Although providing more space increases activity, it will not have a long-term effect like feeding system.

(Rose-Meierhöfer, et al., 2010)

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Working time saving?

Average working hour per horse and year distributed into different working ope-rations within three horse housing systems: activating group-housing (with automatic feed stations). traditional group-housing and single boxes. Three horse farms were used and each farm had all three housing system.

(von Borstel et al., 2010)

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Performance

• No difference between horses in activating group housing and horses in single boxes regarding:

– Racing, show jumping and dressage results– Body condition (fat and muscles)– Hoof quality– However, a bit poorer “quality” of the coat (i.e

marks of bites and rugs, dirtier) (Kjellberg, 2016; Connysson, 2016)

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Problems? and advices!

• Stress: At 54 m2 paddock area per horse, Hoffmann (2008) found that the avarage stress (cortisol and heart frequenz) was lower in group kept horses vs. in single boxes; however, 30 % of the horses had higher levels. Plan for at least 200 – 300 m2 paddock area per horse – the lager the better.

• The horses on footings of gravel wear horse-shoes in great exstent. Use natural gravel instead of crushed stone.

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Problems? and advices!

• Aggressive behaviour: Agnostic behaviour are generally few; however, often occur in the area behind the feed stations (at the entrance), the waiting zone. Plan large free area behind the stations; especially, behind concentrate feed station.

• Frequent agnostic behaviour is correlated to number of visits per horse in feed stations. Zeitler-Feicht et al. (2010, 2011) proposed reducered number of programmed meals of concentrates (from 20 to 10).

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Problems? and advices!

• Eating rate of roughage (kg dry matter per minute) has great variation both within horse and between occasion (and feed). Measure eating rate of each horse 5 times per horse before programming eating time for every single horse.

• Calculate that it takes in average 1 week to teach a horse the feeding station. The exit door is often the problem for the horse to learn.

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Paddock trail system – the future?

• 1st level– 2nd level

• 3rd level

• 1st level

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References

• Connysson, M., 2016. Travskolan Wången/PhD-student SLU. Personal message• Hoffman, G., 2008. Bewegungsaktivität und Stressbelastung bei Pferden in

Auslaufhaltungssystemen mit verschiedenen Bewegungssangeboten. Diss. Justus-Liebig-Universität. Deutsche Veterinärmedizinische Gesellschaft Service GmbH, Gießen

• Hoffmann, G., A. Bentke, S. Rose-Meierhöfer, W. Berg, P. Mazetti, & G.H. Hardarson, 2012. Influence of an active stable system on the behavior and body condition of Icelandic horses. Animal 6:10, pp 1684-1693

• Kjellberg, L., 2016. Ridskolan Strömsholm/PhD-student SLU. Personal message• Rose-Meierhöfer, S., S. Klaer, C. Ammon, R. Brunsch & G. Hoffmann, 2010. Activity

behavior of horses housed in different open barn systems. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 30:11, pp 624-634

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References

• von Borstel, U.K, L. Kassebaum, K. Ladewig & M. Gauly, 2010. Arbeitszeitaufwand in der Pferdehaltung: ein Vergleich von Einzelboxen-, Laufstall- und Bewegungs-stallhaltung. Züchtungskunde, 82:6, pp 417–427

• Zeitler-Feicht, M.H, S. Streit & L. Dempfle, 2010. Tiergerechtheit von Futterabruf-stationen in der Gruppenhaltung von Pferden. Teil 1: Fressstände versus Abruf-automaten. Tierärztliche Praxis Großtiere 6/2010

• Zeitler-Feicht, M.H, S. Streit & L. Dempfle, 2011. Tiergerechtheit von Futterabruf-stationen in der Gruppenhaltung von Pferden. Teil 2: Abrufautomaten im Vergleich. Tierärztliche Praxis Großtiere 1/2011