Horse accomodation and well-being

Animal well-being is defined as « a positive mental and physical state of the animal with regard to the satisfaction of his physiological and behavioural needs and expectations. This state can vary depending on the animal’s perception of the situation » (ANSES, 2017).

Thus, according to the 5 liberties (Farm Animal Welfare Council, 1979 ; Welfare Quality^®), the horse’s living and accomodation conditions must satisfy as far as possible the following needs :

• Having a forage based diet associated with a minimum of 12 hours a day feeding time, and having permanent access to drinking water.
• Having a safe and comfortable space for rest, and be able to move around at will.
• Not presenting any risk to health.
• Allowing social contact with other horses, a good relationship to Man, and favouring positive emotions.

Different types of accomodation have been defined within the framework of a study conducted by the REFErences network (2013-2014), and with regard to 126 different equestrian structures in France. The main types of accomodation inventoried are as follows :

The individual loose box

Horses most often live in individual loose boxes, as this is the most practical :
    • Individual rations.
    • Handling is made easier and safer.
    • The horse remains cleaner than when he lives out
Nevertheless, studies have shown that keeping horses in a group (younsters and/or adults) restrains aggressive behaviour towards other horses and towards Man, limits the appearance of aberrant (stereotypical) behaviour, as well as signs of discontent. It also makes learning easier.

On the other hand , keeping horses permanently in stalls has a negative effect on their behaviour, (less walking, less time spent recumbent, some horses never lie down, rolling and observing the environment is impossible, more stress, greater rebound effect) and increases the health risks, particularly digestive, muscular and blood circulation (legs filling).

Group stabling

Group stabling is essentially used on stud farms to accomodate animals of a same age group (yearlings, foals, mares). This type of accomodation is used more and more in equestrian centres for ponies or horses, to make daily management easier (feeding, turning out).

However group stabling is not suitable for aggressive animals, brood mares just after giving birth when they need to establish a privileged relationship with their foal, or for sick animals who could be contagious or present deficiencies.

Outdoor accomodation/ semi-outdoor – paddock/ pasture ¹

Accomodation of horses entirely outdoors consists in keeping them all year round 24/7 on a surface with natural shelter (hedges, trees) but with no man made covered shelters.

Semi-outdoor accomodation gives them permanent access to a surface with a covered hard shelter which can be individual or collective.

A paddock is a recreational space which will not cover the horse’s daily nutritional intake requirements, unlike a pasture which can be the only source of food for much of the year.

Total outdoor and semi-outdoor accomodation are mainly used for stud animals, animals on maintenance or rest, and some instruction horses. In some stables (racing or sports-leisure stables) horses at work are kept out with hard-feed to supplement their requirements  proportional to the intensity of the workload. They are mainly kept in paddocks with restricted surfaces, and equipped with individual or group shelters.

The layout of the exercise areas according to the type of accomodation (loose box or group stabling) has a strong impact on the turnout time required daily. Handling will be more or less time consuming, depending on the distance between the stable and the recreational areas.

Different layouts

Several different types of layout have been noted : stables with rows of loose boxes looking outwards or inwards and with an adjacent corridor, either sheltered or not. For worker freindliness, the « barn » (indoor stables with a central aisle) is the type of infrastructure which is more and more sought after so as to optimise working conditions (working under cover all year round).

Accomodation in a building with access to outside²

Case n°1 and 2 : turnout is carried out by staff or via a system of free access lanes.

Case n° 3 : turnout area is adjacent to the loose box or to the group stabling area, no handling of the horse is required.

Source : Building study, REFErences network, 2014 (some examples of recent layouts inventoried)

Accomodation in an indoor building²

Figure n°1 : « Barn » type building with a central aisle

Figures n° 2 to 4 : rows of loose boxes with an outdoor sheltered or unsheltered corridor

Source : Building study, REFErences network, 2014 (some examples of recent layouts inventoried)

New systems of accomodation

Active or «free range» stabling

Active or « free range » stabling is a concept which comes from Germany, and has only been available on the market for a few years. This new type of accomodation and horse management is designed to best satisfy a horse’s natural requirements when only limited surfaces are available. Horses live in a herd to promote social contact, moving around and they are fed all day long in small quantities. They have access to automatic computer controlled feeders (concentrates, forage) which are programmed to give each horse his feed according to his needs, and are activated by a chip implanted in the headcollar or in the mane. Rest areas (shelters, areas for recumbency) and recreational areas (paddocks with sandy surfaces for rolling) are laid out so that the horse is encouraged to move around. The common stabilised area can either be adjacent or not to pastures.

This concept implies having a sufficiently large stabilised area dependant on the number of horses present. The companies supplying this type of concept advise a minimum of 100m2/per horse and complexes designed for between 5 and 20 horses together. The system can manage several groups of up to 20 horses at the same time.

However the stabilised area needs regular maintenance (poo-picking)and must comply with the regulations regarding effluents (see the Règlement Sanitaire Départemental (local sanitary regulations)), regarding leaching of waste-water (urine, faeces).

Horses can be either shod on all four hooves if the group is stable and no aggressive behaviour is observed, shod only on the front hooves, or left unshod.

The system is suitable for all horses living in a stable group, i.e. instruction or leisure horses and livery yards. In these conditions, sport horses can quite well live in an active stable. It appears to be a smart solution when the available surface for the average number of horses is quite small. It allows to protect the pastures in winter, and limits the muddy areas. The effectiveness of an active stable system is the result of good equipment and layout, which favours a calm atmosphere which horses appreciate. Clearance areas and sufficient access to forage are essential criteria to acheive this. 

« Paddock paradise » systems

Another type of alternative accomodation for horses living in groups is the « paddock paradise » system, which encourages natural movement, by establishing lanes in or around the fields. The lanes or tracks link up the different resources provided (feed, water, recumbency areas….) on different sized surfaces. According to the season and the grass available the lanes can open out onto pastures.

⇒ See websites : ActiveHorse^®Stable (Denmark), HIT-Active-Stable^® (Germany), Paddock Paradise... Distributor and advisor for France: http://www.equin-plus.com.

Recommendations for the size of loose boxes and group stabling

There is to date no certified study to determine the effects of the size of a loose box on a horse’s well-being.
Scientists estimate that a horse’s well-being is less related to the size of the box, than to the length of time spent in it, and the type of bedding and its upkeep. The quality of the air, the possibility of social contact, and the availability of forage. A horse should be able to move around, to lie down and get up, adopt lateral recumbency easily without any risk of injury. With this in mind, and considering the height at the withers related to the horse’s length, a box should not be smaller than 1,7 times the horse’s height at the withers  (HW)– i.e. 2,80m for a 1,65m horse.

As a general rule, regulations or recommendations on the size of a loose box will give minimum and not optimum sizes. Several countries demand or recommend :

• A surface for a loose box of (2*HW)2 , i.e 10,90m2 for a horse measuring 1,65m (Germany, Canada, Denmark)
• The smallest side should not measure less than (1,7 * HW).
• The height of the stable is variable but should not be lower than (HW +0,75m), i.e. 2,40m for a 1m65 horse.

For brood mares, the dimensions envisaged by the different regulations and law books are of  (2,3 to 2,5 * HW)2 . For horses living in groups, the surface of the sheltered area where they can lie down is similar to that of a loose box. It opens onto a pasture or a stabilised surface of sufficient size for smaller areas.

Regarding the use of stalls, where horses are tied up permanently, they are already forbidden in some countries (Denmark, Switzerland). Considering their impact on horses’ health and behaviour, they should no longer be used to house horses.

The horse is a monogastric herbivorous animal, who requires grass to feed on and to cover nutrtional needs when in free roaming conditions. In these conditions the horse spends up to 16 hours a day eating (see the fact sheet : Feeding and equine well-being, feeding behaviour in the horse). If the horse is not out to grass, forage should constitute the basis for his diet, especially for horses kept in buildings. The frequency and distribution mode of feeds should be organised to favour a regular provision over 24 hours to ensure slow continuous ingestion, which will in turn limit intestinal problems (ulcers, colic) and boredom which can lead to stereotypical behaviour (see the fact sheet on Stereotypies)

Distribution of forage

Hard feeds

Drinking water

In free-roaming conditions, horses spend 1 to 2 hours a day moving around (between 4 to 8 % of the time). They will cover around 6km a day as they move around grazing.

This daily locomotor activity is necessary for the horse’s well-being and health. It promotes blood circulation throughout the organism, especially in the legs which can get filled out when the horse does not move around. Moreover, a horse getting little exercise in his day, will tend to be more dangerous when in hand or ridden (more sudden movements). 

The horse is a herd animal, living in groups in free-roaming conditions, and requires contact (be it smell, visual, mutual grooming) with other horses fo his well-being. One should favour keeping horses with other equine companions.

Atmosphere in the buildings

To maintain good hygiene in buildings, adequate ventilation letting in fresh air is a must, regular upkeep of the bedding to limit the ammonia concentration, and maintaining an ambient temperature close to those outside (in temperate climates).

Disease prevention

For animals managed as a group, the following need to be respected :

• All the horses in the group should have the same sanitary status, i.e. regular and collective prophylaxis at the same times. (see Prevention)
• Only introduce a new animal to the group after an isolation period (quarnatine) and updating vaccinations and de-worming.
• Keep an isolation box for sick animals or animals requiring specific care (there should be no contact between horses, even through bars).