University of Guelph researchers are sharing preliminary results of a study suggesting bigger may not necessarily be better when it comes to riding school programs and equine welfare.
Young woman riding a horse in a pasture at a canter.
The variability in injury and death rates among lesson horses across different barns suggests management practices play a significant role in their health and longevity.
© 2016 by Alexia Khruscheva New window.
Other researchers have shown that riding lesson horses have poorer welfare compared to pleasure horses, when comparing incidences of abnormal behaviours, physical injuries, health issues, aggression towards humans, and “depressed-like” postures.
The variability in injury and death rates among lesson horses across different barns suggests that management practices play a significant role in their health and longevity; with larger lesson facilities reporting higher incidences.
University of Guelph researchers Caleigh Copelin and Katrina Merkies conducted an online survey targeting owners, managers, and coaches of Canadian riding lesson facilities. The survey aimed to gather demographic information about the respondents, details about the facilities, lesson horse populations, observed behaviours, and management strategies. Responses from 153 facilities, representing 1501 lesson horses, were analyzed.
The study found that the average number of horses per lesson facility was 10. Facilities with fewer than six lesson horses reported lower proportions of horses exhibiting reactive behaviours when being tacked up such as biting their handlers and pinning their ears. This suggests that smaller facilities might be able to provide more individualized care, potentially reducing stress and conflict behaviours in horses.
Lesson horses from respondent facilities worked an average of 2 hours per day. Longer working hours were associated with higher incidences of horses bucking under saddle. Additionally, facilities with larger herds (13 or more horses) had longer maximum working hours per horse compared to those with smaller herds.
The use of restrictive equipment was also linked to conflict behaviours. Facilities that reported greater use of side reins saw increased frequencies of reactivity when tacking up, as well as pawing, kicking, and pinning ears while under saddle.
Similarly, the use of flash nosebands was associated with higher incidences of horses bucking under saddle compared to other types of nosebands. Conversely, facilities with a higher proportion of horses not wearing nosebands reported fewer horses who bucked.
Press release by Equine Guelph