Equine Activity Time Budgets: The Effect of Housing and Management Conditions on Geriatric Horses and Horses with Chronic Orthopaedic Disease

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Housing and management conditions strongly influence the health, welfare and activity behaviour of horses. To improve horses’ living conditions, it is necessary to establish objective and quantifiable measures that allow for a comparison between environmental living conditions and of how horses of different ages and health statuses are influenced by these environmental conditions. Thus, the aim of the present study was to record and compare time budgets (=percentage of time spent on specific activities) of old (≥20 years) horses and of horses suffering from chronic orthopaedic disease that are living in different husbandry conditions with an automated tracking device. These horses were found to spend similar percentages of time feeding, resting and moving compared to healthy controls. Horses living on different farms and with different turn-out conditions differed in their time budgets. Horses living in open-air group housing on a paddock had less pronounced peaks in their feeding and movement activities over time compared to horses living in more restricted husbandry systems. The findings of the study can help to identify potential improvements of husbandry conditions of horses to maximise their health and welfare. ABSTRACT: Housing and management conditions strongly influence the health, welfare and behaviour of horses. Consequently, objective and quantifiable comparisons between domestic environments and their influence on different equine demographics are needed to establish evidence-based criteria to assess and optimize horse welfare. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure and compare the time budgets (=percentage of time spent on specific activities) of horses with chronic orthopaedic disease and geriatric (≥20 years) horses living in different husbandry systems using an automated tracking device. Horses spent 42% (range 38.3–44.8%) of their day eating, 39% (range 36.87–44.9%) resting, and 19% (range 17–20.4%) in movement, demonstrating that geriatric horses and horses suffering from chronic orthopaedic disease can exhibit behaviour time budgets equivalent to healthy controls. Time budget analysis revealed significant differences between farms, turn-out conditions and time of day, and could identify potential areas for improvement. Horses living in open-air group housing on a paddock had a more uniform temporal distribution of feeding and movement activities with less pronounced peaks compared to horses living in more restricted husbandry systems.