Individual stabling does not reduce injuries from kicking and biting.

I have often been wondering why horses are so often kept in small individual stalls. Why they cannot live in a herd with other horses. In the Netherlands it is often because of space restrictions But the common explanations were: the horse is too expensive to risk injuries or the horse is in training and needs to be free of injuries for the next show. I can understand the underlying concerns, but so far I was not sure if that is really the right way to go. This May issue of the Equine Veterinary Journal has published a recent study from Switzerland. The research collected data from almost 3000 horses to record the prevalence of injuries from kicking and biting and to develop preventive strategies.

It is a horse’s nature to avoid direct conflict. They do that by establishing a long-lasting dominance hierarchy within their herd. Everyone knows their place and ranks are rarely question through fights. Mere aggressive gestures maintain the order. Not only are aggressive confrontations are not only stressful but more importantly would deplete energy reserves, pose health risks and possibly separate individuals from the safety of their herd. Therefore aggressive behavior is seldom seen in free-ranging horses. If they do fight they more often bite then kick. Biting is offence behavior; kicking usually only defense.

In the above mentioned study housing systems as well as horse use and breed were investigated in correlation to biting and kicking injuries. 70% of the recorded horses are stabled individually, which almost always included a few hours on pasture or paddocks with other horses. 30% of the horses permanently live in a herd. When compared to all injuries that the owners of these horses reported, only 5.6% were from biting or kicking. On average 1.7% of the horses were bitten or kicked. That number did not differ between individually stabled horses and those living in a group.

Also the use of horses, for sport or pleasure, did not influence the occurrence of bites or kick bruises. The trait that did however seem to be a risk factor was the breed. Warmbloods and Thoroughbreds showed 4.3 more signs of bites or kicks than other horses (mostly pony breeds). The differences in temperament between different breed however are probably not new to horse owners. What seems peculiar is the fact that horses that are only in a group of other horses for a few hours per day and stabled individually the rest of the time, showed just as much bruises as horses that live in a herd day and night. Bites and kicks in these horses are probably due to frequent group changes. And even if the group is the same, not being together continuously requires horses to determine their hierarchy over and over again, which leads to some fighting and therefore injuries. Some (sport) horses that are usually stabled individually are then brought into situations where they personal space is invaded all of a sudden, such as in a trailer, alleyway in a barn or a warm up arena. These situations can cause horses to display aggressive (defensive behavior). Nowadays injuries are also often more serious than in wild horses. Iron or Steel shoes on most horses today causes much more damage than a kick from a horse that is barefooted.

As a result of this research the scientists offer suggestions of preventive measures. A consistent group and large turn-out areas are key and most natural for horses. Sometimes in the wild horses will fight over limited food or water. Therefore ample feeding opportunities or even spaces for individual feeding can prevent aggressive behavior. Since frequent group changes are stressful for the horses, group housing is not recommended for sale barns, boarding or training stables. If group changes are necessary to introduce a new horse for example, slow changes, maybe introducing the horse over a fence is advisable. And of course considering the most significant result of the study: Remember to consider the temperaments of different breeds.

I could bet that more horses get sick from wrong feeding – or other sick methods we have to treat them – than from being with buddies on the pasture.

Reference:
JM Knubben, A Frst, L Gygax and M Stauffacher (2008), “Bite and kick injuries in horses: Prevalence, risk factors and prevention”, Equine Veterinary Journal 2008, vol. 40