The Influence of Human Management on Equine Behavior

In order to understand how human management influences the behavior of domesticated horses, we must compare their behavior to that of their feral counterparts.

The “time budgets” below show the amount of time feral and stabled horses spend engaging in specific behaviors.

Comparing the behavior of feral and domesticated horses

Horses are physiologically designed to spend about 16 hours a day foraging and browsing for food, in slow but constant movement.

It is estimated that free-roaming equines perform 8’000-10’000 strides a day to seek out food and water. The remaining time is dedicated to resting and engaging in social behavior within the herd.

If we compare the feral horse’s time budget above to that of the stabled horse, we can see that human management has a considerable impact on the ability of the horse to express natural behavior.

The stabled horse spends only a few hours feeding on hay or concentrates, with little to no ability to browse for food at all. Stabled horses, when they are not worked or exercised, may sometimes only take a few hundred steps a day. A large portion of their day is also often spent standing around without anything to do.

The more the daily time budget of the stabled horse differs from that of the feral horse, the lower the quality of life of the animal.

How to Improve Your Horse’s Quality of Life

While it’s often impossible for owners to provide their horses with living conditions that closely resemble those of their feral counterparts, the stabled horse’s physical and mental wellbeing can greatly benefit from:

being fed low-energy roughage multiple times throughout the day.

being stabled in close proximity with other horses (they should be able to at least see and hear their conspecifics).

being turned out regularly.

Each individual horse will have a different average time budget depending on specific management conditions (pasture availability, turnout time, feeding schedule, etc.).

As a general rule of thumb, the more the stabled horse’s time budget differs from that of the free-ranging horse, the higher is the likelihood that it will develop undesirable behaviors.

Most of the stereotypic behaviors that we see in stabled horses are ingestion and movement related. As previously mentioned, and as shown in the time budgets above, those are the two sets of behaviors that we restrict the most in our current equine management practices.

Stereotypic Behaviors

Stereotypic behaviors are not observed in freeranging feral horses, and are considered an issue of the domesticated horse.

For a deeper dive into this topic, read our article series on Stereotypic Behaviors.

Equine stereotypic behaviors are comparable to human stereotypic behaviors that occur

when we are stressed out or bored, such as nail biting, feet tapping, hair twirling, pacing, etc.

When horses are unable to express natural behaviors, stereotypes develop as a way to cope, as they cause a release of dopamine in the brain. The more intensive a horse’s management is, the higher are the chances that it will develop stereotypic behaviors.

To reduce the likelihood of horses developing stereotypic behaviors, we can begin by ensuring that we are providing horses with these “Five Freedoms”.

The Five Freedoms

In 1979, the UK Animal Welfare Council outlined five freedoms that animals under human control should be provided with. These have been adopted by veterinarians and animal welfare advocates worldwide:

1. Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.

2. Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

3. Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

4. Freedom to express normal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal's own kind.

5. Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.[1]

[1] “Five Freedoms”, Farm Animal Welfare Council, Farm Animal Welfare Committee, Archived on 9 Oct 2012