Horse husbandry: Study shows free wild life is more stressful than box husbandry

Created: 08/14/2022, 09:00

By: Lara-Sabrina Kiehl

For some, horses belong in freedom and not in a box.

A study shows that wild horses are not necessarily better off.

Keeping horses in a species-appropriate manner has become increasingly important in recent years.

The forms of keeping are more diverse than ever before.

From the pool of options, horse owners are free to choose what is best for their horse.

But for many, the pure freedom of the horses still seems to be the best solution.

However, a study proves the opposite: wild horses live under chronic stress.

Horse husbandry: Study shows free wild life is more stressful than box husbandry

Constantly on the run: Wild horses are more stressed because they are afraid of natural enemies.

(Iconic image) © imagebroker/Imago

A research team from Italy has come to the conclusion that wild horses suffer far more from stress.

In their study, the team compared three different types of posture.

Namely the pure box keeping, the box keeping with daily exercise and a free-living herd.

To find out the stress level, the researchers examined the cortisol level.

Cortisol is a stress hormone in horses and also in humans.

In order to find out the cortisol level, the researchers did not examine the blood, but took a hair sample.

Researchers have found that not all horses whinny mean fear.

From the hair samples it can be seen whether horses suffer chronically from stress.

According to the researchers, hair is like a stress memory because cortisol is deposited in it.

In total, they examined 47 clinically healthy horses, 18 mares and 29 geldings or stallions.

The horses were all between the ages of five and 15 years.

Horse husbandry: Wild horses are afraid of natural enemies

The result of the study is amazing.

The free-roaming animals showed much higher cortisol levels than the experimental group with the box horses, which had daily access to the paddock and were worked on the ground.

The cortisol levels of the wild horses were even higher than those of horses that were used by the police every day.

British police horses are also used to secure the streets.

This revises the assumption that free-roaming horses have a higher level of well-being.

Because wild horses, like these in the experiment, are exposed to several stress factors.

"The higher cortisol levels could be due to the fear of being eaten at night," the researchers explain.

"The area in which the study was carried out is mountainous and inhabited by wolves and bears all year round." The study clearly shows that wild horses can be exposed to greater stress than box horses.

She also shows how good humane handling of horses can lower cortisol levels.

According to a study, every fifth horse is afraid of noise.