How do horses react to changes in their routine? It may come as no surprise that horses notice when their meal is late.
Research by Manja Zupan and colleagues at the University of
Ljubljana, Slovenia examined the effect of altering the morning feeding time on
eight horses kept in individual boxes.
The study extended over ten weeks. During that time, the
morning feed (normally at six o’clock) was given an hour early on Thursdays,
and an hour later on Saturdays.
The researchers monitored the effect of the change on the
horses’ behaviour.
They found that, when horses were fed early, they spent less
time eating hay, more time resting and less often took a look toward the door.
When feeding was delayed, the horses more often performed
pawing the ground, kicking, comfort behaviour (such as grooming), and looking
toward the door.
They conclude “Our results indicate that deviations from the
regular feeding schedule affected the behaviour of horses and compromised their
temporal predictability.”
For more details, see:
The Effect of an Irregular Feeding
Schedule on Equine Behavior
Manja Zupan,
Ivan Štuhec, Dušanka Jordan
J Appl Anim Welf Sci (2020) ;23:156-163.
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