Simple Summary All animals have requirements that are essential for their welfare, and
when these basic needs are not met, the animal suffers. In horses, it is claimed that these …

Simple Summary Horses are highly social animals that preferably live in stable social
groups and form long-term affiliative bonds. However, although their need for social …

Elite horse athletes that live in individual boxes and train and compete for hours experience
long-term physical and mental stress that compromises animal welfare and alters the gut …

Traditionally, UK equines are kept in “gilded cages”; sanitised spaces which aim to provide
every comfort, whilst shielding the horse from any form of harm or distress. Horses are …

How social and ecological factors are associated with variation in dominance style across
species of animals has been studied frequently, but the underlying processes are often not …

Animal internal states can be expressed via social behaviors that are known to shape group
dynamics (ie, allogrooming, social play, agonistic encounters) and that can be flexibly used …

To date, the suitability of affiliative behaviours for inclusion in a horse welfare assessment
protocol has not been thoroughly studied. This is surprising, given the growing focus on …

Group housing provides horses with social contact, a lack of which is associated with health
and behavior problems. Despite the benefits of group housing for horses, horse owners are …

Domesticated horses mainly live in individual boxes, a housing system reported as
compromising animal welfare. A common practice in riding schools involves offering a …

Under natural conditions, horses spend 12–18 h of a day with synchronous grazing, but for
stabled horses, the amount of forage and thus duration of feed intake usually are restricted …