Animal category: Equines

Social behavior in farm animals: Applying fundamental theory to improve animal welfare

Victoria E. Lee1, Gareth Arnott, Simon P. Turner

Published in 2022

bonds, environmental influences on social behavior and welfare, mechanisms and development of social behaviors, ways to promote positive social interactions and minimize disruptions to basic social bonds

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Enrichment, Welfare indicators, Stress, Farming systems

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A Review of Equine Sleep: Implications for Equine Welfare

Linda Greening, Sebastian McBride

Published in 2022

Scientific review of equine sleep characteristics: what is "normal" sleep in horses? what methods are used to measure it? what factors affect sleep quality or quantity? and are changes in sleep quality and/or quantity associated with negative impacts on horse welfare? The review identifies knowledge gaps for future research.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Consciousness, Memory

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Quality of Life within Horse Welfare Assessment Tools: Informing Decisions for Chronically Ill and Geriatric Horses

Mariessa Long, Christian Dürnberger, Florien Jenner, Zsófia Kelemen, Ulrike Auer, Herwig Grimm

Published in 2022

A scientific review, analyzing how tools for the assessment of equine welfare, quality of life and equine perceptions of quality of life, define and operationalize these concepts. It discusses how appropriate these tools are to the assessment of quality of life as part of end-of-life decision-making for chronically-ill or elderly horses.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurement, Societal issues, Risk management, Welfare indicator, Human-animal relationship

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Lutte contre la maltraitance animale : mise en place du « certificat d’engagement et de connaissance » pour les équidés et les animaux de compagnie

Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security

Published in 2022

Press release containing the details of the application decree for the French law to combat the mistreatment of animals. This information concerns the practicalities surrounding the certificate of commitment and knowledge which is now compulsory for the purchasers of pets and keepers of equines.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories:Canine, Equine, Feline, other small companion animals

Keywords: Societal issues, Human-animal relationships

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Assessment of Welfare in Groups of Horses with Different Management, Environments and Activities by Measuring Cortisol in Horsehair, Using Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Hybrid Orbitrap High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry

Francesco Cerasoli, Michele Podaliri Vulpiani, Giorgio Saluti, Annamaria Conte, Matteo Ricci, Giovanni Savini, Nicola D'Alterio

Published in 2022

Scientific article comparing the stress levels of recreational (riding school), working (police), and free-roaming horses that have been assessed as having a positive welfare evaluation by the AWIN protocol, by measuring hair cortisol levels. Free-ranging horses have the highest hair cortisol levels.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Living environment, Stress

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The Impact of Noise Anxiety on Behavior and Welfare of Horses from UK and US Owners Perspective

Maria Giorgia Riva, Francesca Dai, Mirja Huhtinen, Michela Minero, Sara Barbieri, Emanuela Dalla Costa

Published in 2022

Scientific paper presenting the results of an online survey on owners' perception of noise anxiety in horses. Two distinct groups of horses are identified - highly anxious and moderately anxious -  and owners describe the management strategies they adopt, discussing their effectiveness. 

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Adaptation of the animal to the environment, Living environment, Stress

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Study on animal welfare labelling

DG (SANTE)

Published in 2022

Report presenting the findings of the study conducted by the Commission's (DG SANTE) on consumer awareness of animal-welfare standards and the demand for additional information. It also describes existing animal-welfare labelling schemes in the EU and assesses their design and impact.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Poultry

Keywords:Societal issues, Breeding and rearing, Welfare indicators

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Preslaughter handling and slaughter of meat animals

Luigi Faucitano

Published in 2022

Announcement of a book on the slaughter preparation and slaughter of animals for human consumption. After a general chapter on welfare assessment using animal-based indicators, individual chapters are devoted to different species: cattle, fish, horses, pigs, poultry, sheep and non-traditional slaughter species. The book ends with a chapter on mobile slaughter.

Document Types: Scientific work

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Consciousness, Pain, Societal issues, Restraint equipment, Human-animal relationships, Weaning, Transport

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Comparing the pathology of equine stereotypical behaviours to obsessive-compulsive and related disorder in humans: An exploratory Delphi study

Stephanie Megan Plato

Published in 2022

Scientific paper using a Delphi method to compare equine stereotypic behaviour (ESC) and human OCD looking at neurological, etiological and behavioural aspects, causal factors and welfare effects. It identifies the advantages and disadvantages of having ESCs recognised as OCDs.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Anxiety, Enrichment, Living environment, Human-animal relationships, Stress, Welfare indicators

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European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2022 on the Implementation Report on On-Farm Animal Welfare

European Parliament

Published in 2022

Text of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament to support animal welfare on farms. It will serve as the basis for the development of new EU rules in this area.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

Animal categories: Bovines, Caprines, Equines, Ovines, Porcines, Poultry

Keywords:Societal issues, Breeding and Rearing systems, Stress, Welfare indicators

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