Animal category: Equines

European Parliament: Written answer to Question E-004061/2021 : Animal welfare during transport to third countries

Question: Francisco Guerreiro (Greens/EFA). Answer: Ms Kyriakides on behalf of the European Commission

Published in 2021

Response to a question on the possible welfare implications of animals being transported live to Israel, and more widely, to countries in conflict or at war.

Document types: Regulation/Certification

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

Keywords: Societal issues, Transport

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Thirty Years of Changes and the Current State of Swedish Animal Welfare Legislation

Frida Lundmark Hedman, Charlotte Berg, Margareta Stéen

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that changes in Swedish animal welfare regulations between 1988 and 2019 have increased the level of animal welfare protection for cattle, pigs and horses, but that a number of individual requirements have been relaxed to meet objectives other than animal welfare.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories:Cattle, Equines, Pigs

Keywords: Societal issues

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Donkey behaviour and cognition: a literature review

Marta De Santis, Samanta Seganfreddo, Morgana Galardi, Franco Mutinelli, Simona Normando, Laura Contalbrigo

Published in 2021

Scientific review summarising the areas covered by the scientific literature on donkey behaviour and cognition, and detailing the behavioural tests used for donkeys.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Cognitive processes, Human-animal relationships,Welfare indicators

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The Effect of Human-Horse Interactions on Equine Behaviour, Physiology, and Welfare: A Scoping Review

Katherine Jennifer Kelly, Laurie Anne McDuffee, Kimberly Mears

Published in 2021

Scientific review concluding that current evidence for equine welfare during human-horse interactions is minimal and relies heavily on the absence of a negative emotional state during enforced interactions.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships

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Evaluating Horse Owner Expertise and Professional Use of Auxiliary Reins during Horse Riding

Heidrun Gehlen, Julia Puhlmann, Roswitha Merle, Christa Thöne-Reineke

Published in 2021

A scientific article investigating whether horse owners use auxiliary reins correctly. It reports that while most of the horse owners surveyed used reins responsibly, they need clarification and information on the functions of the different auxiliary reins.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Societal issues, Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Therapeutic Riding Horses: using a hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis measure to assess the physiological stress response to different riders

Cristina Cravana, Esterina Fazio, Adriana Ferlazzo, Pietro Medica

Published in 2021

Scientific paper showing that stress hormone levels are lower in equine therapy horses ridden by mentally-impaired riders, presumably due to their lesser control over the horses, than by non-mentally impaired riders.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords: Human-animal relationships, Stress

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Factors associated with the development and prevalence of abnormal behaviors in horses: systematic review with meta-analysis

Jéssica Carvalho Seabra, João Ricardo Dittrich, Marcos Martinez do Vale

Published in 2021

Scientific review revealing wide variations in the occurrence of abnormal behaviours in horses across studies, and identifying poor nutritional management as the main risk factor in the development of such abnormal behaviours.

Document Types: Scientific review

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Risk management, Stress, Psychiatric disorder

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Contemplating the Five Domains model of animal welfare assessment: UK horse owner perceptions of equine well-being

K.A. Fletcher, L.J. Cameron, M. Freeman

Published in 2021

Scientific paper demonstrating that a simple educational infographic based on the five domains model had a significant impact on riders' assessment of equine welfare, despite the fact that they still found it difficult to assess their horses' emotions objectively.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Welfare indicators, Human-animal relationships

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Development and Validation of a Test for the Classification of Horses as Broken or Unbroken

Laura Menchetti, Emanuela Dalla Costa, Michela Minero, Barbara Padalino

Published in 2021

Scientific paper presenting and validating a behavioural test based on the animal's reaction to approaching, haltering and leading, to describe a horse as broken in or not. This test could be used to determine the status of horses prior to transport, given that transport regulations are stricter for unbroken horses.

Document Types: Scientific paper

Animal categories: Equines

Keywords:Animal-based measurements, Human-animal relationships, Transport

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