Project aims

The project aims to investigate issues related to group housing horses and to provide practical solutions that could improve horse welfare and human safety. A second aim is to carry out basic experimental tests to study the behaviour of horses towards each other and towards humans.

Questions

• What influence does the group composition (mixed versus same sex/age groups), the time spent in the group, and the environmental complexity have on the reactions of horses to other horses and to humans?

• Is it possible to assess the social competence of a horse and so adapt management strategies to make integration into a new herd as smooth as possible?

• Are concerns regarding the increased risk of horses injuring each other when kept in groups justified?

• Do horses kept in enriched environments show fewer negative interactions and reduced reactivity to fear-eliciting stimuli than horses housed in a conventional environment?

• Is it risky for a person to separate a horse from a group, and if so, how can the risk be minimized?