Avaliação do bem-estar de equinos, confinados durante feira equestre, através do uso de etograma

Abstract

Stress caused by confinement can be identified in a number of behavioral variations which horses present during and after the period of confinement. The exposition of the animals during an equine fair (one of the main objectives of the event) promotes interaction between the public and the horses, which contributes to a higher level of stress among animals. This study aims at identifying signals of stress in horses which were confined during an equine fair, through the use of an ethogram. In order to assess the horses’ stress, their behavior was observed and measured through an ethogram. This method is entirely observational and not invasive, which makes it effective for behavioral assessment because it allows the lack of interaction between the observer and the animals, thus preventing the study from possible influences due to such contact. During Expointer 2017, 20 horses of different breeds and ages were divided into two groups and observed during six days. They were kept in different locations with different structure and public access. The observations took place twice a day, every 10 seconds during 10 minutes. Data were analyzed statistically and results showed differences between the two groups concerning the frequency of behaviors compatible to stress, according to age and location where animals were kept. Animals which were confined in the pavilion with higher stream of people presented higher frequency of activities such as walking, nodding, crib-biting, licking and negative social interaction. These results indicate lower welfare of the horses in this group. When it comes to age, activities such as eating and drinking were more frequent in mature animals rather than in young animals. Activities such as defecating and urinating did not present differences between the two groups. Even though we have identified a satisfactory level of welfare in all of the observed animals, the animals which were kept in the pavilion with lower stream of visitors have achieved a higher level of welfare.