A RECENT study released in the Netherlands confirms what many other countries have already determined – a horse without peers is unhappy and experiences a lot of stress.
Yet thousands of horses are alone in paddocks. This has long been banned in other countries.
However, well-known King Island horsewoman Kelly Lancaster says in her experience her horses never showed stress when alone.
“They have buddied up quite well with the bulls when sharing a paddock with them,” she said.
“Some people can’t afford more than one horse.”
The study notes that a horse alone in a paddock will immediately go to a fence or gate when a passer-by stops. Horses are social animals and live naturally in herds. In fact, horses that are not surrounded by other horses often feel unhappy and suffer from severe stress according to various studies.
“Lonely horses often show deviant, ‘disturbed’ behaviour such as aggression or compulsions such as head wagging, constant pacing along the fence or frequent neighing. A horse that stands alone suffers.a serious harm to welfare,” says Dutch animal scientist Sarah Pesie from Dier & Recht, an independent foundation consisting of lawyers, veterinarians and policy officers.
Horse behavioural expert Margriet Markerink observed stabled and lone horses and those within a herd or within sniffing distance of other horses and found that with the latter, the horses had a completely different appearance, were in a resting position and were completely relaxed.
“Horses in herds allocate tasks such as one keeping guard while others sleep and social behaviours, loafing (mutual grooming) playing and bonding.
A lone horse needs to do all the ‘living’ tasks by themselves.”
The Netherlands Animal Protection and Dier & Recht following this recent and other research is taking a tougher stance and urging that putting a horse alone in a pasture, without any possibility of ‘sniffing contact, should be prohibited.’
This is already common practice in other countries.
It is part of animal welfare legislation in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Switzerland where horses must be able to have contact with peers.
Australia does not have a hardline or legislation regarding lone horses.
The RSPCA Australia has guidelines and good practice and education awareness regarding horse management and herd behaviour-needs.
However lone horses being kept in a paddock is not specifically defined in legislation as animal cruelty or abuse.
The RSPCA guidelines can be found at.rspca.org.au.