The interrelations of good welfare indicators assessed in working horses and their relationships with the type of work.
This paper presents a different approach to the welfare of working horses through the indicators of good welfare, their interrelations and their relationships with the type of work performed by the horses. 697 working horses were assessed by using observation, behavioural tests, clinical exams and questionnaires. The correlated results highlight the complex and multiple interrelations between the good welfare indicators, showing once again that animal welfare is under the influence of all its three dimensions (physical and emotional wellbeing and naturalness). In working horses, the heavier the work they perform is, the more important it is for horse owners/breeders/farmers to fulfil their inherent needs so as to help them cope with the multiple specific risks imposed by their work.
Department of Animal Hygiene and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Electronic address: silvana.popescu@usamvcluj.ro.
S
S
Popescu
Department of Animal Hygiene and Welfare, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania; Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
E A
EA
Diugan
Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, 3-5 Manastur St., 400372 Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
M
M
Spinu
D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000827:Animal Welfare; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006736:Horses / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Horse health; Horse welfare; Horse–human relationship; Indicators of good welfare; Working horses