Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Relevance and Linkage of Horse Welfare and Environmental Effects in Horse Husbandry
1.2. Environmental Relevance of Nitrogen Surplus
1.3. Animal Welfare Assessment with a Focus on Horses
1.4. Turnout as a Welfare Concern
1.5. Aim of the Work
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Data Collection
2.2. Assessment of Turnout
2.3. Calculation of Nitrogen Surplus
2.4. Statistical Analysis
2.5. Ethics Statement
3. Results
3.1. Turnout
3.2. Nitrogen Surplus
4. Discussion
4.1. Turnout
4.2. Nitrogen Surplus and the Linkage to “Turnout”
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Trial | Farms (n) 1 | Replicates (n) | Horses (n) | Assessors (n) | Assessments in Total (n) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 12 (6 G + 6 S) | 4 | 685 | 3 | 48 |
2 | 18 (9 G + 9 S) | 1 | 887 | 1 | 18 |
3 | 2 (1 G + 1 S) | 4 | 32 | 1 | 8 |
4 | 14 (5 G + 9 S) | 1 | 616 | 1 | 14 |
Sum | 46 (21 G + 25 S) | 1–4 | 2220 | 1–3 | 88 |
Symbol | Description |
---|---|
HN | Number of horses |
DW/S | Days per year on summer (S) or winter (W) turnout area |
NE | Nitrogen (N) excretions in grams per horse and day (values Table 3) |
AF | Area factor calculated by 1/ha of the available turnout area |
DF | Demanuring factor: 0.1 for daily demanuring (equivalent to 90% N output) 0.3 for weekly demanuring (equivalent to 70% N output) |
SF | Sowing factor (seeding pastures afterperiods of turnout which leads to N output from the soil into the gras): 38 kg N per hectare |
HP | N output for additional hay production on turnout area: 77 kg N per hectare |
Type and Daily Duration of Turnout | Nitrogen Excretions (Feces + Urine) in Grams per Horse and Day |
---|---|
Pasture (separate) 1 for 2 h | 7.2 |
Pasture (separate) 1 for 3 h | 10.8 |
Pasture (separate) 1 for 4 h | 14.4 |
Pasture (separate) 1 for 5 h | 19.2 |
Pasture (separate) 1 for 6–24 h | 24.0 |
Free-range stable all day 2 | 7.1 |
Mud paddock (separate) 3, several hours (not specified) | 7.2 |
Descriptive Value | Summer | Winter | Group Housing | Single Housing | Space Allowance < 200 m2 | Space Allowance ≥ 200 m2 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Mean | −14.81 | 31.22 | −5.30 | 19.46 | 50.59 | −7.69 |
Median | −4.24 | 12.01 | 5.35 | 11.25 | 15.71 | 5.08 |
Minimum | −109.27 | −35.19 | −109.27 | −102.08 | 3.65 | −109.27 |
Maximum | 58.97 | 468.00 | 79.06 | 468.00 | 468.00 | 58.97 |
Time of Year | Good: ≤20 kg | Moderate: >20 kg to <50 kg | Poor: ≥50 kg |
---|---|---|---|
summertime | 31 | 10 | 3 |
wintertime | 30 | 7 | 7 |
Descriptive Value | Calculated Nitrogen Surplus | Nitrogen Surplus without Demanuring | Nitrogen Surplus without Output for Hay Production | Nitrogen Surplus without Output for Sowing |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mean | 8.20 | 60.35 | 17.65 | 19.09 |
Median | 9.70 | 28.60 | 11.16 | 12.05 |
Minimum | −109.27 | −109.27 | −35.27 | −71.27 |
Maximum | 468.00 | 1045.16 | 468.00 | 468.00 |
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Baumgartner, M.; Kuhnke, S.; Hülsbergen, K.-J.; Erhard, M.H.; Zeitler-Feicht, M.H. Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168991
Baumgartner M, Kuhnke S, Hülsbergen K-J, Erhard MH, Zeitler-Feicht MH. Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus. Sustainability. 2021; 13(16):8991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168991
Chicago/Turabian StyleBaumgartner, Miriam, Sandra Kuhnke, Kurt-Jürgen Hülsbergen, Michael H. Erhard, and Margit H. Zeitler-Feicht. 2021. "Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus" Sustainability 13, no. 16: 8991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168991
APA StyleBaumgartner, M., Kuhnke, S., Hülsbergen, K.-J., Erhard, M. H., & Zeitler-Feicht, M. H. (2021). Improving Horse Welfare and Environmental Sustainability in Horse Husbandry: Linkage between Turnout and Nitrogen Surplus. Sustainability, 13(16), 8991. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13168991