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Journals
Animals
Special Issues
Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare
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Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 April 2026 | Viewed by 6279

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Maria Rizzo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: veterinary physiology; equine welfare; horse management; behavior; health; nutrition and exercise physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Francesca Arfuso

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
Interests: oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium; veterinary physiology; animal welfare; animal management; behavior; health; nutrition and exercise physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are approximately 60 million equines worldwide, and the behavior and welfare of horses are increasingly the focus of research and societal interest. Enhancing equine welfare involves developing stable conditions and management practices that cater to horses’ needs, minimizing negative experiences and suffering, while promoting positive emotional states. Horses are exposed to diverse management systems and environments, each significantly influencing their behavior and welfare. Refining these systems is essential to improving equine welfare while supporting their roles in sport, leisure, and companionship.

Numerous stressors affect equines. Transport poses multiple challenges, including loading, unloading, confinement, exposure to unfamiliar environments, temperature fluctuations, poor ventilation, and deprivation of food and water. Pain management is another critical welfare challenge. Issues such as lameness and back pain are prevalent in ridden horses, but pain recognition remains difficult, especially for owners. This often results in horses being used in sports despite discomfort, leading to behavioral issues such as aggression and heightened stress. In turn, these behaviors may provoke harsh training methods, worsening the pain and perpetuating a harmful cycle.

This Special Issue welcomes high-quality articles advancing equine behavior and welfare research. Topics may include the effects of stabling systems, training practices, transport, social stressors, and novel tools for welfare assessment. We look forward to your contributions to fostering innovative approaches to equine welfare.

Dr. Maria Rizzo
Dr. Francesca Arfuso
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • equine welfare
  • horse management
  • behavior
  • health
  • nutrition and exercise physiology
  • stress indicators
  • welfare assessment tools

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 854 KB  
Article
Fecal Cortisol Metabolites Indicate Increased Stress Levels in Horses During Breaking-In: A Pilot Study
by Julia Krieber, Aurelia C. Nowak, Jakob Geissberger, Oliver Illichmann, Sabine Macho-Maschler, Rupert Palme and Franziska Dengler
Animals 2025, 15(12), 1693; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15121693 - 7 Jun 2025
Viewed by 788
Abstract
Sport horses are frequently exposed to situations that were identified as stressors, indicated by an increased cortisol release, which might impair animal welfare. However, while many studies deal with the impact of exercise, transport, and competition on stress in horses, little is known [...] Read more.
Sport horses are frequently exposed to situations that were identified as stressors, indicated by an increased cortisol release, which might impair animal welfare. However, while many studies deal with the impact of exercise, transport, and competition on stress in horses, little is known about the early phase of a horse’s sports career and studies investigating the stress level of young horses during breaking-in are limited. To compare stress levels in unridden horses, horses during breaking-in, and horses in training we collected fecal samples of young, unridden horses (n = 28) and of horses in different training stages (n = 13) and measured fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) concentrations. Our preliminary results showed that FCM concentrations of unridden horses were significantly lower than those of horses in training (Mann–Whitney rank sum test, p < 0.001). Particularly in the first year under the saddle FCMs were significantly higher than in unridden horses (one way ANOVA + post hoc Holm–Sidak test, p < 0.05), with a tendency for FCM levels to decrease with time in training. Furthermore, we observed that within the group of ridden horses there was a larger range of variability in FCM levels, suggesting individual variations regarding their ability to deal with (training-induced) stress. These results indicate that breaking-in is a stressful time for young horses, underlining the importance of carrying out the initial training as carefully as possible. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare)
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12 pages, 221 KB  
Communication
The Effects of Human–Horse Interactions on Oxytocin and Cortisol Levels in Humans and Horses
by Youngwook Jung and Minjung Yoon
Animals 2025, 15(7), 905; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15070905 - 21 Mar 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1927
Abstract
Therapeutic programs involving human–horse interactions are gaining popularity as a means of enhancing human well-being. Understanding the physiological responses of both humans and horses during these interactions is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of such programs. This study examined the effects of specific [...] Read more.
Therapeutic programs involving human–horse interactions are gaining popularity as a means of enhancing human well-being. Understanding the physiological responses of both humans and horses during these interactions is essential for evaluating the effectiveness of such programs. This study examined the effects of specific interactive activities on both humans and horses by monitoring changes in oxytocin and cortisol levels. Six participants and six horses took part in the study. The participants engaged in three distinct activities, each lasting 15 min: (1) resting alone without the horse (resting), (2) standing near the horse without physical contact (standing), and (3) gently rubbing the horse’s neck and withers (rubbing). Saliva samples from the participants and blood samples from the horses were collected at three time points for each activity: T0 (before the activity), T1 (at the end of the activity), and T2 (15 min after the activity ended). The results indicated that oxytocin levels significantly increased in horses at T2 following both the standing and rubbing activities, while cortisol levels remained unchanged in both humans and horses across all activities. These findings suggest that human–horse interactions, particularly standing and rubbing, may foster social bonding in horses without eliciting a stress response in either species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare)
17 pages, 2032 KB  
Article
Tracking the Track: The Impact of Different Grazing Strategies on Managing Equine Obesity
by Lorna Cameron, Meg Challinor, Sophie Armstrong, Abigale Kennedy, Sarah Hollister and Katharine Fletcher
Animals 2025, 15(6), 874; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15060874 - 19 Mar 2025
Viewed by 2985
Abstract
Horses evolved to live in herds, continuously moving and foraging. Domestic horses often have limited social contact and movement, with high calorific intake, contributing to obesity. “Track grazing” is an increasingly popular management system, but evidence of its impact on weight management, behaviour, [...] Read more.
Horses evolved to live in herds, continuously moving and foraging. Domestic horses often have limited social contact and movement, with high calorific intake, contributing to obesity. “Track grazing” is an increasingly popular management system, but evidence of its impact on weight management, behaviour, and welfare is limited. Horses (n = 19) resident at HorseWorld (UK) were observed July to October 2023, monitoring bodyweight (kg), Body Conditions Score (BCS), hoof health, behaviour, and welfare indicators. Horses on track grazing systems lost significantly more bodyweight (kg) (F(1,15) = 8.752, p = 0.010) than their restricted grazing counterparts, although this was not supported by BCS findings which may be ineffective for subtle body weight changes. Horses on track grazing systems lost (mean ± S.D.) 10.67 ± 9.9 kg from their starting weight, whereas those on the traditional paddock systems gained 6.8 ± 13.7 kg. Hoof health and general welfare assessment scores were maintained. More behaviours in “positive”, “negative”, and “neutral” categories were observed in paddock system horses than those on the track grazing system, although these differences were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that horses prone to bodyweight gain can be managed effectively using track grazing systems whilst maintaining health and welfare. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Equine Behavior and Welfare)
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