Stress parameters and behaviour of horses in walkers with and without the use of electricity

Giese, Corinne; Gerber, Vinzenz; Howald, M.; Bachmann, I.; Burger, Dominik (2014). Stress parameters and behaviour of horses in walkers with and without the use of electricity. Schweizer Archiv für Tierheilkunde, 156(4), pp. 163-169. Huber 10.1024/0036-7281/a000571

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In order to investigate stress responses of horses in walkers with and without electricity, 12 horses were trained during 3 weeks in a horse walker with and without the use of electricity (3.7 kV). To evaluate the stress response, cortisol levels in the blood were measured, the heart rate was monitored using the Polar® system and the behaviour was evaluated. Neither the cortisol levels nor the heart rates showed any relevant statistically significant difference between horses moved in the horse walker with or without the use of electricity. The highest cortisol levels and heart rates were recorded during the first week (habituation period). A significant difference could be observed regarding spontaneous compartment changes: while this happened mainly during the first week and before the first use of electricity, no horses changed compartments in the periods when electricity was used and thereafter. The results of this study indicate that the use of electricity in the horse walker does not seem to cause significant detectable stress in the horses.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

05 Veterinary Medicine > Research Foci > Veterinary Public Health / Herd Health Management
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV) > ISME Equine Clinic Bern > ISME Equine Clinic, Internal medicine
05 Veterinary Medicine > Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine (DKV)

UniBE Contributor:

Gerber, Vinzenz, Burger, Dominik Cyrill

Subjects:

600 Technology > 630 Agriculture

ISSN:

0036-7281

Publisher:

Huber

Language:

German

Submitter:

Andrea Gassmann-Suter

Date Deposited:

22 Sep 2014 14:58

Last Modified:

02 Mar 2023 23:25

Publisher DOI:

10.1024/0036-7281/a000571

PubMed ID:

24686816

Uncontrolled Keywords:

Cortisol Führanlage Herzschlagfrequenz Pferd Stress cortisol heart rate horse horse walker stress

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.52993

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/52993

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