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Divisjon for matproduksjon og samfunn

Termoregulering hos hest

I et av forsøkene ved Solvoll 4-H gård og hestesenter i Sandnessjøen fikk hester valget mellom å være ute, gå inn i et rom med terassevarmer i taket eller gå inn i et rom som ikke hadde varme. De fleste hester valgte å være ute, selv uten dekken. Foto: Grete H.M. Jørgensen
INAKTIV SIST OPPDATERT: 26.10.2020
Slutt: juli 2015
Start: juni 2012

Perioder med ekstremvær, inkludert kulde og heteperioder, store nedbørsmengder og snø kan være en utfordring for hester som holdes utendørs i Skandinavia. Systemer med utegang kan i mange tilfeller være et godt alternativ til kostbare og energikrevende stallbygninger og enkelte stalleiere tilbyr nå kontinuerlig tilgang til luftegårder og gruppeoppstalling for å tilfredsstille hestens behov for fysisk aktivitet og sosial kontakt. Ulike hesteraser vil ha ulik forbrenning, forskjellig varmetap til sine omgivelser og svært forskjellig behov for kunstig beskyttelse. Dette finnes det imidlertid lite kunnskap om. Formålet med dette prosjektet var å studere hesters adferd og preferanser  i kaldt vintervær for å kunne gi bedre anbefalinger til private hesteeiere som strever med å finne ut av dekkenbruk, pelslengde og oppstallingsmiljø som ivaretar hestens velferd i aktiv bruk.

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Status Avsluttet
Eksternt prosjektnettsted http://www.bioforsk.no/ikbViewer/page/prosjekt/tema/artikkel?p_dimension_id=95504&p_menu_id=95514&p_sub_id=95505&p_document_id=92933&p_dim2=95509
Start- og sluttdato 01.06.2012 - 01.07.2015
Divisjon Divisjon for matproduksjon og samfunn
Avdeling Fôr og husdyr
Samarbeidspartnere SLU, Veterinærinstituttet, NMBU og Trondheim Hundeskole
Totalt budsjett 1569000
Finansieringskilde Stiftelsen Hästforskning

Prosjektet var et samarbeid mellom SLU I Sverige, Veterinærinstituttet, NIBIO og NMBU. I Sverige undersøkte forskerne hestens preferanse for skygge om sommeren og de gjorde en større spørreundersøkelse på bruk av dekken. I Norge ble det gjennomført flere valgforsøk der hester av ulike raser fikk valget mellom å stå ute, gå inn i leskur med terassevarmer (strålingsvarme) eller gå inn i leskur uten strålingsvarme. Forsøket ble gjennomført på hester både med og uten dekken. Et annet forsøk målte pelslengde og infrarød temperatur fra overflaten av kroppen på hesten.  Gjennom prosjektet ble det utviklet en metode for å lære hesten å kommunisere sine preferanser for dekken. Ved hjelp av symboler kunne hesten indikere "dekken av", "dekken på" eller "uforandret" da den ble spurt. I et oppfølgende forsøk spurte vi trente hester om deres preferanser for dekken under ulike vinterværforhold og resultatene tydet på at hesten ikke alltid var enig i eierens påkledningsanvisninger. 

 

Det er produsert flere internasjonale vitenskapelige artikler og rapporter fra prosjektet. Ta kontakt med lokal prosjektansvarlig om du ønsker mer informasjon og ikke finner det selv. 

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I prosjektet lykkes det å lære hester en metode for å kommunisere deres preferanser for dekken på eller av. Resultatet fikk stor oppmerksomhet både nasjonalt og internasjonalt. Foto: Turid Buvik.

Publikasjoner i prosjektet

Sammendrag

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effects of different winter weather conditions on shelter seeking behaviour of horses and their preference for additional heat. A total of 17 horses from different breeds were habituated to an experimental paddock with a double-room shelter. In one of the rooms a 1500 W infrared heater provided radiation heat, the other room was not heated. The horses were turned out in their regular paddocks for two hours and then moved to the experimental paddock, where they could stay either in the heated room, in the non-heated room or outside in the 10x6 m paddock. Using instantaneous sampling at one-minute intervals for one hour, a present observer recorded horse’s behaviour and location. A weather station recorded data on wind (directions and speed), precipitation, temperature and sunshine. We registered the horses’ breed, exercise level, body weight, height and body condition, and samples of the horses’ coats were taken for length and quality registration. A Kruskal Wallis test was performed on the preliminary data. We observed great individual differences in the horses’ preferred location under different weather conditions. Horses increased their activity during low temperatures, combined with wind and/or rain (P

Sammendrag

Housing of horses in Norway - an overview Grete H.M. Jørgensen1 and Knut E. Bøe2  1Bioforsk, National Institute for Agricultural and Environmental Research, Tjøtta Norway2Department of Animal and Aquacultural Sciences, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, UMB, ås Norway Corresponding author: +47 40 76 67 69 e-mail grete.jorgensen@bioforsk.no Similar to the National regulations for cattle, poultry and pigs the Norwegian regulation for the welfare of horses also states that horse owners should facilitate social contact for their horses. Nevertheless, it is quite common that horses are kept individually or even isolated from others throughout the year. Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases are an increasing problem in the horse population and bad air quality in stables may contribute largely to this disease. Stables with fewer than ten horses do not have to register with the National Food Safety Authorities, and a public register of stables is not available. The aim of this study was therefore to provide an overview of the current management and living conditions for trotting horses in Norway. We wanted to focus both on the outdoor and indoor environment and investigate which ventilation systems that are commonly used in stable buildings. With help from the National Trotting Association (DNT) we sent out a questionnaire to members of their local branches in order to ensure answers from all areas of Norway. In each local branch we selected four to five stables after the following criteria: one small stable with 1-2 horses, to or three medium sized stables with 3-10 horses and the largest stable in that area. The questionnaire consisted of 32 questions divided into four subcategories: management, stable environment, ventilation and outdoor areas and paddocks. 275 (61%) of the 442 initial questionnaires were returned. Seven of these were however disregarded due to incomplete answers. The results were therefore finally based on 268 stables, 38 small stables (1-2 horses), 164 medium sized stables (3-10 horses) and 60 large stables (>10 horses). The data included over 2400 horses. More than half of the stable buildings had earlier been used for other purposes (56.4%). The majority of the stable buildings were insulated (83.6%), while a few had non-insulated stables (10.1%) or shelters with three walls and a roof (1.1%). Most stables had mechanical ventilation with a fan (49.6%), while 38.4% indicated that their stable had natural ventilation. Among the stable owners that indicated having natural ventilation in the stable, only 23.1% (8.9% of all stables) had non-insulated buildings and ventilation through adjustable openings, while 76.9% (29.8%) had insulated buildings and ensured airflow through opening doors and windows. A total lack of ventilation was indicated by 4.9% of the stable owners while 0.4% did not know what type of ventilation the stable had. In addition to this, 2.6% of the stable owners had most of their horses in 24 hour loose housing outdoors with open shelters and a ventilation system was therefore not necessary. Individual housing in boxes indoors dominated (84% of all stables), while very few horses were kept in outdoor boxes (1.1%). Other housing methods were tie-stalls 1.5%), 24 hour loose housing outdoors (3.4%), both tie-stalls and individual boxes (6.0%) and tie-stalls or boxes combined with group housing or several horses in the same box (1.1%). Six of the 38 small stables had only one horse which consequently was kept alone, while 34% of the small stables kept their horses in separate paddocks. Only 15% of the medium sized stables kept the horses in individual paddocks and 80.4% kept two or more horses together during turn-out. Ninety percent of the large stables indicated that they allowed two or more horses to share paddocks during turn-out. In conclusion, Norwegian trotting horses are mainly housed in individual boxes indoors and many stables have a ventilation system that does not work properly. Most trotting horses have access to a paddock or pasture on a daily basis. Housing and management of horses in other disciplines should also be investigated.