Monitoring distances travelled by horses using GPS tracking collars.

Area of Science:

• Equine behavior
• Animal movement analysis
• Biologging technology

Background:

• Understanding equine movement patterns is crucial for welfare and management.
• Previous studies often lack detailed, objective data on daily distances traveled.
• The impact of environmental factors like paddock size and design on horse movement requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an affordable equine movement tracking system using GPS technology.
• To assess how paddock size and internal fence design influence domestic horse movement.
• To compare the movement of domestic horses (mares and foals) with feral horses.

Main Methods:

• A lightweight GPS data logger, adapted from a personal tracker, was fitted to collars.
• Domestic horses were monitored in paddocks of varying sizes (0.8-16 ha) and designs for 6.5 days.
• Movement data from domestic horses were compared with that of free-ranging feral horses.

Main Results:

• Domestic horses showed a logarithmic relationship between paddock size and daily distance traveled, plateauing around 7.5 km/day.
• Foals' movement distances mirrored their dams', also influenced by paddock size.
• Paddock design, except for a spiral layout, did not significantly alter daily distances traveled within similar areas.
• Feral horses traveled significantly farther (17.9 km/day) than domestic horses (7.2 km/day).

Conclusions:

• Confined domestic horses are considerably less active than their feral counterparts.
• Paddock size is a key determinant of domestic horse daily movement distance.
• For a given area, most paddock designs have minimal impact on horse movement.