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Could posture reflect welfare state? A study using geometric morphometrics in riding school horses
Emilie Sénèque1, Clémence Lesimple1, Stéphane Morisset2
1Université de Rennes, UMR 6552 CNRS Ethologie Animale et Humaine,CNRS, Université de Caen-Normandie, Rennes, France.
Plos One
|February 6, 2019
Summary
Chronic poor welfare in horses may lead to distinct changes in their posture. Researchers used geometric morphometrics to analyze horse back profiles, finding flatter dorsal shapes associated with poor welfare indicators.
Area of Science:
- Animal Welfare Science
- Ethology
- Biomechanical Analysis
Background:
- Animal posture is recognized as an indicator of emotional state.
- Objective tools for measuring chronic postures linked to poor welfare in horses are lacking.
- Geometric morphometrics (GM) has shown potential in differentiating horse populations based on welfare states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if specific horse postures, modeled by GM, are associated with altered welfare states in riding school horses.
- To determine if dorsal profile changes can serve as an objective welfare indicator.
Main Methods:
- Photographs of 85 riding school horses with varying welfare states were analyzed.
- Horse welfare was assessed using stereotypic behaviors, depressed postures, and ear positions.
- Geometric morphometrics (GM) was employed to model and quantify the dorsal profile (back shape).
Main Results:
- Horses exhibiting stereotypic behaviors showed a tendency towards flatter or hollow dorsal profiles, particularly at the neck and croup.
- Depressed-like postures were also correlated, to a lesser extent, with these altered dorsal profiles.
- ANOVA results indicated a significant association between specific posture types and welfare indicators.
Conclusions:
- Altered dorsal profiles, characterized by flatter or hollow shapes, can be an additional, easily applicable indicator of poor welfare in horses.
- This GM-based method offers an objective tool for field assessments by owners and professionals.
- Further research can validate these findings and integrate posture analysis into routine welfare monitoring.
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