We have all experienced stress, and know the impact it can have on our wellbeing. Whilst we can talk about our stress with our peers, our equines don’t have this privilege. It is therefore important that we understand how the body responds to stress, and what we can do to help manage it.
What is stress?
Stress is the body’s response to environmental stimuli (stressors), that are perceived to be threatening. For example, if you are startled, your body will prepare to move into fight or flight mode. It is much the same for our horses. Stress can be both short term (acute) or long term (chronic), and these types of stress can be differentiated by the changes to the behavioural, physiological and hormonal parameters of the animal.
Sensitivity to stressors can vary between individuals, as can the way these are outwardly presented to us. So, what can we do? Understanding not only the physiological side of the stress response, but how that can impact behaviour, is important for all aspects of equine health and welfare.
Physiological response to stress
Acute responses to stress may be visible to us, but there is also a lot going on in the body that we can’t see.
What can’t we see?
- Increase in salivary cortisol concentration
- Increased heart rate and respiratory rate
- Release of adrenaline and noradrenaline
- Increased eye temperature
So, how can this affect behaviour? Firstly, the release of stress hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline prepare the body for flight. Whether the flight response kicks in or not can depend on multiple factors, but these hormones can still result in an energy increase. There is however, limited research on the relationship between these physiological changes and how individuals respond to these. In other words, we can see the response caused by these changes, however, we do not know how the horse is perceiving it’s environment – is the horse experiencing the stress in the way we think it might be?
Physical response to stress
Stress can manifest itself as various physical symptoms, many of which we will experience frequently when working with horses. These include:
- Trembling
- Sweating
- Pacing
- Changes in appetite
- Stereotypical behaviour
- Vocalization
- Aggression
- General changes in behaviour/temperament
If you see these signs of stress in your horse, it is advised that you make appropriate changes and seek veterinary guidance where appropriate.
Signs of chronic stress
Chronic stress is a prolonged physiological and psychological response to continuous stressors, and can lead to various physical and behavioural changes.
Physical changes related to chronic stress can include weight loss, poor condition, and even an increase in the likelihood of a horse developing gastric ulcers. It is arguable however, that these symptoms are easier to identify and treat, than behavioural changes might be.
Behavioural changes can manifest themselves in several different ways, and may not always look like what our idea of stress might be.
Stereotypical behaviours are one of the most commonly seen behavioural responses to stress, but are not always regarded as such, and are commonly treated as ‘vices.’ Common stereotypies include cribbing, box walking, and weaving. The difficulty with these behaviours is that they become a habit, and it can be difficult to distinguish whether it is representative of the current situation, or a previous one. There has been substantial research conducted to try to identify the cause of these behaviours, with chronic stress being one of the leading factors.
Another commonly misunderstood sign of chronic stress is that of learned helplessness. This occurs when a horse has so frequently, and so consistently been exposed to negative stimuli that they learn to stop trying to escape or improve the situation. This can be hard to identify – does the horse have an exceptionally calm temperament, or have they been so stressed they’ve ‘given up’? We won’t always have all of the answers, but we can try our best to understand our horses and alleviate as much stress as we can.
Managing stress
The main way that we can help to prevent stress is by understanding the mechanisms behind stress, and how this is portrayed by our horses. If your horse is showing signs of stress or discomfort, then we always recommend consulting your vet to rule out pain.
Here are some management tools that may help to make life a little easier for our horses:
- Prioritize our horses innate needs – by providing time for social contact with other horses, stress levels can be significantly reduced
- Allow for as much freedom and movement as possible – ensuring that our horses have time for movement and exploration can reduce stress
- Consistent access to high-fibre forage – horses are grazers, and will naturally look to do so, and providing this can help to alleviate stress levels
- Enrichment and stimulation – treat balls or similar toys can be a great way to provide mental stimulation
Management isn’t everything though – there are other things we can do to help our horses:
- Desensitization – if you know what your horse is finding stressful, you can work on desensitizing them and gradually reducing their anxiety
- Supplements – scientifically proven calming supplements can be a really beneficial way to help to reduce stress and anxiety
- Work on ourselves – do you find your own stress levels increase as well as your horse's? Working on staying calm in these situations can help our horses to cope, and you to make more rationale, educated decisions about how to deal with challenging situations
Take Away
Stress can often be perceived as difficult or naughty behaviours, but more often than not it is the horse’s physiological response to stimuli that is controlling their actions. Improving our understanding of this, and how to deal with it, can help to make our horses lives more pleasurable. In turn, their welfare can be improved and with this can come great benefits, both on the ground and under saddle.
Written by Anna Jones BSc (Hons) Equine Science - Customer Care & Marketing Associate
References
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Hall, C., Goodwin, D., Heleski, C., Randle, H., & Waran, N. (2008). Is There Evidence of Learned Helplessness in Horses? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 11(3), 249–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888700802101130
Ishizaka, S., Aurich, J. E., Ille, N., Aurich, C., & Nagel, C. (2017). Acute Physiological Stress Response of Horses to Different Potential Short-Term Stressors. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 54, 81–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.02.013
König v. Borstel, U., Visser, E. K., & Hall, C. (2017). Indicators of stress in equitation. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 190, 43–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2017.02.018
Sarrafchi, A., & Blokhuis, H. J. (2013). Equine stereotypic behaviors: Causation, occurrence, and prevention. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 8(5), 386–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2013.04.068
Scopa, C., Palagi, E., Sighieri, C., & Baragli, P. (2018). Physiological outcomes of calming behaviors support the resilience hypothesis in horses. Scientific Reports, 8(1), 17501. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35561-7