Enrichments Aren’t Enough to Make Box Stalls Better

French researchers found that horses stalled with enrichments, such as forage, windows, and toys, still exhibited signs of stress and depression associated with confinement.
Share
Favorite
Close

No account yet? Register

ADVERTISEMENT

Enrichments Aren’t Enough to Make Box Stalls Better
French researchers found that horses stalled with enrichments, such as forage, windows, and toys, still exhibited signs of stress and depression associated with confinement. | Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt/The Horse

Give them a toy, you say. A mirror, a hanging ball, a bell. A window, more feed, straw bedding. They’ll be happier, you say.

Nice try, a research team says.

According to a new study, horses show behavioral signs of poor welfare while housed in box stalls, regardless of their “enrichment” status. And the longer they’re confined, the more extreme those signs get

Create a free account with TheHorse.com to view this content.

TheHorse.com is home to thousands of free articles about horse health care. In order to access some of our exclusive free content, you must be signed into TheHorse.com.

Start your free account today!

Already have an account?
and continue reading.

Share

Written by:

Passionate about horses and science from the time she was riding her first Shetland Pony in Texas, Christa Lesté-Lasserre writes about scientific research that contributes to a better understanding of all equids. After undergrad studies in science, journalism, and literature, she received a master’s degree in creative writing. Now based in France, she aims to present the most fascinating aspect of equine science: the story it creates. Follow Lesté-Lasserre on Twitter @christalestelas.

Related Articles

Stay on top of the most recent Horse Health news with

FREE weekly newsletters from TheHorse.com

Sponsored Content

Weekly Poll

sponsored by:

Where do you primarily feed your horse?
338 votes · 338 answers

Readers’ Most Popular

Sign In

Don’t have an account? Register for a FREE account here.

Need to update your account?

You need to be logged in to fill out this form

Create a free account with TheHorse.com!