Good work requires good rest. So how well a working horse rests at night has become an important equine welfare consideration.

British researchers have learned that horses spend less overall time resting at night during a working week than they do during an off-work week. However, they spend more of their time lying down in sternal position (“sitting up” on their abdomen with tucked-under legs, compared to lying flat on their side) during the work week than the nonwork week.

“Horses seem to alter their resting pattern when in work, which could have implications when using rest as a measure of welfare,” said Kym Griffin, PhD candidate, of the Animal Behaviour, Performance, and Welfare Research Group at Nottingham Trent University, in the United Kingdom. Griffin presented the group’s research, led by colleague Tanith Jones, at the 2016 International Society for Equitation Science conference, held June 23-26 in Saumur, France.

During their study, Griffin and her fellow researchers observed the nighttime behavior of eight geldings, ages 7 to 16, housed individually. The horses each worked in about two one-hour riding school lessons per day and spent the rest of the day in their stalls. For comparison, the researchers observed their nonworking behavior during an off week, when the horses were turned out to graze from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and then returned to their stalls. The team recorded nighttime behavior on video from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m