It is my personal belief that we owe it to the horses in our care to apply and strive for best welfare and management practices. Though, we all know that the practise often looks different, be it due to overriding monetary interests and gains, a lack of knowledge, education and/or resources, or a myriad of other reasons. Therefore, it must be welcomed when we are able to show that equine welfare and business interests are not mutually exclusive but go hand in hand.
Let Them Be Horses
In a recent study, associations between gestational and early-life exposures in thoroughbreds and (i) likelihood of racing, (ii) total number of runs and (iii) total prizemoney by the end of the 3-year-old-year were investigated. 129 thoroughbred foals on six stud farms in the UK were included in the research until they were 4 years old.
The results of the study showed that more extensive early-life turn out practices and later weaning was associated with enhanced race performance outcomes. It is assumed that the increased opportunity for positive musculoskeletal tissue adaptation and optimal growth and development rates during a critical window of developmental plasticity contributed to this.
Increased Turn Out Time In Larger Paddocks
In the present study, an increased turn out time and area during the first 6 months of the foal’s life were linked to an increased likelihood of racing and an increased total prizemoney earned by the end of the fourth year of life, respectively. It is hypothesized that extended time at pasture in larger paddocks at a time where the foals’ bodies undergo rapid growth and developmental plasticity provided the respective foals with a greater opportunity to achieve the necessary workloads and activity intensity for positive musculoskeletal tissue adaptation. This in turn led to greater resistance to injury and disease and athletic performance in later life.
There is also the possibility that early-life activity and exercise contribute to improved activity motivation, improved metabolic function and reduced obesity, and improved anti-inflammatory immunity at later stages of life.
The social environment in early life and the ability to move and express natural behaviour in groups also plays an important role in the development of coping behaviours as well as cognitive development and later-life resilience, which may enhance their performance.
Late Weaning
Weaning is recognised as being one of the most stressful events in the life of a horse. Evidence from observational studies of naturalistic equine populations suggests that when foals were allowed to wean voluntarily, which occurred on average at around 9–10 months of age, any weaning-associated stress response appeared to be alleviated.
In the present study, a positive correlation was established between the total number of races by the end of the fourth year of life and the age at weaning.
Overall, the findings support that good welfare practices which support both physical and social development translate into enhanced performance at later life stages.
Reference: Mouncey, de Mestre, Arango-Sabogal, Verheyen, Born to run? Associations between gestational and early-life exposures and later-life performance outcomes in Thoroughbreds