Uppfödares syn på inridningshästar i grupphållning : enkätundersökning

Abstract: The horses’ natural behaviour is easier to satisfy in a loose-housing system than housed in a traditional box. Law’s and science suggest that we should house horses in loose-housing, which improve the horse possibility to perform natural behaviours, to interact socially with other horses and to have more possibility to movement. It’s more timesaving in a working population aspect and a economic gain in materials. We noticed that it’s different opinions about what people in the horse society thinks about having youngsters housed in a loose-housing system. There is a problem that we don’t know what breeders and licensed riders think about keeping or not keeping young horses during a break-in period in a loose-housing system, especially horses intended to participate at the Swedish three year old test. The aim of this study is to investigate what breeders’ and licensed riders’ view on loose-housing young horses (2.5-3 years) that will participate at the Swedish three year old test. The main research question was: What do breeders and licensed riders think about loose housing young horses as compare to traditional single boxsystem during the break-in period before the Swedish three year old test? The questionnaire study was sent out to 2860 breeders and licensed riders. Six hundred and forty-one answers arrived which gave us an answering frequency of 22, 4 %. The cooperation with the Swedish Warmblood Association´s (SWB) made it possible for us to get access to e-mail addresses of those who mated at least one mare during 2012. The result of the questionnaire study showed that 59 % thought it was good with loose-housing. When we asked what type of housing they would recommend to a friend that had a two year old horse, 55 % said that they would recommend loose-housing for a two year old horse and the other 45 % would recommend housing them in a traditional single box system. The main factor pro loose-housing was that the horse the horse will become strong/healthy and the main factor con was the horse would become unsocial towards humans. Eighty per cent thought loose-housing is to prefer for having a horse in harmony. It was only 17% who thought it was safe having horses in loose-housing in a safety aspect for humans. The conclusion of the questionnaire study was that it is good with loose-housing. The breeders and licensed riders think the advantages of the system are that the horses get strong/healthy and that it´s more natural for the horse. The main disadvantages are that the horses get unsocial and there is a risk that the horses will get injured.