Effect of the Work Performed by Tourism Carriage Horses on Physiological and Blood Parameters
Author
dc.contributor.author
Vergara, Fernando
Author
dc.contributor.author
Tadich Gallo, Tamara
Admission date
dc.date.accessioned
2015-08-23T01:02:05Z
Available date
dc.date.available
2015-08-23T01:02:05Z
Publication date
dc.date.issued
2015
Cita de ítem
dc.identifier.citation
Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 35 (2015) 213–218
en_US
Identifier
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DOI: 10.1016/j.jevs.2014.12.018
Identifier
dc.identifier.uri
https://repositorio.uchile.cl/handle/2250/133059
General note
dc.description
Artículo de publicación ISI
en_US
Abstract
dc.description.abstract
Welfare of working horses is a matter of public concern, with scarce information on their
possible physiological coping mechanisms. The aim of this study was to assess changes in
possible physiological welfare indicators in working horses, as a result of pulling tourism
carriages under field conditions. A descriptive field study of the work performed by
tourism carriage horses and their physiological, hematological, and blood biochemistry
implications was performed. For this, 10 tourism carriage horses were studied under
normal working conditions. For description of work, speed, distance, and force were
calculated. To assess welfare, physiological variables including heart rate, respiratory rate,
rectal temperature, and hematological and blood biochemistry parameters were evaluated
before, during, and after work. Results show that tourism carriage horses exerted a submaximal
effort in terms of speed, force, and physiological variables assessed. The heart and
respiratory rate showed significant increases (P < .05) after work, but recovered to basal
values within the first 10 minutes. Blood variables did not show significant changes that
could be related to poor welfare. Lactate and packed cell volume (PCV) were the only blood
variables with significant differences across work (P < .05) with lactate decreasing over
time and PCV increasing with work and returning to basal levels at 10 minutes after work.
Physiological variables showed a possible adaptation to work by the carriage horses but
were not sufficient to diagnose a welfare problem. Management practices and other
animal-based indicators should be included in further studies to obtain a holistic
conclusion.