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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Transportation to the slaughterhouse: Can training reduce the stress response in horses?
Veterinary sciences, Vol.12(6), pp.1-13
03/06/2025
PMCID: PMC12197623
PMID: 40559784
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Source: InCites
Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of self-loading training on the overall stress response during pre-slaughter transportation in slaughter horses. Thirty-two slaughter horses were divided into two groups: the control group (CG) and the Trained Group (TG). For six weeks, the TG horses were trained to self-load using a method based on target training and shaping. Animals from both groups were transported to the same slaughterhouse in small groups on different days using the same truck along the same route. The baseline and post-transportation values of the eye temperature and fecal cortisol metabolites were determined for all the animals. All the horses were video-recorded while being transported and unloaded. The horses’ behavior was analyzed using a focal animal sampling method. During transportation, the presence of head shaking, licking, and chewing was significantly higher in the CG than the TG. During unloading, walking forward tended to be more frequent in the TG. The fecal cortisol metabolites and eye temperature were higher after transportation than at the baseline, but no differences between the groups were found. Overall, the results confirm that transportation for less than one hour caused detectable stress in slaughter horses. Based on these results, self-loading training appears to be somewhat useful to mitigate the overall transport stress.
Details
- Title
- Transportation to the slaughterhouse: Can training reduce the stress response in horses?
- Creators
- Francesca DaiMarica Toson - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieDaniela Bertotto - University of PaduaAlessandro Dalla Costa - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieEugenio Ugo Luigi Heinzl - University of MilanFrancesca Lega - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieMichela Minero - University of MilanBarbara Padalino - University of BolognaAnna Lisa StefaniSamuele Trestini - University of PaduaFederica Maietti - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieGloria Zonta - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle VenezieGuido Di Martino - Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie
- Publication Details
- Veterinary sciences, Vol.12(6), pp.1-13
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Grant note
- B22F17000370001 / Italian Ministry of Health, Rome, Italy
- Identifiers
- 991013293550302368
- Copyright
- © 2025 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Veterinary Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article