Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses
Horse transportation for temporary relocation during rest periods is a common and widespread practice among horse owners, either from sport competition or working tasks. This study aimed to determine the effect of a relocation period and the multiple factors associated with a rest period on hair cor...
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/642 |
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| author | Jaume Gardela Annaïs Carbajal Oriol Tallo-Parra Sergi Olvera-Maneu Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez Eduard Jose-Cunilleras Manel López-Béjar |
| author_facet | Jaume Gardela Annaïs Carbajal Oriol Tallo-Parra Sergi Olvera-Maneu Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez Eduard Jose-Cunilleras Manel López-Béjar |
| author_sort | Jaume Gardela |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Horse transportation for temporary relocation during rest periods is a common and widespread practice among horse owners, either from sport competition or working tasks. This study aimed to determine the effect of a relocation period and the multiple factors associated with a rest period on hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) in horses. Additionally, this study reports the seasonal effect on HCCs and hair growth over a year. Thirteen police horses, Pure Spanish stallions of various ages (5–13 y), were selected to participate in this study. Hair sample collection was carried out approximately every 30 d for seven months (Study 1) and a year (Study 2). Cortisol determinations were performed by enzyme immunoassay. Interestingly, Study 1 revealed that relocated horses (<i>n</i> = 4) exhibited elevated HCCs compared with control horses (<i>n</i> = 4) after the relocation period (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Study 2 (<i>n</i> = 5) showed higher HCCs during summer compared with autumn and winter, and higher hair growth rates in winter compared with the other seasons (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Relocated horses had higher HCCs, suggesting a change in their welfare status, probably related to the sudden change in their surrounding conditions. However, these results should be interpreted cautiously due to the low sample size used. The nature of the relationship between HCCs and horse welfare needs to be further examined. |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:35:34Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-1e27d2b7d6fd41ac8849801fb69aeb8e2023-11-19T21:00:20ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152020-04-0110464210.3390/ani10040642Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in HorsesJaume Gardela0Annaïs Carbajal1Oriol Tallo-Parra2Sergi Olvera-Maneu3Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez4Eduard Jose-Cunilleras5Manel López-Béjar6Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal Medicine and Surgery, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainDepartment of Animal Health and Anatomy, Veterinary Faculty, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra (Cerdanyola del Vallès), 08193 Barcelona, SpainHorse transportation for temporary relocation during rest periods is a common and widespread practice among horse owners, either from sport competition or working tasks. This study aimed to determine the effect of a relocation period and the multiple factors associated with a rest period on hair cortisol concentrations (HCCs) in horses. Additionally, this study reports the seasonal effect on HCCs and hair growth over a year. Thirteen police horses, Pure Spanish stallions of various ages (5–13 y), were selected to participate in this study. Hair sample collection was carried out approximately every 30 d for seven months (Study 1) and a year (Study 2). Cortisol determinations were performed by enzyme immunoassay. Interestingly, Study 1 revealed that relocated horses (<i>n</i> = 4) exhibited elevated HCCs compared with control horses (<i>n</i> = 4) after the relocation period (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Study 2 (<i>n</i> = 5) showed higher HCCs during summer compared with autumn and winter, and higher hair growth rates in winter compared with the other seasons (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Relocated horses had higher HCCs, suggesting a change in their welfare status, probably related to the sudden change in their surrounding conditions. However, these results should be interpreted cautiously due to the low sample size used. The nature of the relationship between HCCs and horse welfare needs to be further examined.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/642hair cortisolhorsestressrelocationrest periodwelfare |
| spellingShingle | Jaume Gardela Annaïs Carbajal Oriol Tallo-Parra Sergi Olvera-Maneu Manuel Álvarez-Rodríguez Eduard Jose-Cunilleras Manel López-Béjar Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses Animals hair cortisol horse stress relocation rest period welfare |
| title | Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses |
| title_full | Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses |
| title_fullStr | Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses |
| title_short | Temporary Relocation during Rest Periods: Relocation Stress and Other Factors Influence Hair Cortisol Concentrations in Horses |
| title_sort | temporary relocation during rest periods relocation stress and other factors influence hair cortisol concentrations in horses |
| topic | hair cortisol horse stress relocation rest period welfare |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/642 |
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