Effect of transport and exercise on behaviour of sport horses

The effects of transport on individual animals are of paramount concern to those concerned with both animal welfare and performances. Horses are moved from one place to another for different reasons: competitions, breeding, pleasure activities, sales and slaughtering, and could be transported by truck, ferries or airplanes. It is estimated that, in Italy, about 3000 horses were moved daily; therefore, the total number of transported horses all over the world is significantly high. Travel includes handling, loading, transport in self, unloading and often adaptation to a new environment; each of these phases affects horse physiology and behaviour in a different way. Transportation is in fact both a physical and psychological stressor for horses but while transport associated physiological variations are well known, the emotional consequences have only recently started to be investigated. Some studies were conducted for deeply understanding effects of different kind of loading, different journey distance, different travel position and other travel variables on physiological, endocrinal and behavioural parameters in sport horses. For instance, about the distance some authors reported that short journeys are as stressful as long one, causing a higher increase in blood cortisol concentration. Available literature is rich of interesting data, reviewed and presented in this chapter. Physiological responses of transported horses could be not only a welfare concern but also a health problrm, resulting in the development of several medical conditions. During long trips and in hot climatic condition, dehydration of the animals can occur, so the use of electrolytes in the water and resting breaks throughout the journey can help to alleviate physical and emotional suffering of those animals. Another critical point, that may be related to poor air circulation in the trailer, is the development of respiratory illnesses during or after a journey. Race and jumping horses are used to travel before competitions but, after transport, some of them show lower performance than usual. Physiological explanations and proper guidelines about this issue could help horse people to better manage this kind of situation, avoiding related poor performance's problems. Furthermore, while "Equine sport medicine" has described very accurately the effects of exercise on hematological parameters, only few studies have been actually published on how training could affect horse behaviour. The results and implication of those studies should be more comprehensible and accessible to horse people. Training, transport and competition are the most important activities that sports horses undergo during their career, probably still the major cause of injuries and health problems and of economic loss for horse breeding and industry. For that reason, a higher competence in this field could be useful for equine technicians.