Equine Well Being
A practical approach to applying the Five Domains model to your EAS horses
Why should I care about horse welfare?
How well a horse is coping with their own stressors has a profound influence as to how well the horse can do what you ask them to do. Horses that are considered to have greater welfare tend to have less illness, less lameness, greater stamina, and are able to do their job better.
What actually is animal welfare?
The American Veterinary Medical Association defines animal welfare as “how an animal is coping with the conditions in which it lives. An animal is in a good state of welfare if (as indicated by scientific evidence) it is healthy, comfortable, well-nourished, safe, able to express innate behavior, and if it is not suffering from unpleasant states such as pain, fear, and distress” (AVMA, 2023).
What is so new about this welfare model?
Even if you have been around horses your entire life, the Five Domains model provides insight into every facet of the horse’s needs. It is not a list of what the horse must be free from (freedom from hunger, etc.). The Five Domains model is a way to look at what every horse requires to not just survive, but to flourish.
What is the Five Domains Model?
The Five Domains Model is a theoretical model that can be used to assess the current welfare of an animal in a “systematic, structured, comprehensive and coherent” way (Mellor, 2017). It does not directly define what makes good welfare and what makes bad welfare, rather it acts as a tool to assess welfare in a more general sense. It was developed in 1994 and has gone through seven updates, most recently in 2020 where Mellor incorporated human-animal interaction, which is of course of great interest to equine-assisted service providers (Mellor et al., 2020).
What are each of the Five Domains?
The five domains include: nutrition, physical environment, health, behavioral interactions, and overall mental state. Overall mental state encompasses how the animal’s internal circumstances (nutrition, health) and external circumstances (physical environment, behavioral interactions) lead to a positive or negative mental state (Mellor et al., 2020).
How can I use the five domains to improve the life of my horses?
As the guardian of your horses, have a plan in place to formally assess the welfare of our horses on a regular basis. Consider adding in a “Five Domains Welfare Check” to your monthly tack assessments or monthly health records. An assessment can be done in minutes by someone familiar with each horse.
Domain 1: Nutrition (e.g., food & water)
Is the diet of appropriate quality and quantity?
What is the body condition of each horse?
How long does each horse take to finish their feed?
Domain 2: Physical Environment (e.g., space, shelter, atmosphere)
Does the environment provide species appropriate needs?
Does each horse feel safe in their environment?
Are the horses able to sleep laying down every night?
Domain 3: Health (e.g., disease, injury, physical fitness)
Are the animals receiving appropriate veterinary and other necessary health care?
Are the animals receiving appropriate hoof care?
Do any of the horses appear to have a vice?
Are there any signs of subclinical gastric or hindgut ulcers?
Domain 4: Behavioral Interactions; Interactions with environment and with others
Are they able to perform species specific behaviors?
Do they live in a herd?
Do they get turned out with others?
Do they have play time?
How many sessions are they currently involved in?
What unique personality characteristics do they have?
What are their likes/dislikes?
Do they have choices?
Domain 5: Mental State
What is the animal’s affective state, taking the other domains into consideration?
Do the horses each appear to enjoy their life, both at home and at work?
What is their overall welfare currently? Compared to previous assessments, are they improving?
by C. Mike Tomlinson, DVM, MBA - Director Emeritus
Guidelines For Humans From The Horse’s Perspective
These guidelines were developed by the HHRF Equine Well-Being Task Force and are based on the beliefs that:
The integrity of the research is directly related to the well-being and suitability of the horses providing the interactions.
Horses are sentient beings that are aware of, sensitive to, and affected by their environment including the physical and emotional state of others in their presence.
When a horse is well managed and cared for with consideration and empathy, they build resilience to more effectively and safely cope with the inevitable stresses of life.
The horse needs to be in optimal physical, mental, and emotional health to enhance their ability to engage with humans.
For additional information click here to view the HHRF Equine Well-Being Guidelines For Humans From The Horse’s Perspective document.