Anuario Raza Polo Argentino Anuario2017 | Page 265

Absence of Hunger and Thirst Lack of Discomfort Absence of Pain, Injuries and Disease Freedom to Express their Specific Behaviors Equine welfare B etter Lack of Fear or Anxiety performance is not acceptable. Investigation has proven that in the equine species, because of their rapid digestion in which the stomach empties in 2 to 3 hours after food intake, 1 hour on an empty stomach generates discomfort (Harris, 2007). 2- Lack of Discomfort: The environment must be favorable. Space, shade and facilities must be adequate for the species in question. An important example: a horse needs a minimum 9 square meters to be able to lie down, and in this way be able to carry out a basic part of its physiological sleep (REM phase from 2 to 3 minutes per day). 3- Absence of Pain, Injuries and Disease: This point implies providing the necessary health care and adequate treatment for different ailments. It contemplates the importance of using anesthetic and analgesia in painful processes or procedures. It is natural to consider that adequate management will impact positively in the health of the animals, minimizing disease and reducing mortality as well as improving most of the normal physiological processes (fertility; breeding; development; capacity to adapt, etc.). 4- Freedom to Express their Specific Behaviors: We may take this point into consideration in its broad sense. It implies the need to move around; the need to respect behavioral characteristics of the species, for example: a horse is a rhythmic animal and its time management is sufficiently constant: • 13-14hs feed (more or less mobile) • 2-3hs sleep (with two minutes a day of paradoxical sleep in detail) • 2hs moving around • 5-6hs repose 5- Lack of Fear or Anxiety: Whether bound or not to interaction with humans this is about the need to generate the minimum conditions that will enable horses to adapt, whatever the kind of use the animal is put to. It is indispensable to change practices in which animals are compelled or miss- treated, and which are linked to cultural principles; tradition; customs and habit. These procedures come nowhere near the correct management that should be applied in an extremely sensitive species, since due to the natural characteristics as prey and the high degree of vigilance, they are easily made to become sensitive. All avoidable situations of stress must be arranged. 263