Hartpury University Repository

Bearman-Brown, Lucy E.

Baker, Philip J.

Scott, Dawn

Uzal, Antonio

Evans, Luke

Yarnell, Richard W.

English

Over-winter survival and nest site selection of the west-european hedgehog (Erinaceuseuropaeus) in arable dominated landscapes

Caven, Elias J. G.

Bryan, Tom J. E.

Dingley, Amelia F.

Drury, Benjamin

Garcia-Ramos, Amador

Perez-Castilla, Alejandro

Arede, Jorge

Fernandes, John F. T.

Group versus Individualised Minimum Velocity Thresholds in the Prediction of Maximal Strength in Trained Female Athletes

Greening, Linda

Pullen, Alexandra

Tame, Sarah

Bufton, Cherie-Ann

The welfare implications of horse owner 
perceptions & knowledge of equine sleep
LM Greening1*, A Pullen1, S Tame1, & CA Bufton1
1Equestrian Performance Research Centre, Hartpury 
University, Gloucestershire, GL19 3BE
INTRODUCTION:
This study aimed to document what understanding horse owners of different experience 
have about equine sleep compared to current knowledge in the field of equine sleep 
research, and to establish whether owners consider sleep important relative to welfare and 
performance. In addition this study used social media to communicate findings to 
participants with the aim of increasing awareness and knowledge of equine sleep for horse 
owners.
METHODS:
• An online mixed methods questionnaire created on Google Forms was piloted before 
distribution via social media platforms from 13/11/2019 (closing 31/03/2020). 
• In total 582 responses were gained via convenience and snow-ball sampling. 
• Thematic analysis was used to identify the higher level themes emerging from answers 
describing signs that horse owners used to detect sleep. 
• Single Factor ANOVA tested differences (P>0.05) between participant groups separated 
by years of horse ownership/experience (1-5 years, 6-15 years, 16-25 years, 
26+years). 
*linda.greening@hartpury.ac.ukContact author:
RESULTS:
Existing research suggests that horses sleep on average 
for 3 to 4 hours 1, 2. In the current study, 50% of 
respondents thought their horse slept for >4 hours 
whilst 17% were unsure how long their horse slept for 
(Fig. 1), 29% reported never considering the amount of 
sleep that their horse achieved (Fig. 2), and 55% did not 
attribute lethargy to lack of sleep (Fig. 3). 
No significant differences (P>0.05) were found between 
participant groups for: the number of hours respondents 
thought horses slept for; how often they considered the 
amount of sleep the horse had achieved; whether they 
attributed lack of sleep to lethargy in the stable/during 
exercise.
Higher level themes included 1) behavioural indicators 
e.g. mood/ alertness, and 2) signs of recumbency e.g. 
stable stains/bedding on body/rug and flattened bedding. 
A small proportion (11%) of participants a) assumed 
their horse slept without looking for signs b) were 
unsure of signs c) didn’t answer. 
Figure 1. % participants 
grouped by the no. hours they 
thought horses slept for in a 
24 hour period 
Figure 2. % participants 
grouped by how often they 
considered the amount of 
sleep their horse achieved
CONCLUSIONS:
Results suggest uncertainty amongst participants about 
the amount of sleep their horse 1) achieves and 2) 
requires. Some participants did not consider whether sleep 
occurred. Years of experience as a horse owner did not 
influence responses. Sleep does not appear to be 
consistently considered by horse owners relative to equine 
wellbeing, despite its function relative to body 
maintenance and memory consolidation3. 
The findings from the study are currently under public 
consultation (please see ‘Nocturnal equine behaviour 
group’ https://www.facebook.com/groups/753699465073014 for 
live presentation of this process).  
References: 1Campbell, S, S. & Tobler, I. (1984) Animal Sleep: A review of sleep duration across phylogeny. Neuroscience & 
Biobehavioural Reviews, 8; pp269-300; 2 Fuchs, C; Kiefner, L, C; Kalus, M; Reese, S; Erhard, M. & Wöhr, A, C. (2018) Polysomnography as 
a tool to assess equine welfare. In: Grant, R, A et al. (Eds); Measuring Behaviour 2018, ISBN 978-1-910029-39-8; 3Rechtschaffen, A. 
(1998) Current perspectives on the function of sleep. Perspectives in Biology & Medicine, 41 (3), pp. 359-390
Figure 3. % participants 
grouped by whether they 
attributed lethargy to lack of 
sleep


The welfare implications of owner perceptions and knowledge of equine sleep

Morera-Margarit, Pilar

Karley, Alison J.

Mitchell, Carolyn

Graham, Robert I.

Pope, Tom W.

Geographic origin may not influence vine weevil Otiorhynchus sulcatus (Fabricius) susceptibility to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium brunneum (Petch)

Hosey, Geoff

Melfi, Vicky

Ward, Samantha J.

Angelici, Francesco Maria

Rossi, Lorenzo

Problematic Animals in the Zoo: The Issue of Charismatic Megafauna

Dorey, Nicole

Ward, Samantha

Us and Them: Human–Animal Interactions as Learning Events

Baker, Kathy Rose

The Ultimate Benefits of Learning

Lesniak, Kirsty

Williams, Jane

Relationship between magnitude and direction of asymmetries in facial and limb traits in horses and ponies.

Tui, S.

QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF THE IFEEL 
METHOD OF EQUINE FACILITATED PYSCHO-
TRAUMATOLOGY (EFPT) INTERVENTION, USING THE
CLINICAL OUTCOME IN ROUTINE EVALUATION OUTCOME
MEASURE (CORE-OM)
Jane M Williams, Hartpury University, jane.williams@hartpury.ac.uk 
Sun Tui, IFEEL Method, sun@ifeelmethod.com 
POSTER 157
RESEARCH AIM:
to measure the impact of a 3-day EFPT programme on participants’ psychological health using 
the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation Outcome Measure (CORE – OM) (Evans et al, 2000)
Method:
3 day IFEEL Method EFPT programme for 37 
participants with PTSD
Participants completed CORE – OM at start (D1) 
and end (D3): mean±sd for CORE dimensions
Wilcoxon signed rank analyses tested for 
differences D1 to D3 (significance: P<0.05)
Evans et al. 2000: http://doi.org/10.1080/jmh.9.3.247.255.
Thank you for listening
Want to know more: qualitative results 150
CORE – OM 
dimension
MEAN±SD D1 MEAN±SD D3 P VALUE
CORE W 2.02±0.86 1.48±1.02 P=0.0001
CORE P 2.1±0.82 1.22±0.80 P=0.025
CORE F 1.83±0.7 0.87±0.77 P=0.0001
CORE R 0.71±0.83 0.22±0.47 P=0.0001
CORE ALL 1.74±0.65 0.92±0.64 P=0.007
After the IFEEL Method EFPT intervention, 
participants’ self rated all aspects of their 
psychological health higher (lower scores) 
Conclusions and Implications
IFEEL method generated short-
term improvement  in individuals 
with PTSD, moving on average 
below clinical cut-off distress 
More research using CORE – OM 
or equivalent needed


Qualitative evaluation of the impact of the IFEEL Method of Equine Facilitated Psychotraumatology (EFPT) intervention on military veterans

Wilkinson, Kate

Godfrey-Porter, Lucy

We are inclusive, aren’t we; the development of a student-staff inclusive teaching and learning policy.