Longitudinal welfare assessment in French jump racehorses during season preparation.

[en] [en] BACKGROUND: Public scrutiny of racehorse welfare is increasing. The preparatory training phase preceding the racing season is potentially a critical period for physical and mental development. Structured welfare assessment protocols have recently been developed, but their use in field conditions remains limited. OBJECTIVES: (1) To evaluate the field applicability of a racehorse-specific welfare assessment protocol in a professional French jump racing yard; and (2) to explore whether it can detect relevant physical and behavioural changes in young horses during season preparation. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study with repeated measures. METHODS: Sixteen two- to three-year-old racehorses (10 Thoroughbreds, 6 French Non-Thoroughbreds) from a single jump racing yard were assessed at three time points (T0, T1, T2) over 5 months before the racing season. Direct observations included environmental conditions, physical health, horse grimace scale (HGS), human-horse relationship tests, and behavioural activity budgets via scan sampling. Mixed-effects models evaluated temporal changes and associated factors. RESULTS: Horses were healthy, with adequate nutrition and comfort, though no free turn-out and social contact often limited to visual interaction (68%). Body condition score decreased significantly at T1 (β = -0.96; 95% CI: [-1.7, -0.26]; p = 0.007) and T2 (β = -2.0; 95% CI: [-2.9, -1.1]; p < 0.001). Lip commissure lesions were prevalent (external 65%, internal 75%). HGS scores increased significantly at T2 (β = 1.7; 95% CI: [0.85, 2.6]; p < 0.001), and horses with physical social contact had lower scores (β = -1.3; 95% CI: [-2.3, -0.22]; p = 0.02). Behavioural activity budgets showed inter-individual variability. MAIN LIMITATIONS: Small sample size and attrition limit generalisability. Assessments were conducted during routine training days without altering management, occasionally limiting evaluations. CONCLUSIONS: Structured welfare assessments are feasible in field conditions, highlight areas for improvement, and can capture relevant changes during jump racing season preparation.

Disciplines :

Veterinary medicine & animal health

Author, co-author :

Bonhomme, Maëlle ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Médecine vétérinaire comparée

Boisdenghien, Laura; Department of Functional Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium

Couroucé, Anne ; Equine Department, National Vet School of Nantes, Oniris Vetagrobio, Nantes, France ; Biotargen, University of Caen Normandie, Saint Contest, France

Votion, Dominique ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Fundamental and Applied Research for Animals and Health (FARAH) > FARAH: Médecine vétérinaire comparée

Language :

English

Title :

Longitudinal welfare assessment in French jump racehorses during season preparation.

Publication date :

21 December 2025

Journal title :

Equine Veterinary Journal

ISSN :

0425-1644

eISSN :

2042-3306

Publisher :

Wiley, United States

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Additional URL :

https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/evj.70142

Funders :

ULiège FSR - Université de Liège. Fonds spéciaux pour la recherche
F.R.S.-FNRS - Fonds de la Recherche Scientifique
IFCE - Institut Français du Cheval et de l'Équitation

Available on ORBi :

since 23 December 2025

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