A new pilot study has found that horses kept in active stables may be more willing to engage with novel objects and more prepared to follow human guidance than horses housed in more traditional box-based systems.
The research, published in Animal, explored whether active stable housing influences how horses respond to unfamiliar or startling situations, and how they behave around people. While the study found no clear difference in the horses’ immediate startle response, it did suggest that horses living in active stables were generally less hesitant in fear-based tests and were rated as more relaxed, friendly and interested in human contact.
The findings add to growing discussion around horse welfare and the importance of management systems that better support the horse’s natural behavioural needs, often described as the “3Fs” – friends, forage and freedom of movement.
Comparing active and traditional housing
The study involved 46 horses, with 24 living in an active stable in the Czech Republic and 22 housed in a traditional stable with individual boxes in Poland.
Active stable systems are designed to allow horses greater freedom of movement, social interaction and more frequent access to forage through automated feeding systems. Horses can move between different areas, including shelters, paddocks and grazing zones, and can choose their own companions and daily routines to a much greater extent than in conventional systems.
Traditional-stable horses in this study were kept in individual straw-bedded boxes and turned out together for around five hours each day, while also taking part in riding school work.
Researchers wanted to know whether these different environments influenced the horses’ responses to novelty and to human interaction.
What the horses were asked to do
The horses took part in a series of behavioural tests, including walking across a tarp, approaching a novel object, and re-approaching that same object after it had suddenly moved and created a startling sound.
The researchers also looked at whether horses tried to position themselves behind the handler when faced with something unfamiliar, interpreting this “hiding” behaviour as a possible sign of uncertainty or a search for support.
In addition, owners and managers completed a Qualitative Behaviour Assessment, rating each horse using descriptors such as relaxed, friendly, fearful, curious and pushy.
Horses in active stables were less hesitant
Although the two groups did not differ significantly in whether they ultimately completed the tasks, horses from active stables tended to complete them more quickly and with less hesitation.
Compared with horses from traditional stables, active-stable horses:
- took less time to place a hoof on the tarp
- crossed the tarp more quickly
- approached and touched the novel object more readily after it moved
- spent less time hiding behind the handler during some parts of the tests
The researchers concluded that horses in active stables appeared more willing to cooperate with humans in potentially worrying situations, even though their core startle reaction was not significantly different.
This is an important distinction. The study suggests that active stabling may not make horses inherently less fearful, but it may help them become more manageable and more prepared to engage rather than avoid.
More relaxed, friendly and contact-seeking
When owners and managers rated the horses’ general demeanour, active-stable horses scored higher for traits grouped as “relaxed and friendly”. They were also seen as more likely to seek contact with humans.
Interestingly, they also scored higher on a “fearful” factor in the Qualitative Behaviour Assessment. However, the researchers suggest that calmness and friendliness may actually be more useful indicators of how a horse will behave in a challenging situation than fearfulness alone.
In other words, a horse that appears relaxed and open to interaction may still have moments of uncertainty, but may cope better and remain more willing to work with a handler.
Age and workload also mattered
The study also found that age played an important role. Older horses were generally slower to approach or re-approach novel objects and were rated as less relaxed, less friendly and less curious.
Weekly riding workload also appeared to have an influence. Horses ridden more often were slower to return to the novel object after it had moved, suggesting that frequent work, especially in settings with multiple handlers or riders, may affect willingness to engage in uncertain situations.
The authors note that this may be particularly relevant for riding school horses, which often have less consistency in human interaction.
What does this mean for welfare?
The researchers say the findings support the idea that active stable systems may benefit horse welfare by encouraging more positive horse-human interactions and reducing avoidance behaviours, without increasing fearfulness.
That matters because better manageability is not just a practical advantage for owners and handlers. It can also be a sign that the horse is coping better emotionally with its environment.
The study adds to a wider body of evidence suggesting that housing systems offering more movement, social contact and naturalistic daily routines may support better psychological wellbeing in horses.
Important limitations
As a pilot study, the authors are careful not to overstate the findings. The horses came from only two centres, and the groups differed not just in housing type but also in workload, daily management and previous life experience.
Many of the horses in the active stable had spent earlier years in more traditional housing, making it difficult to separate past experiences from the effects of their current environment. The relatively small sample size also means larger studies will be needed before firm conclusions can be drawn.
Even so, the results are encouraging and raise important questions for yard owners, riders and welfare professionals considering how stable design and management may shape behaviour as well as wellbeing.
The takeaway
This study suggests that active stables may help horses become less avoidant, more cooperative and more willing to engage with both people and unfamiliar challenges. While they may not reduce a horse’s natural startle response, they could support better handling, improved horse-human relationships and a more welfare-friendly environment overall.
For a sector increasingly focused on giving horses the friends, forage and freedom they need, that is a conversation worth paying attention to.
To read the full paper and see all the diagrams and data, follow this link: Do active stables affect the response to novelty and attitude toward humans in horses? A pilot study
