Longitudinal welfare assessment in French jump racehorses during season preparation.

Abstract

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 (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;-0.96; 95% CI: [-1.7, -0.26]; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;0.007) and T2 (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;-2.0; 95% CI: [-2.9, -1.1]; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001). Lip commissure lesions were prevalent (external 65%, internal 75%). HGS scores increased significantly at T2 (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;1.7; 95% CI: [0.85, 2.6]; p&#x2009;<&#x2009;0.001), and horses with physical social contact had lower scores (&#x3b2;&#x2009;=&#x2009;-1.3; 95% CI: [-2.3, -0.22]; p&#x2009;=&#x2009;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.