• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.895-900
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• 2016

The present study aims to confirm the influence of a horse-riding lesson program (HRLP) on the stress level of horses and riders by respectively analyzing their salivary cortisol concentration. Twenty-four healthy horses and 23 riders participated in this study. The horses were randomly classified into two groups for the horse riding lesson program: Class 1 (for the beginner lesson) and Class 2 (for the intermediate lesson). The Class 1 group consisted of 12 horses and 12 riders, while the Class 2 group consisted of 12 horses and 11 riders. Salivettes cotton wool swabs were used for saliva collection and the saliva analyses were conducted using a two-way analysis of variance for repeated measures with SAS version 8. As for the results, the average salivary cortisol concentration of all horses before HRLP significantly increased compared to the baseline (p<0.001) while it decreased after the HRLP. The results of the salivary cortisol concentration of the riders were similar to the horses' results. However, there was no difference during the HRLP between Class 1 and Class 2 in the horse or rider groups. The results suggest that the HRLP did not influence the stress level of the horses or riders. Thus, this study provides the necessary information and guidelines for future studies on stress in horses during riding and gives insight into better horse welfare and management options.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.60 no.1
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• pp.33-37
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• 2020

The purpose of the present study was to investigate changes in hematological and serum biochemical parameters in ponies exercising 3 times a day. The study included 10 healthy 4- to 5-year-old Jeju crossbred ponies used in riding lessons at an equestrian riding school. Hematology and serum chemistry samples were obtained before the initial lesson and after the last lesson of the day. The post-exercise results showed that packed cell volume, white blood cell, red blood cell, hemoglobin, and total protein levels increased significantly (p < 0.05). Serum Na⁺ also increased significantly (p < 0.01), but serum Ca⁺⁺ decreased significantly (p < 0.01). Creatinine kinase, aspartate amino transferase, gamma glutamyl transferase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and bilirubin levels increased significantly (p < 0.05), but the glucose level decreased significantly (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the serum cortisol hormone level increased significantly (p < 0.01). The results suggest that participating in riding lessons three times a day may result in various physiological changes, indicating the presence of exercise-related stress in riding ponies.