Equine Monitoring

Development of horse management in Skåne natural pastureland as a new rural resource with great export opportunities.

In this project, the aim was to use research to show that horses raised under natural conditions on large and hilly pastures become more sustainable individuals over time. The purpose was also to provide landowners with a system to offer optimal growing conditions for young horses. But also to enable a way to achieve better horse welfare combined with business development in rural areas and preservation of the open landscape.

In the project, a number of young, future competition horses were kept on large and hilly pastures, Brösarps Backar (2020) and Kumlans nature reserve (2021). The horses were equipped with sensors for monitoring well-being and behavior.

As a reference, other horses were kept with more traditional horse management: partly in loose housing with access to 2 hectares of pasture and a shelter, partly with access to 0.5 hectares of pasture during the day and a box at night. All horses were weighed, measured, and body condition scored before turnout and after return. The horses were monitored daily by project staff and were supervised around the clock in real-time via the sensors in the halters.

In the study, it was observed how the three different horse management forms differed on several points: resting, eating, movement patterns, and energy consumption. The horses in the project moved about twelve kilometers per day compared to the reference horses that moved barely eight kilometers and four kilometers per day, respectively. It also became evident that the horses in the project ate over a larger part of the day and rested less than the reference horses. In other words, the horses in the project were doing very well, and they also gained better body control through exercise in the steep hills.

In total, the horses were recorded for 34,000 hours, making the project one of the world's largest individual studies of horse behavior.

The project attracted significant attention both nationally and internationally. Several daily and trade newspapers in Sweden, England, Germany, and Belgium wrote reports, and SVT aired two segments about the so-called ”Brösarps project.” Self-produced films spread worldwide and quickly reached over two hundred thousand views, and brochures were produced in Swedish and English. The project was presented in connection with Borgeby field days, at Falsterbo Horse Show, during the Horse Round Skåne, at the annual horse industry days in Skåne, and at a large international horse conference in England (ISES Hartpury Conference).

Through the project, both economic and ethical advantages of this type of animal husbandry have been demonstrated. At the same time, opportunities for open natural pastures with biodiversity and new job opportunities in rural areas have been created.

There is now a fact base for those wishing to start a similar operation. This cost-effective and secure system for monitoring horses can also be used for other animal species (interest has been expressed from Saudi Arabia to test the system on camels).

Read project final report by clicking on the image below.

Equine Monitoring won the award for best rural project in the Innovation category at the Skåne leader gala 2023.

The jury's motivation: The project has demonstrated innovation by identifying a problem and then creating a solution in a unique way. Equipping horses with sensors and monitoring them in their pastures has generated unique data to transform horse management, not only locally but internationally. The project has also opened up opportunities for natural pastures with biological diversity while contributing to the ethical and economic benefits of this type of animal husbandry.

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The project is interesting from many aspects, contributes to healthier horse breeding, opens a national and international market, and utilizes new technology with monitoring systems. The project creates employment, services, biological diversity, and strengthens the area's brand.