Welfare basics of keeping the Polish horse in the Yavorivskyi National Nature Park

Horses are farm animals but are often called domestic, in particular riding ones owned by owners who overestimate their needs, are overly delicate with them, overfeed them, and behave unnaturally). According to the criterion of “reaction to humans”, they are timid and run away in case of accidental stress. Noise, sudden movements, nervousness, and haste of the service personnel provoke readiness to escape. Horses must be understood to establish a relationship between them and humans. Therefore, their well-being, including “reaction to spectators”, depends on the conditions of keeping and feeding and the level of “upbringing”. Information about their well-being can be obtained using “body language”. Any disturbances in the normal daily rhythm of the horse’s typical living conditions (feed intake, behavior when leaving and entering the stable, care) will signal a decrease in the level of well-being. The clear, distinct signals that indicate the development of pathology are behavioral disorders and the emergence of stereotypes, which is usually called a habit or a disposition. Direct descendants of wild tarpans live in the Yavoriv National Nature Park. Genetically, the horses are no longer so wild compared to their ancestors, but they very much resemble them in behavior and appearance. Usually, three main methods of keeping this breed of horses are used: reserve, aviary (pen,) and stable keeping. In the Yavoriv National Park, a mixed aviary-stable method is used, for which a pen has been equipped, and a new stable has been built. From the end of April to the beginning of November, the horses are constantly grazing, consuming green grass and leaves of trees and shrubs. The area of the aviaries is insufficient to fully provide the horses with pasture grass, so they are additionally fed 10–15 kg of green mass. From November to April, horses are fed hay, and foaling mares are fed oat grain and root crops (carrots and beets). During this period, according to the diet, each animal was provided with more than 100 % of the physiological needs of the feed, as well as trace elements and vitamins. The behavior of the horses is natural; the mares and foals obey the stallion Troll and stick to the herd. The mares are somewhat timid when strangers appear, and the stallion becomes their protector. Over time, the animals adapt and become quite friendly. The conditions of keeping the Polish horse population meet generally accepted welfare requirements. Sufficient space, feed, daily free walking, and social contacts. Morphological blood analysis showed that the number of erythrocytes, hemoglobin concentration, and leukocyte count were within the physiological norm. The percentage of neutrophils was low, and the number of monocytes and lymphocytes was 2–2.5 times higher than the physiological norm (P < 0.001). At the same time, the level of AST and ALT enzymes was within the physiological norm accepted for horses. The chlorine content was 2.69 mmol/l, lower than the upper limit of the physiological norm. The level of creatinine in the blood was relatively high, exceeding the upper limit of the physiological norm by 2.1 times. However, we are inclined to believe that the high level of this indicator indicates the specificity of both the type of horses themselves (semi-wild animals) and the conditions of their maintenance. The animals spend most of the day grazing and have free space (they go to the stable only of their own free will). The genetic component of the Polish horse also plays a significant role in this.