Enriquecimento ambiental sonoro durante isolamento social e restrição de movimento no bem-estar de equinos

Abstract

The use of music as a form of environmental enrichment has been studied in recent years because it is an economically viable resource, that can provide promising results in animal welfare, especially in conditions of intensive confinement. However, little is known about the effects of different musical characteristics on horses. The research was carried out with the objective of evaluating the effects of two styles of classical music, based on different rhythmic tempos (BPM), on the behavior, physiological and blood parameters of horses during social isolation and restriction of movements. Two experiments were carried out, the first of which, lasting 27 days, used nine mixed breed horses, distributed in a Greco-Latin square design in three treatments (Control, Slow Rhythm (63 to 83 BPM) and Moderate Rhythm (75 to 107 BPM)). For social isolation and restriction of movement, the animals were daily placed in individual stalls for two hours, being exposed to the stimuli for 60 minutes, and their behavior, eye temperature, heart and respiratory rates were evaluated. Exposure to moderate-tempo music promoted an increase in eye temperature and a decrease in heart rate, while the slower musical stimulus administered to horses reduced respiratory rate during exposure. In the second experiment, carried out thirty days after the end of the first one, ten horses of mixed breed were used, distributed in a completely randomized design in the treatments: Slow Rhythm (63 to 83 BPM) and Moderate Rhythm (75 to 107 BPM), being exposed to music for seven days in a row for one hour, while confined. The results were higher calcium levels, higher level of corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and total hemoglobin concentration, in addition to the reduction of lymphocytes. In contrast, exposure to slow music only promoted an increase in HCM, hemoglobin concentration and reduction in the average size of platelets, however, both songs led to a significant increase in serotonin levels after one week of exposure. Exposure to different musical rhythms promoted different responses, both of which were contributing in the promoting the well-being and health of stabled horses