Ever wondered why horses have such long faces? A new study at The Nottingham Trent University has revealed that they may suffer from a form of Seasonal Affective Disorder – a type of depression that affects humans during the winter.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is caused by a biochemical imbalance in the brain due to fewer daylight hours and a lack of sunlight. As well as feelings of depression, it can cause sleep problems, lethargy, overeating, anxiety and mood changes.
The study at Nottingham Trent’s Brackenhurst Equestrian Centre looked at the behaviour of a group of horses, half of which were given light treatment therapy, one of the most effective treatments for SAD in humans. A local company that produces these lights for human treatment wanted to find out whether horses could benefit too. The treatment involved the horses standing under specially designed light strips (Brite-boxes) for an hour a day for six weeks.
Horses are often kept stabled during the winter and consequently live for long periods in unnaturally dark conditions. Those taking part in the study were assessed on various aspects of their behaviour before and after the light treatment therapy. Their sleep and eating patterns were monitored, and they were scored on how they reacted to being handled and to being isolated from other horses, as well as how they performed when being ridden and jumped.
The results were recorded by students who did not know which horses had been exposed to light therapy and they showed a difference between the two groups.