bedding can be 
 effectively used as a floor covering to absorb moisture and provide a soft surface .
some studies have used the preference test to 
 investigate the bedding preference in horses and ponies [ 3 , 4 , 6 ] .
these studies have reported that the animals preferred straw over shavings and 
 paper as the material for bedding . in japan , rice straw has frequently been used as bedding , and in some cases , used straw 
 bedding is often reused after drying in the sunshine .
( 2004 ) 
 reported that drying the bedding in sunshine was not sufficient to completely clean it from 
 urine ammonia .
moreover , rice straw has been unobtainable in japan and imported from foreign 
 countries , and the law relating to excreta of livestock was proclaimed .
therefore , it is 
 required to use a new reusable material for bedding . in this study , the husk and fiber of coconuts , which are wasted during the production of 
 coconut milk , oil , etc . from coconut , were used as bedding materials .
we investigated the 
 effect of these bedding materials and that of the commonly used bedding materials , namely , 
 straw and sawdust , on the welfare of stable horses by observing their resting behavior .
twenty horses ranging from 3 to 21 years of age were used at the equine research 
 institute of the japan racing association , utsunomiya , japan .
the breeds of horses were 
 thoroughbred ( n=8 ) , anglo - arab ( n=3 ) , selle francais ( n=3 ) , thoroughbred mixed breed 
 ( n=2 ) , and dutch warmblood , haflinger , hannover , and westfalen ( n=1 each ) .
the horses were 
 kept individually in box stall which floor was concrete ( 2.6 m  3.6 m ) .
they were ridden 
 from 7:00 to 9:00 or were turned out into a pasture or a paddock from 09:00 to 13:00 .
each 
 horse received a pelleted concentrate and oat mixture and cut alfalfa hay at 05:30 and 
 15:30 , and long timothy hay at 12:00 as a maintenance ration .
the following 4 types of bedding materials were used : straw , sawdust , coconut husk 
 ( husk ) , and coconut fiber ( fiber ) .
the husk was made of crushed coconut husk and the fiber 
 bedding was prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
three weeks before the 
 behavioral observation , the bedding was changed to the experimental bedding .
five horses 
 were allocated to each bedding condition . in every bedding condition , the box stalls were 
 cleaned and their faeces were removed once daily . dirty straw was replaced with new straw 
 daily , and the other beddings were replaced with new bedding once a week .
the behavior of each horse was recorded by video camera for 3 days and was continuously 
 sampled from 17:00 to 05:00 .
the box stalls were illuminated during the observation 
 period . the total duration ( minutes per a day ) , the number of bouts ( times per a day ) , the 
 mean and the maximum duration of bouts ( minutes ) in standing rest , sternal lying , and 
 lateral lying   were calculated .
the data in each 
 behavioral category were analysed with the kruskal - wallis test , and a post hoc steel - dwass 
 test was used to investigate the differences among beddings .
twenty horses ranging from 3 to 21 years of age were used at the equine research 
 institute of the japan racing association , utsunomiya , japan .
the breeds of horses were 
 thoroughbred ( n=8 ) , anglo - arab ( n=3 ) , selle francais ( n=3 ) , thoroughbred mixed breed 
 ( n=2 ) , and dutch warmblood , haflinger , hannover , and westfalen ( n=1 each ) .
the horses were 
 kept individually in box stall which floor was concrete ( 2.6 m  3.6 m ) .
they were ridden 
 from 7:00 to 9:00 or were turned out into a pasture or a paddock from 09:00 to 13:00 .
each 
 horse received a pelleted concentrate and oat mixture and cut alfalfa hay at 05:30 and 
 15:30 , and long timothy hay at 12:00 as a maintenance ration .
the following 4 types of bedding materials were used : straw , sawdust , coconut husk 
 ( husk ) , and coconut fiber ( fiber ) .
the husk was made of crushed coconut husk and the fiber 
 bedding was prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
three weeks before the 
 behavioral observation , the bedding was changed to the experimental bedding .
five horses 
 were allocated to each bedding condition . in every bedding condition , the box stalls were 
 cleaned and their faeces were removed once daily . dirty straw was replaced with new straw 
 daily , and the other beddings were replaced with new bedding once a week .
the behavior of each horse was recorded by video camera for 3 days and was continuously 
 sampled from 17:00 to 05:00 .
the box stalls were illuminated during the observation 
 period . the total duration ( minutes per a day ) , the number of bouts ( times per a day ) , the 
 mean and the maximum duration of bouts ( minutes ) in standing rest , sternal lying , and 
 lateral lying   were calculated .
the data in each 
 behavioral category were analysed with the kruskal - wallis test , and a post hoc steel - dwass 
 test was used to investigate the differences among beddings .
there was no significant difference among beddings in the standing rest and the sternal 
 lying ( tables 1 and 2table 1.effects of bedding materials on the standing rest in stabled horsebedding materialsstrawsawdusthuskfibertotal duration ( minutes)381.6  88.7437.8  75.7409.8  75.7443.8  151.2number of bout20.7  4.824.1  4.926.8
 9.816.7  5.8mean duration of bout ( minutes)18.4  11.818.2  3.715.3  7.526.6  8.5maximum duration ( minutes)93.0  59.0116.4  78.5102.8  43.393.9
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk.table 2.effects of bedding materials on the sternal lying in stabled horsebedding materialsstrawsawdusthuskfibertotal duration ( minutes)38.6  33.119.4  20.169.6  39.419.1  28.4number of bout2.8  2.61.7  1.56.1
 3.61.7  1.4mean duration of bout ( minutes)13.8  7.911.6  5.811.3  4.811.0  8.3maximum duration ( minutes)31.5  27.913.6  9.828.7  10.213.4
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk . ) .
significant differences in the total duration , the number of bouts , and the 
 mean and the maximum duration of bouts in the lateral lying were observed among beddings 
 ( p<0.05 ) .
the values of the means of the total duration , the number of bouts , and the 
 mean and the maximum duration of bouts in the lateral lying when husk was used as bedding 
 were greater than those when sawdust were used as bedding ( p<0.05 , table 3table 3.effects of bedding materials on the lateral lying in stabled horsebedding materialsstrawsawdusthuskfibertotal duration ( minutes)4.0  5.60.02  0.0510.1  10.91.5  2.5number of bout1.6  1.80.1  0.153.4
 0.90.3  0.5mean duration of bout ( minutes)2.5  1.10.3  0.013.0  0.94.4  2.5maximum duration ( minutes)4.4  3.90.07  0.155.1  2.23.8
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
numbers with 
 different letters are statistically different ( a , b : p<0.05 ) . ) .
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
husk was made of crushed coconut husk and fiber was 
 prepared with husk bedding covered with fiber from coconut husk .
numbers with 
 different letters are statistically different ( a , b : p<0.05 ) .
resting behavior when husk and fiber bedding were used was not different from that in straw 
 treatment .
the resting behavior indicates that these new bedding materials would be as 
 usable as straw .
however , lateral lying was observed less frequently with sawdust , which is 
 a commonly used bedding material , than when husk was used as bedding .
the lateral lying is 
 said to be related to sleeping , which is a 
 positive indicator of welfare in stabled horses . 

it is also reported that horses preferred straw bedding over shavings in the preference 
 tests .
the less frequent observation of the 
 lateral lying with sawdust indicates that sawdust used as bedding material decrease the 
 welfare of stabled horses . in this study , replacing dirty bedding with new bedding of 
 sawdust was performed once a week although faeces in stalls were removed once a day .
moreover , it is said 
 that the sleeping behavior was related to learning and memory ( review , ) .
therefore , further investigations on the effect of 
 bedding material and the method of cleaning the bedding on the horses welfare and learning 
 are required . however , in animal welfare , we focus on the physical and mental health of the animals with 
 reference to the  5 freedoms. the concept of 5 freedoms are ( 1 ) freedom from hunger and 
 thirst ; ( 2 ) freedom from discomfort ; ( 3 ) freedom from pain , injury , or disease ; ( 4 ) freedom 
 to express normal behavior ; and ( 5 ) freedom from fear and distress .
bedding material is 
 related to the  freedom from discomfort in terms of moisture , soft surface , and air 
 ammonia ,  freedom from pain , injury , or disease in terms of hoof disease and skin 
 conditions , and 
the effect of bedding materials on the welfare of stabled horses should be 
 evaluated not only based on the resting behavior but also based on the water content in 
 bedding , airborne ammonia ( e.g. ) , and hoof 
 condition . moreover
, the use of beddings should be evaluated in terms of management and 
 costs for the applied purpose .
 the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of straw , sawdust , coconut husk 
 ( husk ) , and coconut fiber ( fiber ) on the welfare of stable horses by observing their 
 resting behavior . 
 twenty horses with ages ranging from 3 to 21 years were used at the 
 equine research institute of the japan racing association , utsunomiya , japan . 
 five horses 
 were allocated to each bedding condition . 
 the behavior of each horse was recorded by video 
 camera for 3 days and was continuously sampled from 17:00 to 05:00 . 
 the total duration , 
 the number of bouts , and the mean and the maximum duration of bouts in standing rest , 
 sternal lying , and lateral lying were calculated and analysed by the kruskal - wallis test 
 and post hoc steel - dwass test . 
 there was no difference in the standing rest and the 
 sternal lying among beddings . 
 significant differences were observed in these values in the 
 lateral lying among the different beddings ( p<0.05 ) . 
 the values of the means of the 
 total duration , the number of bouts , and the mean and the maximum duration of bout in the 
 lateral lying were greater when husk was used as the bedding material than when sawdust 
 were used ( p<0.05 ) . 
 the results of the observations show that the new bedding materials 
 would be as usable as straw . 
 however , lateral lying was observed less frequently when 
 sawdust were used as bedding ; this indicates that use of sawdust as bedding material will 
 decrease the welfare of stabled horses . 
Introduction
Materials and Methods
Animals and management
Bedding materials
Behavioral observation and data analysis
Results
Discussion