Can Horses Get Stressed During Time Off? Rest Periods, Pasture Moves and Routine Changes

By Dr Duncan Houston

Sending a horse away for a holiday at pasture sounds like the perfect break. More space, less work, fresh air and time to behave like a horse.

The horse, however, has not read the holiday brochure.

They may experience transport, unfamiliar water, different forage, new handlers, new horses, altered feeding times and the sudden loss of a familiar exercise routine all at once. Even when the destination is objectively good, the transition can produce a temporary stress response.

That does not mean rest is harmful. It means the way the rest period is introduced matters.

Quick Answer

Yes, horses can show temporary stress when moved to a new property or placed on a different routine for a rest period. The main problem is usually not the lack of work itself, but several changes occurring simultaneously, including transport, housing, diet, social contact, handlers and exercise.

Mild vigilance or calling may settle over the first few days. Refusal to eat, reduced manure, colic, fever, diarrhoea, persistent fence-running, lameness, laminitis signs or worsening withdrawal should not be dismissed as ordinary adjustment.

What Is “Vacation Stress” in Horses?

“Vacation stress” is a convenient description, not a formal veterinary diagnosis.

It refers to the behavioural and physiological response that may occur when a horse’s familiar routine is disrupted during a rest period. This may happen when the horse:

• Moves to another stable or pasture

• Changes from box housing to turnout

• Joins unfamiliar horses

• Stops regular training

• Receives different forage or feed

• Has a new handler or carer

• Returns from pasture to individual confinement

• Remains at home while the owner is away but daily care changes

A short-lived response to novelty is not necessarily harmful. Stress physiology helps an animal become alert, mobilise energy and adapt to new surroundings.

The concern is whether the horse adapts successfully or remains distressed, stops eating, becomes injured or develops a medical problem.

What Did the Spanish Horse Vacation Study Actually Find?

The study often used to support the idea of equine “vacation stress” was published in 2020 and involved Pure Spanish police stallions in Barcelona.

The full paper included 13 horses across two related investigations. However, the actual relocation comparison involved only eight stallions:

• Four horses remained at their normal police stables

• Four horses were relocated for 22 days

• The journey was approximately 39.5 kilometres and took around 45 minutes

• Relocated horses were kept individually in outdoor paddocks measuring approximately 3 by 4 metres

• They were fed three times daily rather than the usual eight times

• Routine training and police work stopped

• They were managed by unfamiliar staff

• They had visual and olfactory contact with unfamiliar male and female horses

• They were then returned to their original police stables

This was therefore not simply a comparison between working and relaxing. Transport, housing, feeding frequency, exercise, handlers and surrounding horses all changed together. (MDPI)

What Was Measured?

The researchers measured hair cortisol concentrations approximately every 30 days.

They did not measure salivary and faecal cortisol during the relocation experiment. Those sample types were discussed in the background of the paper, but hair was the biological sample actually used.

Hair cortisol reflects accumulated activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis over the period in which the hair grows. It cannot show exactly how the horse felt at a particular hour or on a particular day. (MDPI)

What Were the Results?

The relocated horses had significantly higher hair cortisol than the control horses at only one sampling point, in October, approximately one month after the 22-day relocation had ended.

At the other sampling points, there was no significant difference between the relocated and control horses.

A separate part of the study involving five stallions also found that hair cortisol was higher during summer than during autumn and winter. Season therefore influenced the measurement and could complicate interpretation of a relocation that occurred during August. (MDPI)

What Can We Conclude?

The study suggests that a sudden combination of environmental and management changes can alter longer-term adrenal activity.

It does not prove that:

• Time off is inherently bad for horses

• Pasture turnout generally causes chronic stress

• Every horse experiences a holiday in the same way

• Increased hair cortisol automatically means poor welfare

• Horses should remain in hard work to prevent stress

The relocation comparison included only four horses in each group, all of whom were police stallions managed under very specific conditions. The authors themselves stated that the small sample size limited the strength and generalisability of the findings. (PubMed)

Does Increased Cortisol Mean a Horse Is Suffering?

Not necessarily.

Cortisol is often called the “stress hormone”, but that description is too simplistic. Glucocorticoids are involved in normal metabolism, energy mobilisation, circadian rhythms, adaptation, exercise and immune regulation. Their concentrations can change with excitement, novelty, activity, pain, illness and season.

Measuring cortisol is therefore not the same as measuring fear, distress or poor welfare. Behaviour, physical health, appetite, social interaction and the horse’s ability to adapt must also be considered. (PubMed)

Higher cortisol is not always bad, and lower cortisol is not always reassuring. Research involving riding-school horses found that some horses with compromised welfare indicators, vertebral pain or abnormal withdrawn behaviour had lower plasma and faecal cortisol measures. Chronic stress physiology can therefore be more complicated than a simple “high equals stressed” rule. (PubMed)

Hair cortisol is also affected by factors including:

• Season

• Hair growth cycle

• Sampling location

• Hair length

• Endocrine disease

• Laboratory and storage methods

• The time represented by the regrown hair

Equine studies have repeatedly found seasonal variation, with higher hair cortisol commonly detected during summer in the populations studied. (PubMed)

Cortisol is useful research information. It is not a misery meter.

Is Pasture Turnout Good or Stressful for Horses?

Both statements can be true:

1. Moving to pasture can initially be challenging.

2. Pasture can still improve welfare once the horse adapts.

A separate 2020 study followed horses normally housed in individual boxes through approximately six weeks at pasture with other horses.

During the first five days at pasture, withdrawn behaviour temporarily increased. By around day 20, that behaviour had decreased again. While at pasture, the horses displayed more locomotion, exploration, resting and social behaviour, and no stereotypies or aggression towards humans were observed.

The more dramatic deterioration occurred after the horses returned to individual boxes. During the first five days back in confinement, stereotypies, withdrawn postures and alert postures increased sharply. (ScienceDirect)

This suggests that the transition itself, especially the return from a socially and behaviourally richer environment to confinement, may be more challenging than the pasture period.

Another study followed 27 sport horses during approximately six weeks at pasture and compared them with 18 horses remaining in individual boxes. The overall gut microbial community was relatively resilient, although some potentially beneficial bacterial groups increased after pasture exposure. Behavioural indicators of compromised welfare were particularly noticeable after the horses returned to box housing. (Nature)

Regular turnout can also be beneficial without requiring a complete relocation. A small 2026 study involving 11 stall-housed Quarter Horses found that 60 minutes of daily solitary turnout improved several behavioural and physiological stress indicators compared with no turnout or only 15 minutes. (PubMed)

The Practical Interpretation

Pasture is not automatically stressful, and individual stabling is not automatically safe or calming.

Pasture can provide:

• Voluntary movement

• Foraging

• Exploration

• Social contact

• More control over movement and resting location

• Greater expression of natural behaviour

However, an unsuitable pasture can also introduce:

• Social aggression

• Unsafe fencing

• Excessive grass intake

• Laminitis risk

• Heat or insect exposure

• Poor shelter

• Toxic plants

• Injuries

• Abrupt dietary change

• Unfamiliar water

• Loss of individual monitoring

A paddock is not automatically a wellness retreat just because it contains grass.

Why Can a Rest Period Be Stressful?

Transport and a New Environment

Transport requires continual balance adjustments and can produce measurable physiological stress even in experienced horses.

A recent road-transport study found increased salivary cortisol and temporary reductions in intestinal motility after travel. Horses that appeared more stressed on arrival also tended to have lower intestinal motility. (PubMed)

After unloading, the horse must then map:

• New fences

• Gates

• Water sources

• Shelter

• Feeding locations

• Nearby animals

• Unfamiliar noises

• Escape routes

A short period of vigilance is understandable. Persistent panic, running or refusal to eat is not.

Changes in Social Group

Horses are social animals, but unfamiliar social contact is not instantly relaxing.

Joining a new group requires horses to establish space, preferred companions and access to resources. Social instability and group transfers have been associated with increased faecal cortisol in horses. Initial aggression can also be greatest during group integration before relationships become more stable. (PubMed)

The risk is higher when:

• The paddock is small

• Horses can be trapped in corners

• Only one water or hay location is available

• A highly aggressive horse is present

• The newcomer has poor social experience

• Several horses are introduced simultaneously

• Food is concentrated in one small area

In an established herd, smaller turnout pens were associated with more chasing, biting, kicking threats and other agonistic behaviour than larger pens. (PubMed)

Social contact is beneficial. Forced intimacy in a crowded paddock is rather less therapeutic.

Changes in Diet and Feeding Frequency

The equine digestive system responds to changes in forage, concentrate, pasture access, feeding frequency and movement.

Research has associated changes in hay or concentrate type with increased colic risk. Experimental management changes have also produced measurable alterations in faecal output, water balance and intestinal motility, particularly during the first several days after the change. (PubMed)

Moving a horse from:

• Eight meals to three

• Hay to lush grass

• One hay batch to another

• A low-starch ration to a different concentrate

• Individual feeding to competitive group feeding

can be clinically more important than whether the horse is technically “on holiday”.

Sudden Change in Exercise

Stopping intense training may reduce physical and psychological pressure, but complete inactivity is not always necessary for a healthy horse.

Research into detraining shows that fitness changes depend on duration and how much spontaneous or structured activity continues. Young Thoroughbreds allowed regular pasture activity maintained important aerobic variables during a 10-week detraining period, while a separate 12-week study found reductions in aerobic capacity across stall-rest, walking and short-canter programs. (PubMed)

For a healthy performance horse, a rest period may therefore include:

• Turnout

• Walking

• Light hacking

• Easy groundwork

• Reduced-intensity schooling

An injured horse is different. Exercise restrictions must follow the treating veterinarian’s rehabilitation plan.

New People and New Handling

Horses learn patterns involving feeding times, voices, handling methods, grooming and turnout.

A new carer may unknowingly:

• Use different cues

• Catch the horse differently

• Change feeding order

• Handle social conflict differently

• Miss subtle appetite or gait changes

• Interpret stress behaviour as stubbornness

The goal is not to make every minute identical. It is to preserve enough predictable anchors that the horse does not have to solve an entirely new universe in one afternoon.

What Does Normal Adjustment Look Like?

A horse adjusting to a new environment may briefly:

• Call to other horses

• Scan the surroundings

• Walk the fence line

• Explore gates and water sources

• Remain more alert than usual

• Rest less during the first night

• Show mild hesitation around unfamiliar people

• Eat slightly less during the first meal

These signs are less concerning when the horse:

• Continues eating forage

• Drinks

• Passes normal manure

• Has no fever

• Is not sweating excessively

• Moves comfortably

• Gradually settles over the following days

• Can rest without being persistently chased

No single behaviour proves that a horse is coping well or badly. Look at the pattern and the direction of change.

What Signs Suggest the Horse Is Not Coping?

More concerning signs include:

• Persistent fence-running

• Repeated attempts to escape

• Prolonged calling without settling

• Excessive sweating at rest

• Trembling

• Repeated striking, kicking or charging

• Being continuously chased away from food or water

• Inability to lie down or rest

• Marked withdrawal or unresponsiveness

• Refusing forage

• Reduced drinking

• Reduced or absent manure

• Diarrhoea

• Weight loss

• Recurrent colic signs

• New stereotypic behaviour

• Self-injury

• Worsening lameness

• Strong digital pulses or reluctance to turn

• Coughing, nasal discharge or fever

Behavioural distress and physical illness can occur together. A horse pacing because of colic is not having a difficult emotional adjustment. They are having colic.

How Urgent Is the Situation?

Risk level	What it may look like	What to do
Lower risk	Mild calling or vigilance, but the horse eats, drinks, passes manure and becomes progressively calmer	Continue close observation and preserve familiar routines
Moderate risk	Persistent pacing, reduced rest, mild appetite reduction, difficulty settling into the group or minor superficial wounds	Review the environment and social arrangement that day; contact your veterinarian if signs are not clearly improving
High risk	Refusing forage, reduced manure, persistent sweating, marked withdrawal, repeated aggression, fever, respiratory signs or significant lameness	Arrange same-day veterinary assessment
Critical	Colic, collapse, severe diarrhoea, breathing difficulty, neurological signs, non-weight-bearing lameness, major injury or laminitis signs	Treat as an emergency

Not Every Behaviour Change Is Psychological Stress

Before deciding that the horse is merely anxious, consider medical and management problems.

Colic

Changes in feed, forage, water, housing and exercise are all recognised contributors to gastrointestinal disruption.

Watch for:

• Pawing

• Looking at the flank

• Repeated lying down

• Rolling

• Reduced manure

• Reduced appetite

• Sweating

• Abdominal distension

• Depression

Do not wait for dramatic rolling before seeking help.

Pasture-Associated Hyperinsulinaemia and Laminitis

A horse with insulin dysregulation, equine metabolic syndrome, PPID-associated hyperinsulinaemia or previous laminitis may not be suitable for unrestricted pasture.

In a study of insulin-dysregulated ponies, grazing produced markedly greater insulin responses than in healthy ponies, with maximum concentrations occurring within two to four hours. (PubMed)

Early laminitis signs include:

• Stronger digital pulses

• Shortened stride

• Reluctance to turn

• Repeated weight shifting

• Bilateral forelimb soreness

• A rocked-back stance

• Unwillingness to walk

A lush pasture holiday can become a hoof emergency surprisingly efficiently.

Respiratory Infection

Fever, coughing, nasal discharge and enlarged lymph nodes after moving to a property with unfamiliar horses should not be labelled stress.

Isolate the horse and contact a veterinarian.

Pain or Injury

New behaviour may result from:

• A kick or bite

• Hoof bruising

• A pulled shoe

• Tendon injury

• Back pain

• Gastric disease

• Dental pain

• An uncomfortable rug or halter

• Poor footing

A horse becoming aggressive when touched may be communicating pain rather than objecting to the accommodation.

Heat Stress or Dehydration

A horse moved into a hotter, sunnier or more humid environment may sweat more, drink poorly or struggle to find shade.

Check water access, temperature, breathing, gum moisture and general demeanour rather than assuming the horse is simply unsettled.

When Is This an Emergency?

Contact a veterinarian urgently if the horse develops:

• Colic signs

• No interest in forage

• Markedly reduced or absent manure

• Severe or persistent diarrhoea

• Fever

• Breathing difficulty

• Collapse

• Incoordination

• Severe depression

• A major wound

• Non-weight-bearing lameness

• Strong digital pulses with foot pain

• A rocked-back stance

• Persistent excessive sweating

• Inability to access food or water because of aggression

• Repeated attempts to jump or break through fencing

While waiting for help:

1. Move the horse to a safe area if this can be done without forcing exercise.

2. Remove access to concentrates.

3. Do not administer sedatives, pain relief or calming products unless directed.

4. Record temperature, appetite, water intake, manure and recent feed changes.

5. Photograph injuries and abnormal manure.

6. Tell the veterinarian when the horse moved, what changed and whether unfamiliar horses were introduced.

How Should You Plan a Safe Rest Period?

One to Two Weeks Before the Move

Review:

• The reason for the rest period

• Whether relocation is genuinely necessary

• The horse’s vaccination status

• Parasite-control requirements

• Previous laminitis or colic

• Insulin dysregulation or PPID

• Current diet

• Current exercise

• Social experience

• Transport history

• The destination’s fencing, water, shade and shelter

For a horse with previous laminitis or suspected metabolic disease, assess pasture suitability before arrival rather than after the horse becomes footsore.

Preserve the Familiar Diet

Where possible:

• Send familiar hay with the horse

• Keep the same concentrate initially

• Maintain familiar feeding times

• Reduce concentrate gradually as workload falls

• Introduce new forage progressively

• Avoid immediate unrestricted access to rich pasture

• Ensure plain water remains continuously available

Do not change the hay, concentrate, meal frequency and pasture access on the same day unless circumstances make this unavoidable.

Plan Social Introductions

A safer introduction may involve:

1. Visual and olfactory contact across secure fencing

2. Turnout beside a calm, compatible horse

3. Introduction to one established horse

4. Gradual integration into the wider group

Use a paddock with:

• Adequate space

• Safe fencing

• No narrow dead ends

• Multiple forage locations

• More than one water-access point where possible

• Enough room for a lower-ranking horse to move away

Monitor closely, but do so from outside the kick zone.

Some squealing and posturing can occur while horses establish space. Sustained chasing, trapping, repeated kicking, denial of water or injury requires intervention.

Keep Appropriate Movement

For a healthy horse having a seasonal or mental break, aim to reduce training pressure without necessarily creating complete immobility.

Suitable activity may include:

• Turnout

• Walking

• Gentle hacking

• Light groundwork

• Easy stretching work

For a horse resting because of injury, follow the prescribed rehabilitation plan. “He looked bored” is not a licensed tendon-healing protocol.

During the First 24 Hours

Check the horse every few hours where practical.

Record:

• Appetite

• Water intake

• Manure

• Urination

• Temperature

• Breathing

• Sweating

• Digital pulses

• Gait

• Injuries

• Ability to access food and water

• Social interactions

Confirm that the horse has found the water source. Do not assume they have simply because a trough exists somewhere in the paddock.

During the First Three to Five Days

Continue checking at least twice daily.

Look for a trend towards:

• More normal grazing

• Less calling

• Reduced fence walking

• Normal rest

• Stable manure production

• Comfortable movement

• Developing social relationships

• Reliable access to resources

The pasture-welfare research found that some behavioural adjustment occurred particularly during the first five days, with further change over the following weeks. This is not a universal timetable, but it supports monitoring beyond the first afternoon. (ScienceDirect)

During the Rest Period

Continue monitoring:

• Body weight or weight-tape measurements

• Body condition

• Cresty neck size

• Hoof growth

• Digital pulses

• Injuries

• Skin disease

• Manure consistency

• Water intake

• Social behaviour

• Parasite risk

• Whether the horse is actually resting

A horse spending the entire day running the fence, being chased or guarding one gate is not receiving a meaningful rest period.

How Should the Horse Return Home or Resume Work?

The return transition deserves as much planning as the outward move.

Research suggests that returning horses from pasture to individual box housing can cause a pronounced short-term deterioration in behavioural welfare indicators. (ScienceDirect)

When returning:

• Reintroduce the previous forage gradually

• Avoid sudden concentrate increases

• Preserve turnout where possible

• Allow contact with familiar horses

• Monitor temperature, appetite and manure

• Check the feet and limbs

• Give the horse time to settle after transport

• Rebuild work progressively

Do not return a horse from several weeks of reduced work and immediately resume the previous full training schedule.

The horse may look gloriously enthusiastic. Their cardiovascular and musculoskeletal conditioning has not necessarily shared the same enthusiasm.

What if the Owner Goes Away but the Horse Stays Home?

Sometimes the horse remains at the same property while the owner takes a holiday.

This is usually less disruptive, provided the care remains consistent.

Before leaving:

• Introduce the temporary carer

• Write down exact feed quantities

• Keep turnout arrangements unchanged

• Explain the horse’s normal behaviour

• Record normal temperature if useful

• Identify previous colic, laminitis or medical risks

• Provide veterinary and farrier contacts

• Explain which changes require immediate notification

• Ensure medication instructions are unambiguous

• Arrange daily updates

Do not use the owner’s absence as an opportunity to change feed, move paddocks, introduce a new herd and trial three supplements. The horse has already lost one familiar part of the routine. There is no prize for completing the full management bingo card.

Common Mistakes During Equine Rest Periods

Changing Everything at Once

Moving location, changing feed, stopping exercise, introducing a herd and changing handlers simultaneously makes it difficult to identify what is causing a problem.

Assuming Pasture Is Automatically Safe

Pasture quality, grass carbohydrate content, fencing, shelter, group dynamics and the horse’s metabolic status all matter.

Using a Small Paddock for a New Group

Crowding reduces escape space and increases competition around food and water.

Calling Illness “Anxiety”

Colic, laminitis, infection, pain and dehydration can all produce behaviour that appears restless or withdrawn.

Stopping All Movement Without a Medical Reason

A healthy performance horse may benefit from reduced work combined with turnout or light activity. Complete box rest should have a clear medical purpose.

Ignoring the Return Transition

The horse may find returning to isolation, hard work or concentrate feeding more challenging than moving out to pasture.

Giving Calming Medication Without Investigating

Sedation may conceal pain, colic, neurological disease or escalating social conflict. It does not fix unsuitable management.

How Can Vacation Stress Be Reduced?

The most effective strategy is not to eliminate every change. That is impossible.

Instead, reduce the number and intensity of changes occurring at the same time.

Preserve the horse’s main anchors:

• Familiar forage

• Reliable water

• Predictable handling

• Safe movement

• Social contact

• Adequate personal space

• Gradual exercise changes

• Consistent observation

• A familiar companion where appropriate

A successful rest period should allow the horse to express more normal behaviour without sacrificing physical safety or medical monitoring.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take a horse to settle after moving?

Some horses begin settling within hours, while others need several days or weeks. Research on pasture transitions found noticeable adjustment during the first five days, with some behavioural changes improving by approximately day 20. Persistent or worsening distress should be investigated rather than simply given more time. (ScienceDirect)

Is pasture better than a stable for horse welfare?

Pasture generally provides greater opportunities for movement, foraging and social behaviour. However, safety, weather, grass intake, group compatibility and individual medical needs matter. Some horses require controlled turnout rather than unrestricted pasture.

Should a horse have complete rest from exercise?

It depends on why the horse is resting. A healthy athlete may benefit from turnout and low-intensity movement. A horse with an injury may require carefully controlled exercise or box rest prescribed by a veterinarian.

Can stress cause colic in horses?

Management changes associated with relocation can increase colic risk, particularly when feed, housing, water intake and exercise all change. However, colic is a medical condition, not merely an emotional response, and should be treated accordingly. (PubMed)

Should I move my horse away for a rest period?

Only when the destination offers a meaningful benefit and the transition can be managed safely. Some horses will benefit greatly from pasture and social turnout. Others may rest more successfully at home with reduced work and increased turnout.

Final Thoughts

Time off can be extremely valuable for a horse’s physical recovery and mental welfare.

The problem is not rest. The problem is changing transport, feed, housing, companions, handlers and exercise simultaneously and then assuming that the horse will understand this is meant to be relaxing.

The Spanish relocation study showed a possible change in longer-term adrenal activity, but it involved only four relocated police stallions and multiple management changes. It did not prove that horses are better off staying in work or that pasture holidays are generally harmful.

Other research suggests that pasture can increase natural behaviour and support welfare once horses adapt. The transition back to confinement may actually be the more difficult part.

Plan both directions. Keep familiar food and routines where possible, introduce social and dietary changes gradually, monitor the horse closely and do not mistake illness or pain for ordinary adjustment.

A proper holiday should leave the horse healthier, calmer and ready to return. It should not require them to survive equine reality television in a crowded paddock.

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ASK A VET™ can help you record appetite, water intake, manure, temperature, digital pulses, behaviour and injuries during a move or rest period, making it easier to recognise when normal adjustment is becoming a medical or welfare concern.