A Swedish study suggests that horses head for run-in sheds to avoid insects rather than to seek respite from the sun. The data revealed that five of the seven horses who entered a shelter during the study period had a clear preference for the three-sided shelter over the open structure.
Source: EQUUS, August 14, 2022. Link.
The researchers noted a significant drop in insect-defensive behavior, such as skin shivers and ear flicking, when the horses were in the closed shelter, which suggests that the insects were less bothersome in that type of structure.
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