The Behavioral Repertoire of Cattle Used for Vaquejada Races Does Not Indicate Chronic Stress in Transport and Races ()
1. Introduction
Cattle are versatile species in different parts of the world, having been involved in various agricultural activities and sports [1]. On the American continent, both horses and cattle regularly participate in these activities, and in northeastern Brazil, vaquejada is the most widespread and popular sport involving horses and cattle [2]. Vaquejada races are used to test the athletic qualities of these animals and the cowboys, who are exposed to physical and metabolic challenges during the race [3]; however, few studies of cattle under the conditions present in this sport exist. Thus, better knowledge of the possible physical, metabolic, and behavioral changes experienced by cattle may help maximize the good management practices and the welfare of this species [1] [3].
The use of cattle in cultural practices and sports has prompted discussions about the need to preserve their integrity, health, and welfare [4]. Improvements in bovine welfare during vaquejada races can be reflected in the physical, metabolic, and behavioral adaptations of the Nellore cattle used in these activities [1].
In recent years, different methods have been used to evaluate animal welfare [4] [5]-[7]. However, currently, there is a push to use noninvasive objective methods; combined with other approaches, these methods aim to provide a more accurate evaluation system and thus assist in decision-making and the evaluation of animal welfare [5]-[9]. In this sense, behavioral assessment is a useful technique because it is noninvasive [10], can be applied quickly, and is practical for measuring the state of an individual concerning the environment they occupy [7] [11] [12].
The primary method for monitoring behavior as a qualitative and quantitative marker of animal welfare is observation [5] [7]. Observations can be performed directly or indirectly with a video [12]. The data can be evaluated quickly and practically using an ethogram [7] [8]. Internationally recognized evaluation models, which are based on the concept of the 5 domains (5D) and include animal-human-environment interactions, were applied [13] [14].
Therefore, to understand the effects of the transporter and vaquejada races on the behavior and welfare of cattle in vaquejada, an experiment was developed to test the hypothesis that transport and cattle racing can produce stress during these events and chronically impact the animals. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate cattle (n = 80) during transport (before, immediately, and 8 hours after transport) and on the three days of races in the Vaquejada Park (1 hour before, immediately, and 1 hour after the vaquejada race) through ethogram to evaluate the cattle by scanning methods. Therefore, these results can contribute to understanding cattle behavior under these conditions and improving management practices and their welfare.
2. Materials and Methods
This study was conducted after approval by the Committee on Ethics in the Use of Animals of the Centro Universitário Cesmac (CEUA/CESMAC) under protocol number 03A/2021. Importantly, the study was performed in a real vaquejada environment (i.e., a farm and Vaquejada Park). The legal, normative, and regulatory provisions and precepts were followed. These included ensuring that animals had a tail protection harness and were run no more than three times a day and that when unbalanced, they fell into an area of very soft sand [15]-[18].
2.1. Animals and Breeding Systems
In the present study, 80 Nellore cattle, which were collectively housed on a farm in the municipality of Garanhuns, PE (8˚53'25''S; 36˚9'31''W), were provided with Brachiaria grass (Brachiaria decumbens) and supplemented daily with silage of capiaçu grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schum, cultivar RNC 33503), which was available ad libitum. These cattle had free access to mineralized salt and water, which they received regularly. They had a mean age of 30 months and a mean weight of 540 kg, obtained by weighing them on an electronic scale before being transported to the Vaquejada Park. Parasitic, ectoparasitic, and endoparasitic disease control and vaccination (rabies, foot-and-mouth disease, and clostridial disease) were performed regularly as indicated by the manufacturers.
On the farm of origin, the cattle were randomly split into two homogeneous lots, each consisting of 40 animals, which were identified with green and yellow markers (Raidl-Maxi, RAIDEX GmbH, Dettingen/Erms, Germany) to prevent any animals from changing groups during the experiment and from being housed in the incorrect corrals.
On the following day, using a dedicated cattle truck, the animals embarked for the Vaquejada Park (Figure 1) located in the municipality of Paranatama, PE (8˚54'34''S; 36˚39'31''W), approximately 25 km from the farm of origin. The cattle were transported without stops, with the journey lasting approximately 40 minutes. Trucks that are suitable for the transport of cattle and that have suitable capacity according to Brazilian laws were used [15].
After unloading, the cattle were housed in resting corrals in the same groups of 40 previously identified cattle; both corrals had a minimum capacity of 15 m2/animal, where cattle had free access to water and were supplemented with Capim-Açu (P. purpureum Schum, cultivar RNC 33503) silage and mineral salt. The silage offered at the competition site was the same as that on the farm and was provided ad libitum three times a day (5:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 10:00 pm) through collective feeding areas. Both resting corrals were equipped with a sand floor, a water drinker, a salt, good drainage, and an area of approximately 50 m2, with artificial shading made of black screens (80% shade).
Figure 1. Aerial satellite photograph of the Vaquajada arena. Observations: lines with red arrows indicate the path of the cattle during and after the races; red and yellow dots indicate the positioning of the observers during the analysis of the cattle behavior in the resting corral. (Source: Apple Map 2024)
2.2. Vaquejada Races
Vaquejada races occurred following the official rules [15]-[18], i.e., with a tail guard, which was placed before the races and removed immediately after. The animals ran a maximum of twice a day, and the animals were brought down in an area with soft sand that was 50 cm deep. The corral entry and exit practices also complied with good management practices for beef cattle. Details of transport and races are described in a previous publication [5] [6].
2.3. Behavioral Assessment
Evaluations of the behavior of the cattle were performed before the animals left the farm of origin when the animals were housed in the handling corrals for loading, and after transport to the corrals prior to the races. The phases of the cattle behavior evaluations are described in detail in Table 1. The evaluators were previously trained to use the behavioral repertoire adapted from Pes [19] (Table 2). These procedures were entirely observational and noninvasive and did not require individualized restraint of the cattle, minimizing environmental interference.
Each round of observation was performed via the scanning sampling method, with the evaluators taking their notes 5 minutes after entering the observation positions in the corrals without interfering with the animals. During the previously defined 1-hour scanning period, each evaluator took notes three times in the following periods: 0, 30 and 60 minutes. The analytical period of each scan lasted 60 s for each evaluator. The results of the means of the three analyses were added together, and the frequency of expression of each item in the behavioral repertoire relative to the total number of cattle (n = 80) was subsequently calculated.
Table 1. Description of the different evaluation stages of Nelore cattle.
Evaluation phase |
Description |
Transport |
|
Pre-shipment |
The animals were kept in the handling corrals,
1 hour before loading onto the trucks. |
Immediately after arriving |
The animals arrived at the Vaquejada Park, with
access to food, shade, and water. |
8 hours after arriving |
Resting corral, with access to food, shade, and water. |
Races |
|
Prerace or 1 hour
before the races |
Animals were in the resting corral, with access food, shade, and water. |
Immediately after the races |
Immediately after the races, at the resting corral, with access to food, shade, and water. |
Post races or 1 hour
after races |
After the races and at the resting corral, with access to food, shade, and water. |
In addition to the ethogram, the animals were evaluated daily throughout the vaquejada period via the five-domain welfare evaluation system, which considers the positive and negative conditions for the ambiance, nutrition, health, behavior, and mental status domains [7] [13]. At the end of the event, the animals remained in the enclosure, awaiting commercialization.
3. Results
The frequencies of the different behaviors of Nellore cattle during transport and the vaquejada competitions are listed in Table 1 and Table 2.
Table 2. Description of the behavioral repertoire characteristics of Nellore cattle.
Activity |
Description |
Vocalization |
Mooing |
Food |
Feeding on forages and concentrates. Drinking |
Decubitus |
Lying down in sternal or lateral recumbency |
In season |
Standing, stationary |
Interaction |
Interacting with peers and the environment |
Rumination |
Ruminating while standing or in sternal recumbency |
Idle |
Not feeding, ruminating or interacting with other
animals, but alert to the events around it |
Sodomy/mounting/
domination |
One animal mounting another without
exposing its penis |
Agitation |
Rapid movements around the corral; restlessness |
Head and tail movements
or restlessness |
Frequent head and/or tail movement and restlessness without moving around the corral |
Tired |
Peripheral fatigue; no interaction with the
environment or people; and diaphragmatic
“fluttering” may occur after exercise |
The frequencies of the behaviors in the behavioral repertoire were analyzed, and the results showed that the pre-transport period had greater idleness (102.9%), followed by head/tail movements (57.4%) and agitation (49.8%). Immediately after transport, there was a reduction in idleness (69.7%) and an increase in agitation (79.5%). Finally, eight hours after the animals arrived at the Vaquejada Park and were unloaded, the most frequent parameter was sodomy/mounting/dominance (118.1%), followed by head/tail movements (92.8%), lying down (63.3%), fatigue (53.3%), and interactions with peers (52.5%) (Table 3).
Before loading and after unloading the cattle at the Vaquejada Park, no injured or bleeding animals were observed, nor were they lame. A few hours after arriving at the park, the cattle were already feeding and drinking water, with rumination observed hours after feeding.
Table 3. Results of the frequency (%) of different behaviors of Nellore cattle (n = 80) subjected to transportation by truck in different periods (1 hour before, immediately after, and after 8 hours).
Behavior |
Transport |
−1 hour |
Immediately after transport |
+8 hours |
Feed |
0.0 |
42.4 |
37.5 |
Rumination |
30.0 |
9.5 |
0.0 |
Interaction with peers |
34.0 |
14.0 |
52.5 |
Interaction with the
environment |
0.0 |
0.4 |
13.3 |
Lying down |
0.0 |
27.5 |
63.3 |
Fatigue |
0.0 |
0.0 |
53.3 |
Idleness |
102.9 |
69.5 |
51.1 |
Agitation |
49.8 |
79.5 |
5.6 |
Head and tail movements |
57.4 |
45.8 |
92.8 |
Vocalization |
13.3 |
0.0 |
3.8 |
Sodomy/mounting/
dominance |
2.0 |
4.9 |
118.1 |
The results of the evaluations of the behaviors during different phases of the vaquejada races revealed high feeding rates before and after the races on the three evaluation days, with rates between 53.6% and 30%, followed by rumination (72.0% - 44.5%) and idleness (83.5% - 48.3%). Sodomy/mounting/dominance accounted for less than 4.1% of the behaviors observed, head/tail movement accounted for 42.4%, and no tired animals were observed. On all the evaluation days, agitation was greater immediately after the races (87.9% - 66.1%) (Table 4).
No deaths were observed during the races. There was also no bleeding, lameness, or animals lying down and not eating after the races. Like what was observed in the evaluations during transport, the animals returned to eating and ruminating, indicating that they were healthy and regaining a positive mental state. Clinical inspection was performed throughout the days using the concepts of the 5 domains [7]. Invasive clinical evaluations or those that required restraint of the animals were not used so as not to interfere with the noninvasive evaluation systems.
Table 4. Result of the frequency (%) of the different behaviors of Nellore cattle (n = 80) subjected to races during three days in different phases (1 hour before the races, immediately after, and after 1 hour of the race).
Behavior (%) |
Race period |
1st day |
2nd day |
3rd day |
C1 |
C2 |
C3 |
C1 |
C2 |
C3 |
C1 |
C2 |
C3 |
Feed |
53.6 |
16.3 |
58.1 |
51.3 |
42.9 |
50.0 |
30.0 |
42.5 |
50.0 |
Rumination |
63.8 |
37.4 |
64.1 |
44.5 |
44.5 |
62.4 |
71.0 |
59.5 |
62.4 |
Interaction with peers |
22.0 |
38.6 |
19.5 |
15.4 |
13.6 |
14.9 |
12.8 |
17.5 |
14.9 |
Interaction with the environment |
4.4 |
2.5 |
4.5 |
1.3 |
1.1 |
1.3 |
4.0 |
3.8 |
1.3 |
Lying down |
21.6 |
13.8 |
48.8 |
67.5 |
25.0 |
48.8 |
48.3 |
20.0 |
48.8 |
Fatigue |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Idleness |
83.5 |
64.0 |
67.9 |
80.8 |
71.1 |
79.1 |
80.3 |
48.3 |
79.1 |
Agitation |
41.6 |
87.9 |
23.6 |
24.9 |
66.1 |
26.3 |
38.3 |
79.5 |
26.3 |
Head and tail movements |
17.9 |
42.4 |
7.0 |
10.4 |
29.0 |
15.0 |
10.8 |
27.5 |
15.0 |
Vocalization |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.8 |
0.0 |
0.4 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
Sodomy/mounting/dominance |
2.4 |
2.8 |
3.8 |
3.3 |
4.1 |
2.0 |
2.5 |
1.3 |
2.0 |
Observations: C1: 1 hour before the race; C2: Immediately after the race; C3: 1 hour after the race.
4. Discussion
Animal welfare can be assessed both through behavioral observations and by measuring physiological parameters [20]-[25]. In this study, the behavioral responses of Nellore cattle were assessed during two challenges, the first being transportation (pre-transportation, immediately after transportation, and 8 hours after transportation) and the second being vaquejada races (1 hour before, immediately after races, and 1 hour after a race), where each cattle runs once a day. In the different phases of evaluation, i.e., transportation and races, behavioral changes were observed in the cattle associated with the applied stressor, but with rapid recovery of the animals, corroborating an increase in positive indicators of well-being and mental health.
This article demonstrated that the behavioral changes that occurred after the application of the stressor was related to changes in the environment and the different management practices used for the animal and produced acute stress, without compromising the welfare of the animals in the long term or in a chronic manner, like other well-managed farms [21] [26]. It was thus demonstrated that cattle used in vaquejada that comply with official regulations and good management practices are used, and their welfare is positive.
Before transport, while still on the farm and in the corral, the most frequent behaviors were idleness, head and tail movements, agitation, and little interaction with the environment and peers. The idle time comprised the period in which the animal was awake and in a quadrupedal position but remained still [11] [12]. This parameter is essential for determining the degree of agitation and/or restlessness of an animal in the environment to which it is subjected [23] [24] [26]. Idleness was also the most commonly observed behavior in a study by Gonçalves et al. [23] in Girolando and Holstein cattle during corral management. According to Cecim [24], idleness is one of the three most frequently observed behaviors throughout the day for cattle, in addition to rumination and activity, with the animals dedicating approximately 8 hours a day to each behavior, although there are changes in their distribution throughout the day. This may be related to health, nutritional, or environmental issues [25] [26].
The impact of transport and interaction with a new environment has repercussions on the behavior of the animals and can be detected by examining agitation, idleness, and head and tail movements immediately after transport. According to Pereira and Lopes [27] and Nielsen et al. [28], transport is one of the activities that causes stress in cattle. However, this reaction was expected because cattle were adapting to new corrals after transport. Nevertheless, excessive agitation can compromise animal welfare and even affect the health of cattle, as individuals who exhibit constant episodes of agitation due to suboptimal management practices gain less weight and are more affected by diseases [29] [30], thus indicating that even immunological parameters are altered by stress.
Eight hours after arriving, the most frequently observed behavior is sodomy/mounting/dominance, with dominance in these groups being established through competition, i.e., aggressive interactions between animals of the same group. Under natural conditions, males would separate into small groups of bachelors; thus, mounts are most likely related to the establishment of dominance and occurred upon regrouping immediately and 8 h after transport in the present experiment. This excessive mounting behavior has already been reported among young bulls housed in corrals with limited space and among steers kept in large groups in feedlots or similar situations [31] [32].
The role of social behavior in cattle welfare is associated with the environment in which the animals are found, with space, group size, and group instability playing important roles [33]. Thus, we believe that the high frequency of this behavior may be due to the change in the housing environment following transport, as mentioned by other authors [12] [34]. However, it should be noted that in the present experiment, the cattle were housed in resting corrals with ample space, protection from the weather, and regular supplementation with good-quality feed; nevertheless, these behaviors (sodomy/mounting/dominance) were expected due to the increase in management activities.
With respect to the indicators of animal welfare during transport, the best indices were observed immediately and 8 hours after transport. The results demonstrated that, despite having been displaced, not being on a regular feeding schedule, and being in climatic conditions similar to those in the northeastern region, the animals were able to quickly return to their baseline physiological states. This indicates that the management practices used during transport were appropriate, thus minimizing the situations that generated stress among the animals, like the reduction of rumination time [32]. Therefore, the adoption of good management practices during the transport of cattle is necessary to reduce risk to the animals and limit situations that could negatively affect the welfare of the animals [35] [36].
The evaluations of the behaviors of the cattle in the different phases of the vaquejada races revealed high feeding rates on the three days evaluated, followed by rumination, idleness, and recumbency. We did not analyze the body scores of all animals, but they are eating and keeping the rumen full, which is a significant indicator of animal welfare [32] [36] [37]. According to Paudyal [32], rumination is an indicator of the feeding and resting behavior in cattle, and this information can be used to guide the development of management practices that help in the detection and prevention of diseases [21] [22] [32] [37]. The cattle spent more time in recumbency on the second day of the test, before vaquejada races, and this behavior was a strong indicator of herd health and animal welfare.
We should also remember that the evaluations were performed at different times over the three days, and the results were similar, indicating that there was a standard behavior after the races, followed by a rapid recovery in the post-race phase. Thus, the results observed in the post-race phase were similar to the characteristics observed in the pre-race phase, indicating that the race management system used in this experiment followed the official rules and that the welfare of the animals was not impaired. However, there is no complete or perfect method for assessing animal welfare and therefore the combination of behavioral and physiological factors can contribute to a better understanding of this process and facilitate the positive impact of animal welfare in different farming systems [26] [33]-[35].
Agitation and head and tail movements were greater immediately after the vaquejada races, which was expected due to the physiological stress caused by running 80 m on a sand track. Animals subjected to some type of stress may exhibit changes in their social interactions [36], digestive processes [37] and homeostasis [38]. However, when the stressor is removed, we expect that it recovers rapidly. Chronic stress situations that occur with some regularity can harm mental and behavioral health [38]. The rapid recovery of pre-race behaviors (i.e., within 1 hour after the race) is a good indicator that the current rules minimize stress; thus, the animal can recover from positive patterns of welfare.
However, despite the agitation observed after exercise, no fatigue was observed in any animal. Thus, it is suggested that the walking and trotting behaviors that frequently occur on farms during different management practices serve to strengthen the muscles of the animals [39].
The animals vocalized little, with this behavior being more evident 1 hour after the race (C3) on the first day of the test. According to Boissy and Le Neindre [39] and Holm et al. [40], cattle are highly gregarious and form complex social relationships, with a strong motivation for continuous social contact. In addition, the isolation of individuals can result in physiological changes, such as increased vocalization, heart rate, cortisol levels, and eye and nasal temperatures [39] [41] however, these variables were not evaluated in the present study.
Studies have shown changes in physiological and biochemical biomarkers in cattle during vaquejada races; however, 4 hours after the vaquejada races, these values return to baseline levels [5] [6]. In this sense, these animals exhibit a significant number of behavioral characteristics, which are highly complex and interactive. Thus, a clear understanding of animal behavior, especially in an environment that is as close to natural as possible, learning, development, and consolidation processes, as well as the factors that directly and/or indirectly affect these processes, is necessary for the development of production systems that achieve the correct level of animal welfare [36] [42] [43].
Evaluations of the effects of transport of the vaquejada races were carried out for the five domains, and the results indicated that the environments were suitable from the movement of the animals to the corrals, to their loading at the farm, and finally their unloading and settling in stalls at the park. In addition, the stalls at the Vaquejada Park were spacious and had good flooring and drainage. Additionally, it has water troughs and sufficient resources for the number of animals housed per corral. Proper facilities ensure that animals have an adequate mental balance, leading to better health, the prevention of accidents, and tranquility among the animals [7] [8].
The artificial partial shading used in the corrals was satisfactory. The implementation of shading is highly important for reducing insolation and consequently preventing thermal stress and decreasing physiological and behavioral changes that can compromise the performance of these animals under different breeding systems [22] [36] [42] [43].
In the nutrition domain, the body scores of the animals were high compared with those of obese animals, and the former had free access to high-quality pasture and supplementation with grass silage on the farm. In the corrals of Vaquejada Park, the water was of good quality, and there was a regular supply of forage (silage). According to Bertoni et al. [43], appropriate feeding is essential for performance and weight gain; however, little attention has been given to understanding the link between nutrition and animal welfare.
No sick or lame animals were observed in the health domain. The animals’ feces were compatible with the type of feed and characteristics of cattle fed a diet rich in good-quality forages (silage). It should be noted that the quality of facilities, food, health care, and activities directly influence animal welfare [13] [14].
Finally, throughout the evaluation period during the vaquejada races, no impairment of welfare was observed, and the changes found were compatible with a positive mental domain. It is essential for a well-trained team that understands the species in question to oversee the management of these animals, and there is a need to perform behavioral studies to understand how the animals interact in their rearing environment. The results of such observations will prevent the development of negative situations that result in chronic stress and consequent economic losses.
Research that evaluates the welfare of cattle in environments where they are housed for a short period (less than five days), such as in the Vaquejada Park, with that of animals in transit (e.g., for transport or between corrals), may hinder our understanding of the welfare of these animals. As it is not possible to identify 80 cattle individually, these evaluations may have overestimated or underestimated some of the parameters analyzed, especially the evaluations related to transport. However, during races, as the animals adapted to the new environments, this limitation may have been lower because monitoring the cattle for three consecutive days and at different times may have reduced possible counting errors made by the evaluators.
There is also a need to conduct more evaluations throughout all phases of the study. However, as this was an equestrian event involving cattle and having a well-defined schedule, it was not possible to transform the entire event into a controlled experimental model; nevertheless, the results reflect what occurs in an event of this size.
5. Conclusion
In conclusion, it was observed that the frequency of behaviors indicative of acute stress increased immediately after transportation and racing in the cattle used in the current experiment. These same animals showed positive behavior characteristics of the species a few hours after the stressors were removed, due to good technical management practices, mainly related to environment and nutrition. Regular scientific evaluations of animals used in sports, such as cattle, can contribute to improving their well-being and contribute to improving the current management practices adopted.
Acknowledgements
To the breeders and owners of Vaquejada Quarter Horses and the Brazilian Quarter Horse Association for partial financial support; CAPES for the scholarships of the students involved in the research.
Authors’ Contribution
RKSC, CRS, ICC, DBF, CFV, and HCMF, contributed to the data collection and execution. RKSC, HCMF, JDRF, and HECCCM contributed to the data interpretation. RKSC, HCMF, HECCCM, CFV, and JDRF contributed to the study design, data interpretation, and manuscript preparation. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.