<![CDATA[Environmental conditions are important factors that may influence the physiological status, feeding behavior, and daily activities of race horses. This study aimed to evaluate feed intake, physiological status, and daily behavior of race horses maintained under contrasting environmental conditions at two locations in Central Java and Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Eight active Thoroughbred-crossed race horses aged 3–5 years, with an average body weight of approximately 415 kg, were observed at both locations. The same eight horses were observed for four consecutive days at Tegal Waton Village, Semarang Regency, representing a highland environment at 725 m above sea level, and subsequently for four days at Pacar Village, Bantul Regency, representing a lowland environment at 70 m above sea level. Environmental temperature and relative humidity were recorded hourly for 24 h. Physiological parameters included rectal temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate. Daily behavior was observed continuously, including eating, drinking, standing, sitting, sleeping, rolling, defecation, urination, cribbing, windsucking, and weaving. Feed consumption was also recorded. The environmental conditions differed between locations, with mean temperatures of 25.57 ± 0.57 °C and 29.32 ± 0.46 °C at Tegal Waton and Pacar, respectively. Significant differences were observed in eating frequency and eating duration, whereas feed consumption, rectal temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, drinking, standing, sitting, sleeping, rolling, defecation, urination, cribbing, windsucking, and weaving did not differ significantly. These findings indicate that contrasting environmental conditions between the two locations were associated primarily with differences in eating behavior, while most physiological and daily behavioral parameters remained relatively stable. Because altitude was not experimentally separated from other location-specific environmental and management factors, the observed differences should not be interpreted as an independent effect of altitude. ]]>
