Assessing animal motivation to access a given resource is one method available to evaluate what to provide in the living environments of captive animals. Providing increased opportunities for movement can be seen as an important source of enrichment, but we need to know the point of view of the animal. The objective of our study was to test a novel combination of behaviours in order to assess the motivation of cows to access an outdoor exercise paddock. Three trials were conducted, each enrolling 15–16 tie-stall-housed cows as a model for movement-restricted animals. Cows were provided with access to an outdoor exercise yard 5 days/week for the duration of the trial, each trial presenting different conditions such as paddock size, duration of access and animal handling. We recorded the trips’ durations and cows’ behaviours during the trips going to (go-out) and coming back (go-in) from the paddock. LMr comparisons on PCA were used to assess cow motivation profiles. The same two dimensions of speed and stop quality emerged from the PCA in all three trials, showing the method’s robustness. Additionally, three motivation profiles were established, representing how the cows’ motivation was affected by the conditions prevailing in each trial.

评估动物获取特定资源的动机是评估在圈养动物的生活环境中提供什么的一种可用方法。提供更多的运动机会可以被视为丰富的重要来源，但我们需要了解动物的观点。我们研究的目的是测试一种新颖的行为组合，以评估奶牛进入户外运动围场的动机。进行了三项试验，每项试验招募 15-16 头系带圈养的奶牛作为活动受限动物的模型。在试验期间，奶牛每周 5 天可以进入室外运动场，每次试验都有不同的条件，例如围场大小、进入时间和动物处理。我们记录了行程的持续时间以及奶牛在前往围场（外出）和从围场返回（进入）期间的行为。PCA 上的 LMR 比较用于评估奶牛的动机概况。在所有三个试验中，PCA 都出现了相同的速度和停止质量两个维度，显示了该方法的稳健性。此外，还建立了三种动机概况，代表每次试验中普遍存在的条件如何影响奶牛的动机。