Horse Husbandry and Preventive Health Practices in Australia: An Online Survey of Horse Guardians

Little is known about the horse health management practices of Australian horse caregivers (owners). This article presents findings from a convenience sample of 505 horse owners who participated in an online survey. No large-scale welfare issues were identified, but there were some areas of potentia...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied animal welfare science 2018-10, Vol.21 (4), p.347-361
Main Authors: Thompson, Kirrilly R., Clarkson, Larissa, Riley, Christopher B., van den Berg, Mariette
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal husbandry
Animal Husbandry - methods
Animal Welfare
Animals
Australia - epidemiology
Female
Health
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Horse
Horse Diseases - epidemiology
Horse Diseases - prevention & control
Horse Diseases - psychology
Horses
Humans
husbandry
Internet
Male
owner
Parasite control
preventive health care
Preventive Health Services - methods
survey
Surveys and Questionnaires
Tetanus
Veterinary Medicine - methods
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Summary:Little is known about the horse health management practices of Australian horse caregivers (owners). This article presents findings from a convenience sample of 505 horse owners who participated in an online survey. No large-scale welfare issues were identified, but there were some areas of potential concern, including owners who did not regularly deworm their horses (4%), a lack of strategic parasite control (3.1%), and a lack of regular dental care (11%). Several participants did not have their horse's hooves regularly shod or trimmed (2%), and 14% had an unqualified person maintain their horse's hooves. One in five owners (19%) did not vaccinate their horses against tetanus. The findings are discussed in relation to current Australian horse health guidelines and traditional sources of horse health information, together with recommendations for providing horse owners with relevant information in relevant forms.
ISSN:1088-8705
1532-7604
DOI:10.1080/10888705.2018.1428099