Unwanted Horse Population in Illinois: Perceptions of Horse Owners, Non-Horse Owners, and Equine Industry Stakeholders

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey Myers ◽  
Fatima Mohammed ◽  
Justin W. Rickard ◽  
Donald E. Meyer ◽  
Aslihan D. Spaulding
Keyword(s):  
Horse Population ◽  
Equine Industry ◽  
Horse Owners

Comparative methods of preventing stereotypic behaviour in horses

2004 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
pp. 187-188
Author(s):  
E Lebatteux ◽  
M E Rosbotham ◽  
A Northrop ◽  
K L Howells
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Methods ◽  
Surgical Methods ◽  
Stereotypic Behaviour ◽  
Equine Industry ◽  
Horse Owners

Over fifteen per cent of domesticated horses exhibit a form of stereotypic behaviour (Luescher, McKeown and Halip, 1991). These behaviours can represent or develop into health and welfare disequilibrium and crib–biting and weaving are two of the most commonly performed behaviours of this type. As these behaviours have been described as having no obvious function (Mason, 1991), procedures concerned with their ultimate prevention have been promoted within the equine industry. The aim of this study was to review the success of the physical, pharmacological, dietary, environmental and surgical methods available to horse owners for the prevention of equine stereotypies.A total of 300 questionnaires were distributed between riding schools, trekking centres and livery yards throughout the Northern counties of England along with horse owning BSc Equine students at Myerscough College, Lancashire. Of the total, 200 were distributed by post and the remainder researcher administered.

scholarly journals Welfare problems of horses

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. V. Nedosekov ◽  
◽  
Y. P. Krytsia ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Horse Population ◽  
Horse Farms ◽  
Horse Owners ◽  
Recommended Action

The article presents an analysis of the basic concepts of animal welfare, which is a prerequisite for quality and successful innovative animal husbandry. The horses welfare should be considered from the standpoint of the concept of the "five freedoms", which should be reflected in the lives of animals. The aim of the article is to analyze the state of the horses welfare and the prospects of development and implementation at the national and European levels. The analysis indicates the need to develop a system for assessing the welfare of horses and its implementation in Ukraine, while, taking into account objective and subjective indicators, the system for assessing the welfare of horses should include owners, veterinarians (horse care) and experts. To assess the welfare of sport horses, the Veterinary Regulations (BP) of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) must be used during the competition, which must be observed during the event. Methods for assessing the degree of welfare, characterize the condition of the animal in both external and internal indicators, but the dominant is stress, which through the nervous and endocrine systems adversely affect all parts of the immune system. In Ukraine, the horse population has tripled reduce in thirty years and continues to decline, but the analysis of horse welfare in Ukraine is either not conducted at all, or is sporadic and mainly aimed at assessing individual animal health indicators (assessment of body condition, lameness, etc.). Therefore, in Ukraine it is necessary to establish criteria and develop a system for assessing the welfare of horses, improving the legal framework and implementation in practice. A plan of recommended action for stakeholders (federations, veterinarians, horse owners, government services, etc.) was presented, and it was recommended to develop and implement criteria for assessing the welfare of horses that could be used to study animal welfare. We believe that the system of horse welfare assessment as a consulting tool is necessary for the standardization of survey and analysis of welfare, to develop measures to optimize the management of horses, which should be the main document of equestrian associations of Ukraine. In addition, legislation on the welfare of horses is crucial, but there is no legislation acts in the field of welfare. Undoubtedly, in combination with the welfare of horses, it is important to develop an algorithm for biosecurity in the horses management with an emphasis on the epizootology of diseases, vaccination conditions, disinfection and analysis of critical points of admission to animals, which should be the basis for the development of the National Standard for Welfare and Biosecurity at the level of horse farms in Ukraine.

scholarly journals Surveillance of the equine infectious anemia virus in Eastern and Central Saudi Arabia during 2014-2016

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 719-723 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulmohsen Abdullah Alnaeem ◽  
Maged Gomaa Hemida
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia Virus ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Horse Population ◽  
Central Regions ◽  
Equine Infectious Anemia ◽  
Serological Surveillance ◽  
Anemia Virus ◽  
Equine Industry

Background: Equine infectious anemia virus (EIAV) is one of the most important threats to the equine industry globally. This is due to the poor performance of the affected horses, which requires euthanization of the infected animals upon the infection confirmation. Infected animals remain carriers throughout their life. EIAV infection has been reported in many parts of the world, including North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. However, the EIAV status is never assessed in horses in the Gulf area, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Aim: This study aimed to perform molecular and serological surveillance among some horse populations in Eastern and Central Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: Sera and whole blood were collected from 361 horses and 19 donkeys from the eastern and central regions of Saudi Arabia during January 2014-December 2016. Sera were tested by the commercial EIAV enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits. Moreover, the collected blood samples were tested by the commercial real-time polymerase chain reaction kits. Results: Our serological surveillance revealed the absence of any antibodies against EIAV in the tested animals. Similar results were reported for the tested horses' plasma. This study confirms the absence of EIAV in horses and donkeys from Eastern and Central Saudi Arabia during the tenure of the current study. However, careful monitoring of the EIAV is highly recommended to avoid the emergence of such a virus in the horse population in Saudi Arabia. Conclusion: To the best of our knowledge, this is the first EIAV surveillance conducted not only in Saudi Arabia but also in the Gulf area. This study confirms the absence of EIAV in the tested equine population in the eastern and central regions of Saudi Arabia during 2014-2016.

scholarly journals Viral Equine Encephalitis, a Growing Threat to the Horse Population in Europe?

Viruses ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvie Lecollinet ◽  
Stéphane Pronost ◽  
Muriel Coulpier ◽  
Cécile Beck ◽  
Gaelle Gonzalez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Encephalitis ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Horse Population ◽  
General Management ◽  
Economic Threat ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Screening Assays ◽  
Equine Industry ◽  
Specific Antiviral Therapy ◽  
Borna Disease

Neurological disorders represent an important sanitary and economic threat for the equine industry worldwide. Among nervous diseases, viral encephalitis is of growing concern, due to the emergence of arboviruses and to the high contagiosity of herpesvirus-infected horses. The nature, severity and duration of the clinical signs could be different depending on the etiological agent and its virulence. However, definite diagnosis generally requires the implementation of combinations of direct and/or indirect screening assays in specialized laboratories. The equine practitioner, involved in a mission of prevention and surveillance, plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of viral encephalitis. The general management of the horse is essentially supportive, focused on controlling pain and inflammation within the central nervous system, preventing injuries and providing supportive care. Despite its high medical relevance and economic impact in the equine industry, vaccines are not always available and there is no specific antiviral therapy. In this review, the major virological, clinical and epidemiological features of the main neuropathogenic viruses inducing encephalitis in equids in Europe, including rabies virus (Rhabdoviridae), Equid herpesviruses (Herpesviridae), Borna disease virus (Bornaviridae) and West Nile virus (Flaviviridae), as well as exotic viruses, will be presented.

scholarly journals Attitudes of the Equestrian Public towards Equine End-of-Life Decisions

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1776
Author(s):  
Catherine Bell ◽  
Suzanne Rogers
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Affective State ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Peer Pressure ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
End Of Life Decisions ◽  
Life Decisions ◽  
End Of Life Decision ◽  
Physical Reasons ◽  
Horse Owners

A key welfare concern for the equine population in the U.K. has been identified as delayed death, leading to prolonged suffering of horses. Reasons why some horse owners fail to have their horses euthanised include financial cost, emotional attachment, peer pressure, negative attitudes towards killing and poor recognition of behavioural indicators of equine pain and stress. The Five Freedoms framework of welfare was used to build a Likert-style survey to investigate the factors underlying attitudes of horse owners towards welfare measures in an end-of-life decision. Participants were asked to respond to hypothetical welfare scenarios and to give details of any horses they had had euthanised. The survey was conducted predominantly via equestrian Facebook groups and obtained 160 participant responses. Reliability of the scale was acceptable, with Cronbach’s α=0.89. Principal Component Analysis was used to load the hypothetical scenarios onto seven factors containing 62.2% of the variance. The first four factors could be categorized according to “Ethology-informed Management”, “Traditional Horse Management”, “Emotional Issues” and “Physical Issues”. Participants were more likely to consider euthanasia for physical issues, compared with issues relating to affective state and/or ethology, although it was not clear whether this was due to disregard for welfare issues relating to mental health or failure to recognise them as such. A large number of responses stated that the scenario had no bearing on whether a horse should be euthanised, again suggesting a lack of recognition of welfare issues and their implications. When asked to state their reasons for euthanising their horses, participants cited almost exclusively physical reasons, with the exception of those citing dangerous behaviour. Only a small number of responses also included consideration of affective and/or ethological factors, suggesting that welfare issues concerning affective state and/or behaviour are at risk of omission from end-of-life decisions.

scholarly journals PSI-20 Public perceptions of problematic equine industry sectors and management scenarios

2020 ◽  
Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽  
pp. 263-264
Author(s):  
Kelly Melvin ◽  
Jennie L Ivey ◽  
Liesel G Schneider ◽  
Peter Krawczel
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Multinomial Logistic Regression ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
The Public ◽  
Management Scenario ◽  
Unlimited Access ◽  
Horse Industry ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Access To Food ◽  
Equine Industry

Abstract The equine industry is highly variable with many different sectors and management practices. To determine how the public views common management practices and discipline-specific areas of the equine industry, an online study was distributed via email and social media over a 6-week period to U.S. residents over the age of 18 (n = 1,372). Survey questions included demographics, industry connection, definition of welfare and equine classification. Respondents were asked to select the most concerning option from a series of management-related scenarios. The production livestock and equine industries were then segmented by species or discipline, respectively, and respondents were asked which sector was most problematic. To analyze the data, frequency tables (Proc FREQ) and multinomial logistic regression (Proc LOGISTIC) were used in SAS 9.4 (Cary, NC) to test the factors associated with likelihood to select a given management scenario from each series (α=0.05). Respondents who were heavily connected to the industry were four times more likely than lightly connected individuals to select that a blanketed horse or unblanketed horse in 30°F weather with unlimited access to food and water equally presented no concern than to say that a blanketed or unblanketed horse in 30°F weather with unlimited access to food and water and were concerning (OR= 4.09; 95%CL: 2.08,8.04). Of the 1,244 respondents who answered, 563 (45%) said that the gaited horse industry is the most problematic equine industry compared to the racing industry (41%) and stock horse industry (8.7%). Understanding how the public perceives the various animal industries and management scenarios in relation to an individual’s connection to the industry, classification of equines and welfare definition is important to assess and improve educational intervention strategies.

scholarly journals The Reported Use of Tongue-Ties and Nosebands in Thoroughbred and Standardbred Horse Racing—A Pilot Study

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 622
Author(s):  
Dominic Weller ◽  
Samantha Franklin ◽  
Peter White ◽  
Glenn Shea ◽  
Kate Fenner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factor ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Airway Obstruction ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Common Reason ◽  
Horse Racing ◽  
Equal Importance ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Equine Industry ◽  
Insight Into

This article reports on the results of a survey of racehorse trainers (n = 112) outlining the reasons for tongue-tie (TT) and noseband (NB) use by Thoroughbred trainers (TBTs) (n = 72) and Standardbred trainers (SBTs) (n = 40). The study also investigated the reported effectiveness of TTs and possible complications arising from their use. Tongue-tie use was reported by 62.5% (n = 70) of racehorse trainers. The reasons for TT use varied between TBTs and SBTs. For TBTs, the most common reason for TT use was to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (72.3%, n = 34), followed closely by to prevent or reduce airway noise (55.3%, n = 16). Standardbred trainers assigned equal importance for TT use [to prevent or reduce airway obstruction (69.6%, n = 16) and to prevent the horse from moving its tongue over the bit (69.6%, n = 16)]. Tongue-ties were considered significantly less effective at improving performance than at reducing airway obstruction and preventing the tongue from moving over the bit (t = −2.700, p = 0.0007). For respondents who used both TTs and NBs, there was a mild to moderate positive association between the reasons for using TTs and NBs. Of the 70 TT-using respondents, 51.4% (n = 36) recorded having encountered either a physical or behavioural complication due to TT use, with redness/bruising of the tongue (20.0%, n = 14) being the most common physical complication reported. Duration of use influenced the risk of observing complications. The likelihood of a respondent reporting a behavioural complication due to TT use increased with every minute of reported application and a nine-minute increment in application period doubled the odds of a respondent reporting a complication. Tightness was a risk factor for physical complications: Checking TT tightness by noting the tongue as not moving was associated with increased reporting of physical complications (OR = 6.59; CI 1.1–67.5). This pilot study provides some insight into how and why TTs are applied by some racehorse trainers, and the potential risks associated with their use. A further study of a larger cohort is recommended because these results are valid for only the 112 trainers who responded and cannot be generalized to the equine industry.

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