A Questionnaire Study on the Use of Complementary and Alternative Veterinary Medicine for Horses in Sweden

Complementary or alternative veterinary medicine (CAVM) includes treatment methods with limited scientific evidence. Swedish veterinarians are legally obliged to base treatments and recommendations on science or well-documented experience, but most CAVM methods are not well documented in animals. The aim of this study was to explore the use of CAVM in Swedish horses. Electronic questionnaires were distributed to horse owners, equine veterinary practitioners and CAVM therapists. Of the 204 responding horse owners, 83% contacted a veterinarian first in case of lameness, while 15% contacted a CAVM therapist. For back pain, 52% stated a CAVM therapist as their first contact and 45% a veterinarian. Only 10–15% of the respondents did not use any CAVM method for prevention or after injury. Of the 100 veterinarians who responded, more than half did not use CAVM themselves but 55% did refer to people who offer this service. Of the 124 responding CAVM therapists, 72% recommended their clients to seek veterinary advice when needed, 50% received referrals from a veterinarian, and 25% did not collaborate with a veterinarian. The two most common methods used by the respondents in all three categories were stretching and massage. Most veterinarians and therapists were not content with the current lack of CAVM regulation.

127 Equine Nutraceuticals: Is Science Finally Catching up to Fiction?

Nutraceutical supplements have become requisite fare in equine stables across North America and Europe, and a robust marketing engine has propagated the notion that every horse owner has the ability to contribute to the management – and even treatment – of some of the most important health and performance issues facing the modern horse. The voracious appetite of horse owners and managers for these supplements has vastly outpaced research into equine-specific efficacy, safety or toxicity of the majority of available products. Indeed, even government regulators have been left scrambling to accommodate the unique characteristics of nutraceuticals for horses within existing feed and drug guidelines, whilst the groundswell of consumer demand creates a fertile and attractive venue for a myriad of equine nutraceutical products. This presentation will identify peculiarities of horses and horse enthusiasts which define the opportunities and challenges associated with equine nutraceutical products. The current state of scientific inquiry will be explored, focusing on supplements targeting common equine health issues including arthritis, laminitis and gastrointestinal disorders. This critical mass of scientific evidence is then compared with popular marketing of equine nutraceuticals, in order to caliper the distance between science and fiction.

Spor Atı Nal Çakım Uygulama Değerlendirme Ölçeği

Accurate nail application to horses; It has an important place in horse welfare and performance. In order for horse welfare and performance to be carried out in a positive way, equine requires teamwork and knowledge. It is necessary to know and apply the standards that should be made and controlled by the horse owner, trainer, rider, caregiver and veterinarians within the team that is constantly intertwined with horses in equestrian sports with live. Therefore, commercial enterprises that equestrian sports recreation facilities available in the sport horse farrier horseshoe knife by applications in Turkey are held at certain time intervals. It is to contribute to the academic studies of horse owners, trainers, riders, caregivers and veterinarians in order to ensure the standard of whether or not horseshoes are applying horseshoes to sports horses in a healthy and correct manner.

Contemplating the Five Domains model of animal welfare assessment: UK horse owner perceptions of equine well-being

Traditionally, assessment of animal welfare generally focused on physiological signs of health with less consideration of psychological well-being. More recently, the Five Domains model highlighted the concept of all aspects of an animal's life influencing their affective state. In equestrianism, however, there is a lack of awareness of the Five Domains model and, specifically, how different factors may affect the mental well-being of horses (Equus caballus). This divide between scientific research and lay horse owners could compromise equine welfare by failing to recognise horses as sentient beings with species-specific needs. The present study therefore aimed to explore how evidence-based information can be effectively communicated to equestrians (n = 259) through an online survey and whether increased knowledge of equine welfare needs has any impact on horse caregivers' assessment of their own horses' quality of life. Results showed that a simple educational infographic based on the Five Domains model had a significant impact on equestrians' assessment of equine welfare, although longitudinal, empirical studies are needed. Scores on a Likert scale for health, behaviour/human interactions and overall welfare were significantly lower following the intervention but scores for emotional well-being were significantly higher. This may suggest that, whilst the infographic increased participant awareness of the importance of emotional state and the factors affecting welfare, there were difficulties or inconsistencies in objectively assessing these emotions. This highlights the need for equine welfare science to be communicated more proactively to horse owners in an accessible, engaging format.

Opening forces or failure of commercially available equine headcollars and other safety devices

A recent survey by the authors of the present study indicated that headcollar (halter, USA) related incidents resulting in horse injuries may be common. From the survey, 134 incidents involving horse fractures and 167 fatalities were reported. Headcollar design and materials vary markedly from traditional leather to “safety” headcollars and safety devices. Despite their almost universal use, there has been minimal study as to how these items function or specifications for performance. The aim of the present study was to select a range of commercially available standard headcollars and a number of safety devices, to test the force required to break or release them. Safety devices selected included baler twine, which is widely used by equestrians to attach a horse by a headcollar to a lead rope and in turn to a fixture. This system practice is perceived to increase safety. Devices were subjected to increasing load in the poll to lead-rope attachment axis (i.e. to simulate a horse pulling backward) using a custom-made steel rig incorporating an electric 1000 kg winch. The force was increased incrementally until either the headcollar or device opened or failed. The lowest mean opening force of 357 ± 50 N was for a safety headcollar, which is equivalent to a load of approximately 36 kg. The highest breaking force was 5798 ± 265 N for one of the eight different webbing headcollars tested. Breaking for safety devices ranged from 354 ± 121 N for “fine” baler twine to 1348 ± 307 N for a “heavy duty” baler twine. Variability in opening force was lowest in two of the webbing headcollars (CV < 5%) despite these having very high breaking points (>3500 N). The greatest variability was found for fine baler twine (CV = 34%) and one of the commercial safety devices (CV = 38%). The range of opening forces and variability in opening forces for standard headcollars, safety headcollars and safety devices is a cause for concern and may give horse owners/handlers a false sense of security with regards to safety, and actually predispose horses and handlers to an increased risk of injury.

The Human Aspect of Horse Care: How the COVID-19 Pandemic Impacted the Wellbeing of Equestrian Industry Stakeholders

During the lockdown phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, equestrian stakeholders faced a dilemma whereby they were required to balance caring for the welfare of horses with adapting to the restrictions imposed to protect public health. The present study investigated the impact of the pandemic on the wellbeing of a sample of industry stakeholders, including horse owners, equine veterinarians, farriers and welfare centre managers (n = 26) using a qualitative methodology. Findings from the interviews indicated that the mental health and wellbeing of veterinarians and horse owners was negatively affected by pandemic-related obstacles to communication and limitations to horse–owner interactions. However, this study also identified several positive outcomes for wellbeing during lockdown resulting from pro-social activities that were engaged with by horse owners to overcome social isolation, the separation of the community and loneliness. These findings provide accounts of ways in which those caring for horses might be challenged during national emergency scenarios, pointing to areas that would benefit from future mental health and wellbeing interventions.