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

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Horse
• survey
• owner
• husbandry
• preventive health care

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank the horse owners who generously participated in the online survey. They are also grateful to the Australian Industry Horse Council and the Horse Federation of South Australia for the opportunity to analyze, report, and present these data.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Horse Industry Council.