Files and links (2)
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Risk Factors for Transport-Related Problem Behaviors in Horses: A New Zealand Survey
Animals, Vol.8(8), pp.1-16
02/08/2018
PMID: 30072591
Metrics
1 Record Views
Abstract
Transport-related problem behaviors (TRPBs) are common in horses and can cause injury to both the horses and their handlers. This study aimed to identify possible risk factors for TRPBs to inform approaches to mitigate TRPBs incidence and enhance horse welfare. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the prevalence of TRPBs and their association with human-, training- and transport management-related factors in New Zealand. The survey generated 1124 valid responses that were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and logistic regression analyses. Having at least one horse with TRPB was reported by 249/1124 (22.2%) respondents during the two previous years. Of these, 21/249 (8.4%) occurred during pre-loading, 78/249 (31.3%) during loading, 132/249 (53.0%) while travelling, and 18/249 (7.3%) during unloading. Our findings indicate that the use of negative reinforcement and positive punishment as training methods, using a whip or food for loading, and travelling in a straight load trailer/float while offering food were associated with a higher likelihood of TRPBs. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine causality and findings should be interpreted with caution, and evaluated in further experimental studies. The authors suggest that education on appropriate training methods for transport, and vehicle selection may mitigate the risk for TRPBs in horses.
Details
- Title
- Risk Factors for Transport-Related Problem Behaviors in Horses: A New Zealand Survey
- Creators
- Barbara Padalino - City University of Hong KongChris W. Rogers - Massey UniversityDanielle Guiver - Massey UniversityJanis P. Bridges - Massey UniversityChristopher B. Riley - Massey University
- Publication Details
- Animals, Vol.8(8), pp.1-16
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Grant note
- This research was funded by grants from the Eminent Visitors Program at Massey University and the Massey University International Visitors Research Fund and by a summer scholarship from the New Zealand Equine Trust.
- Identifiers
- 991013293549402368
- Copyright
- © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Veterinary Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article