Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing
Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routine...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2182 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849239785637412864 |
|---|---|
| author | Julie M. Fiedler Sarah Rosanowski Margaret L. Ayre Josh D. Slater |
| author_facet | Julie M. Fiedler Sarah Rosanowski Margaret L. Ayre Josh D. Slater |
| author_sort | Julie M. Fiedler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Participation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified four themes: ‘managing venues’, ‘monitoring fitness to participate’, ‘maintaining a healthy equine digestive system’, and ‘using horse behaviors to inform decision-making’. The findings indicate that activity-related individuals selected practices that assisted horses to adapt to venue surroundings, remain calm, and stay healthy. The co-authors propose that experienced participants recognize that practices include both provisions (inputs) and outcomes (the horse’s subjective experiences), resonating with the Five Freedoms and Five Domains models. For horse activity organizations proposing to implement the Five Domains model, the findings indicate that reviewing practices and implementing updates is timely and achievable. The authors propose that continuously updating practices will contribute to safeguarding horses and maintaining the sector’s social license to operate. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0f3cdb118433451c87cf1b6c757fda89 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj-art-0f3cdb118433451c87cf1b6c757fda892025-08-20T04:00:50ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-07-011515218210.3390/ani15152182Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and WellbeingJulie M. Fiedler0Sarah Rosanowski1Margaret L. Ayre2Josh D. Slater3Melbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Melbourne, VIC 3030, AustraliaMelbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Melbourne, VIC 3030, AustraliaSchool of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne, Royal Parade, Parkville, Melbourne, VIC 3010, AustraliaMelbourne Veterinary School, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, 250 Princes Highway, Werribee, Melbourne, VIC 3030, AustraliaParticipation in horse-related activities frequently involves relocating horses from the home stable to an activity venue, which might require local, regional, or international travel. In these circumstances, horses are exposed to unfamiliar surroundings and experience changes to their daily routines, which could have negative welfare impacts. An online survey was conducted in 2021 to ask experienced horse sector participants about the horse management practices that they perceived worked well and provided for positive horse welfare when undertaken at venues. Qualitative analysis identified four themes: ‘managing venues’, ‘monitoring fitness to participate’, ‘maintaining a healthy equine digestive system’, and ‘using horse behaviors to inform decision-making’. The findings indicate that activity-related individuals selected practices that assisted horses to adapt to venue surroundings, remain calm, and stay healthy. The co-authors propose that experienced participants recognize that practices include both provisions (inputs) and outcomes (the horse’s subjective experiences), resonating with the Five Freedoms and Five Domains models. For horse activity organizations proposing to implement the Five Domains model, the findings indicate that reviewing practices and implementing updates is timely and achievable. The authors propose that continuously updating practices will contribute to safeguarding horses and maintaining the sector’s social license to operate.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2182equinehorseequestriananimal welfareanimal wellbeinghorse racing |
| spellingShingle | Julie M. Fiedler Sarah Rosanowski Margaret L. Ayre Josh D. Slater Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing Animals equine horse equestrian animal welfare animal wellbeing horse racing |
| title | Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing |
| title_full | Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing |
| title_fullStr | Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing |
| title_full_unstemmed | Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing |
| title_short | Horse Activity Participants’ Perceptions About Practices Undertaken at Activity Venues, and Horse Welfare and Wellbeing |
| title_sort | horse activity participants perceptions about practices undertaken at activity venues and horse welfare and wellbeing |
| topic | equine horse equestrian animal welfare animal wellbeing horse racing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2182 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT juliemfiedler horseactivityparticipantsperceptionsaboutpracticesundertakenatactivityvenuesandhorsewelfareandwellbeing AT sarahrosanowski horseactivityparticipantsperceptionsaboutpracticesundertakenatactivityvenuesandhorsewelfareandwellbeing AT margaretlayre horseactivityparticipantsperceptionsaboutpracticesundertakenatactivityvenuesandhorsewelfareandwellbeing AT joshdslater horseactivityparticipantsperceptionsaboutpracticesundertakenatactivityvenuesandhorsewelfareandwellbeing |