The aim of this study was to conduct a series of paper-based exercises in order to assess\nthe negative (adverse) welfare impacts, if any, of common interventions on domestic horses across a broad range of different contexts of equine care and training. An international panel (with professional\nexpertise in psychology, equitation science, veterinary science, education, welfare, equestrian coaching,\nadvocacy, and community engagement; n = 16) met over a four-day period to define and assess these\ninterventions, using an adaptation of the domain-based assessment model. The interventions were\nconsidered within 14 contexts: C1Weaning; C2 Diet; C3 Housing; C4 Foundation training; C5 Ill-health\nand veterinary interventions (chiefly medical); C6 Ill-health and veterinary interventions (chiefly\nsurgical); C7 Elective procedures; C8 Care procedures; C9 Restraint for management procedures;\nC10 Road transport; C11 Activityââ?¬â?competition; C12 Activityââ?¬â?work; C13 Activityââ?¬â?breeding females;\nand C14 Activityââ?¬â?breeding males. Scores on a 1ââ?¬â??10 scale for Domain 5 (the mental domain) gathered\nduring the workshop were compared with overall impact scores on a 1ââ?¬â??10 scale assigned by the\nsame panellists individually before the workshop. The most severe (median and interquartile range,\nIQR) impacts within each context were identified during the workshop as: C1 abrupt, individual\nweaning (10 IQR 1); C2 feeding 100% low-energy concentrate (8 IQR 2.5); C3 indoor tie stalls with\nno social contact (9 IQR 1.5); C4 both (i) dropping horse with ropes (9 IQR 0.5) and forced flexion\n(9 IQR 0.5); C5 long-term curative medical treatments (8 IQR 3); C6 major deep intracavity surgery\n(8.5 IQR 1); C7 castration without veterinary supervision (10 IQR 1); C8 both (i) tongue ties (8 IQR 2.5)\nand (ii) restrictive nosebands (8 IQR 2.5); C9 ear twitch (8 IQR 1); C10 both (i) individual transport\n(7.00 IQR 1.5) and group transport with unfamiliar companions (7 IQR 1.5); C11 both (i) jumps racing\n(8 IQR 2.5) andWestern performance (8 IQR 1.5); C12 carriage and haulage work (6 IQR 1.5); C13 wet\nnurse during transition between foals (7.5 IQR 3.75); and C14 teaser horse (7 IQR 8). Associations\nbetween pre-workshop and workshop scores were high, but some rankings changed after workshop\nparticipation, particularly relating to breeding practices. Domain 1 had the weakest association\nwith Domain 5. The current article discusses the use of the domain-based model in equine welfare\nassessment, and offers a series of assumptions within each context that future users of the same\napproach may make when assessing animal welfare under the categories reported here. It also\ndiscusses some limitations in the framework that was used to apply the model.
Loading....