Reconciling Horse Welfare, Worker Safety, and Public Expectations: Horse Event Incident Management Systems in Australia

Fiedler, Julie; McGreevy, Paul D.

doi:10.3390/ani6030016

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 8 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The need to move the pig was more frequent after playing, and this result supports previous findings; thus, the pigs seemed to be in a more positive emotional state and more motivated to interact with the person, even when the person was strange and unfamiliar. Nevertheless, in this case, it was a ‘negative’ aspect for the human, as it suggests that the pig was too confident and then it may be dangerous when interacting with humans, as suggested with other species like horses [ 9 , 13 ]. Of course, it is a preliminary test, the results of which should be interpreted with caution, but the results seem to be in agreement with those of other studies in different species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

It is now widely recognised that a positive human-animal relationship is beneficial not only for farm animals’ welfare but also for productivity and the quality of products. A better understanding of animal emotions is an important goal in disciplines ranging from neuroscience to animal welfare science, but few reliable tools exist for measuring these emotions. In this study, whether the provision of toys to solicit play behaviour in pigs is associated with a change in the human-animal relationship and the emotional state of pigs was investigated. We involved a group of sixteen mini-pigs housed in an experimental setting and the use of a preliminary test called the ‘strange person’ test. After a Control and a Play session (with medium-sized dog toys, balls with ropes), the strange person test was performed. During the test, a person wearing a colourful overall, a hood, a mask, gloves and boots (unknown person with an odd appearance) entered the pen, where 2 mini-pigs were housed, for a 2-min video recording. The strange person test results after the Play and Control sessions were compared. The results showed that the latency to approach the person (duration in seconds) and the duration for which the pig was distant from the strange person (duration in seconds) were significantly lower after the Play session than after the Control session (Degrees of Freedom =30; Statistic of the F test =39.1; p < 0.0001 and Degrees of Freedom =15; Statistic of the F test =54.3; p < 0.0001, respectively). The duration of direct contact (duration in seconds) (Degrees of Freedom =15; Statistic of the F test =14.8; p = 0.002), the need to separate the pig from the strange person (frequency) (Degrees of Freedom =30; Statistic of the F test =9.3; p = 0.005) and the duration of tail movement (duration in seconds) (Degrees of Freedom =15; Statistic of the F test =12.6; p = 0.003) were all significantly higher after the Play sessions than after the Control sessions. Overall, the results suggest a change in the human-animal relationship after the Play sessions: the pigs seemed to be less fearful and more inclined to interact with the strange person, showing a more positive emotional state. This preliminary study suggests that the provision of toys, and more precisely, the opportunity to perform object play behaviour, and sometimes, spontaneously, social play behaviour, can improve the human-animal relationship. Additional research to explore this topic thoroughly may yield interesting results because a positive emotional state of the animals and a good human-animal relationship are essential to ensure good quality of life of farm animals.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…While there has long been public opinion about humans and animals in the sporting arena, the Internet has globalized even the smallest local event through smartphone technologies [24,25]. Embracing 24 hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week Internet access increases the exposure of horse sport to a potentially naïve global audience [26]. While this provides the sport with a platform to promote the competition and attract commercial investment, it also enables rapid and wide distribution of other events, including cases which may elicit a negative public response if perceived that the safety and welfare of horses is placed at unwarranted risk.…”

Section: What Is Social License To Operate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This new juxtaposition, which blends traditional horse cultures with the new technology-enabled central positioning of individual horses as sports figures, brings a level of public scrutiny and often expected accountability for sport administrators previously only experienced by the business sector [28,29]. The 'fandom' includes spectator-fans who collect, share, and comment utilizing digital sport resources but who are not sport fanatics, together with fans of horses who become outraged if it is perceived that their welfare is at risk [26,30]. Fans may be naïve about the intricacies of the sport and equine science, but enhanced by technology, this 'smart' global audience is responsive to horse welfare issues and questioning of trust in the organization, both of which may impact long-term business sustainability [27,31,32].…”

Section: What Is Social License To Operate?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Thoroughbred Racehorse Welfare through the Lens of ‘Social License to Operate—With an Emphasis on a U.S. Perspective

et al. 2020

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This review addresses the question of whether Thoroughbred horse racing is sustainable in the context of current social values. A recently acknowledged framework, known as ‘Social License to Operate’ (SLO), provides us with a lens through which to view and assess racehorse welfare. In multiple surveys of the general public, the horse owning public, and university students, the primary topics of concern regarding Thoroughbred racing show considerable concordance: concern about catastrophic injuries—particularly as related to track surfaces, concern over the racing of two-year-olds, whip use by jockeys, drug/medication policies, and aftercare opportunities for retired Thoroughbred racehorses. Legitimacy of an industry, consent from industry stakeholders, and trust between the community players, are all essential to have and maintain SLO. In the current era of 24/7 global media access, and the proliferation of social media providing an interactive platform for all interested parties, a dramatic change has occurred in commentary related to racehorse welfare concerns. The situation at Santa Anita (California, USA) from late December 2018 through mid-November 2019 demonstrated just how tenuous the SLO for horse racing is. This article will provide a brief review of what ‘Social License to Operate’ is, along with a brief literature review of five of the areas of primary concern voiced by stakeholders.

show abstract

“…SLO is not a formal or written contract, rather society’s permission for an entity to continue to operate. With the rise of social media, which fuels the distribution of troubling images, the equestrian community risks losing its SLO unless it can be seen to be taking proactive, affirmative action to improve participant safety and horse welfare [ 12 ]. In recent years, a series of ridden horse welfare issues have been prominent across the media, risking their SLO.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identifying Sources of Potential Bias When Using Online Survey Data to Explore Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review

Fenner

Hyde

Crean

et al. 2020

Veterinary Sciences

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Owner-reported behavioural observations form an essential part of the veterinarians’ diagnosis and treatment plan. The way we train and manage horses affects their behaviour and, in turn, their health and welfare. Current horse training and management practices are largely driven by traditional techniques and longstanding methodologies. These approaches generally lack an evidence base for evaluation purposes. The absence of evidence and evaluation contributes to the persistent use of risky practices and this, in turn, increases risk of potential harms for both horse and rider, and fuels questioning of the equine industry’s current social license to operate. Objective evidence is required to make training and management decisions based on demonstrable best practice. Large-scale experimental or intervention studies using horses are generally not practical because of the associated costs and logistics of gaining ethical approval. Small studies generally lack statistical power and are subject to the effects of many forms of bias that demand caution in the interpretation of any observed effects. An alternative to collecting large amounts of empirical data is the use of owner-reported observations via online survey. Horse owners are ideally placed to report on the domestic equine triad of training, management, and behaviour. The current article highlights three sources of potential bias in a systematic review of literature on large-scale online studies of horse owners’ observational reports that met the following selection criteria: English-language, published, peer-reviewed articles reporting on studies with over 1000 respondents and open access to the survey instrument. The online surveys were evaluated for three common forms of bias: recall, confirmation, and sampling bias. This review reveals that online surveys are useful for gathering data on the triad of horse training, management, and behaviour. However, current use of online surveys to collect data on equitation science (including horse training, management, and behaviour) could be improved by using a standardised and validated tool. Such a tool would facilitate comparisons among equine and equitation science studies, thus advancing our understanding of the impacts of training and management on horse behaviour. The authors of the current review suggest the use of a standardised behavioural and management assessment tool for horses. Such a tool would help define what constitutes normal behaviour within geographically disparate populations of horses, leading to improvements in rider safety and horse welfare.

show abstract

Reconciling Horse Welfare, Worker Safety, and Public Expectations: Horse Event Incident Management Systems in Australia

Cited by 11 publications

References 8 publications

The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship

The provision of toys to pigs can improve the human-animal relationship

Thoroughbred Racehorse Welfare through the Lens of ‘Social License to Operate—With an Emphasis on a U.S. Perspective

Identifying Sources of Potential Bias When Using Online Survey Data to Explore Horse Training, Management, and Behaviour: A Systematic Literature Review

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About