Practitioner Safety and the Application of Learning Theory related to injury risk in Equine Physiotherapy: a Worldwide Survey

In the equine physiotherapy profession, similarly to the equine veterinary profession, there may be a high risk of occupational injury and preventive strategies, such as the application of learning theory (LT), may mitigate workplace injury frequency. The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency of occupational injury among equine physiotherapists and investigate the relationship between injury rate and knowledge of LT. An online survey was distributed, receiving 64 valid responses: of these, 51 were qualified veterinary physiotherapists working with equines and their data were taken forward for analysis. The mean injury frequency was 0.59±1 per year, with 36 respondents reporting at least one injury during their career. The most common site ofinjury for practitioners was the lower limb (n=22) and the most common type of injury was bruising (n=32). Knowledge of LT was poor. There was a moderate positive correlation (r=0.37, 95%CI[0.10,0.58], p<0.01) between veterinary physiotherapists’ theoretical knowledge scores and their self-evaluation of LT terminology scores. There was no significant correlation between scenario-based and theoretical LT scores and injury frequency. However, there was a weak negative correlation (r=-0.31, 95%CI[-0.54,- 0.04], p<0.05) between self-evaluation of LT terminology scores and injury frequency. Due to the small number of responses, results from the present study are not representative of the target population. However, results nonetheless highlight a trend of high injury rates and low levels of understanding of equine learning. This indicates the urgent need of research into better prevention and safety-enhancing strategies

Horse Owners' Knowledge of Fundamental Care and their Perceptions on the Implementation of a Mandatory Certificate of Knowledge

The aims of this study were to first determine the extent of owners' fundamental knowledge of equine care, second, gain their opinions on the implementation of a mandatory certificate of knowledge and third, to investigate the association of certification on horse owner knowledge. An online survey comprising 23 questions (18 closed, 5 open) was distributed worldwide via snowball sampling, and completed by 1847 horse owners who were all ≥18 years old from 17 different countries. Almost all (96%, n = 1781) completed surveys were usable. Just over half (52%) of participants held a current equine knowledge certification, and 59% believed a mandatory certificate of knowledge should be necessary to buy, own, or sell a horse. Horse owners with an equine certificate of knowledge were more likely to be in favor of a mandatory certificate (Pearson's Chi-squared = 50.79, df = 1, p &lt; 0.0001). The mean correctly answered knowledge questions was 68%, indicating that approximately 1/3 of horse owners lacked fundamental horse care knowledge. Further examination indicated that participating horse owners showed the least understanding in the behavioral interactions domain (ANOVA F(4, 24) = 4.98, p &lt; 0.01), specifically in relation to pain recognition and learning theory terminology. Arguably, this deficit in knowledge and likely correct application increases the risk of owners using misinformed or inappropriate techniques to manage horse behavior and training, predisposing the horse to experiencing a sub-optimal quality of life. Overall no significant difference was found between the total correct scores of horse owners with or without a certificate (ANOVA F(1, 56) = 0.78, p &gt; 0.05); however, a series of Chi-squared tests revealed that for the more complex questions, horse owners with a certificate scored better than those without (all p &lt; 0.05). Further work is needed to develop an evidence-based assessment framework if mandatory certification of horse owners is to become an effective tool for improving horse welfare and quality of life.</p

Development and Preliminary Validation of an Equine Brief Pain Inventory for Owner Assessment of Chronic Pain Due to Osteoarthritis in Horses

An owner-completed questionnaire was designed to monitor the level of chronic pain and impact on quality of life in horses with osteoarthritis (OA). A standardized approach to develop and validate subjective-state scales for clinical use was followed. Scale items were generated through literature review, focus group meetings, and expert panel evaluation. The draft tool was tested for reading level and language ambiguity and piloted in 25 owners/caregivers of horses with osteo-arthritis, with factor analysis performed on responses. The resulting revised questionnaire is cur-rently undergoing validation in a larger sample population of 60 OA and 20 sound control horses. In the pilot group, 21 people (84%) found the questionnaire easy to complete and 22 people (88%) found it useful. It could be completed within 5 min by all participants. Readability scores (Flesch Reading Ease Score, Flesch–Kincaid grade level, SMOG index) indicated an English language reading level comparable to that of 6th to 7th grade in the U.S. system (age 11–12 years). Cronbach’s alpha of all items in the tool was 0.957, indicating excellent inter-item correlation. In-terim analysis for 23 OA horses from the sample population showed good test–retest reliability and higher scores compared to 5 control horses. Full validation must be completed for the in-strument to be used in clinical practice

The laterality of the gallop gait in Thoroughbred racehorses

<div><p>Laterality can be observed as side biases in locomotory behaviour which, in the horse, manifest <i>inter alia</i> as forelimb preferences, most notably in the gallop. The current study investigated possible leading-leg preferences at the population and individual level in Thoroughbred racehorses (n = 2095) making halt-to-gallop transitions. Videos of flat races in the UK (n = 350) were studied to record, for each horse, the lead-leg preference of the initial stride into gallop from the starting stalls. Races from clockwise (C) and anti-clockwise (AC) tracks were chosen alternately at random to ensure equal representation. Course direction, horse age and sex, position relative to the inside rail and finishing position were also noted. On C courses, the left/right ratio was 1.15, which represents a significant bias to the left (z = –2.29, p = 0.022), while on AC courses it was 0.92 (z = 0.51, p = 0.610). In both course directions, there was no significant difference between winning horses that led with the left leading leg versus the right (C courses, z = –1.32, p = 0.19 and AC courses, z = –0.74, p = 0.46). Of the 2,095 horses studied 51.26% led with their L fore and 48.74% with their R, with no statistically significant difference (z = -1.16, p = 0.25). Therefore, there was no evidence of a population level motor laterality. Additionally, 22 male and 22 female horses were randomly chosen for repeated measures of leading leg preference. A laterality index was calculated for each of the 44 horses studied using the repeated measures: 22 exhibited right laterality (of which two were statistically significant) and 21 exhibited left laterality (eight being statistically significant); one horse was ambilateral. Using these data, left lateralized horses were more strongly lateralized on an individual level than the right lateralized horses (t = 2.28, p = 0.03, DF = 34) and mares were more left lateralized than males (t = 2.4, p = 0.03, DF = 19).</p></div

Posture and Pull Pressure by Horses When Eating Hay or Haylage from a Hay Net Hung at Various Positions

These studies assessed the pressure forces exerted by horses to extract forage from haynets. Study 1 measured horse posture and pressure in Newtons (10 N = 1 kg Force) exerted on haynets when feeding from either a single (SH) or double layered (DH) haynet (3 kg Hay), hung low or high. Mean and maximum pull forces were higher for the DH vs. SH (DH: 81 ± 2 N, max 156 N; SH: 74 ± 2.9 N, max 121 N; p < 0.01). Horses pulled harder on low (max pull 144 ± 8 N) compared to high (109 ± 8 N; p < 0.05) hung haynets. Mean maximum angles (nose-poll-withers) recorded were 90° ± 9 for SH and 127° ± 10 for DH (p < 0.01). Study 2 was a latin square design measuring forces exerted by 10 horses when eating from haynets (6 kg fill) with hay or haylage and attached to the wall at single or double points. Pull pressures were significantly higher when eating haylage compared to hay (mean: 7.5 kg vs. 2 kg and max: 32 kg versus 12 kg, respectively, (p < 0.001). Forage type and fracture properties had the greatest effect on apprehension rates of hay from haynets. In this study, the majority of force exerted when eating from haynets was below 70 N for hay and for haylage 50% of pulls were higher than 50 N with 8% of pulls above 200 N