Researchers say these differing views have a lot to do with peoples’ personal beliefs and experiences. This indicates that horse welfare is still very subjective, which is why there’s a real need for reliable welfare evaluation tools with objective scoring, they said.
What a time it has been for Taylor and his owner, Courtney Ferguson. Not only has Taylor, an 18-year-old Nevada mustang, competed and placed in dressage, but he’s also passed the tough tests for becoming a certified therapy horse for Saddle Pals. Is this as good for the horse as it is for the people? Source: Flickr.
THE HORSE (Posted by Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA | Sep 27, 2018 | Horse Care, Welfare and Industry)
IF there’s one thing horse owners aren’t short on, it’s opinions. From feed types and housing options to horse health maintenance and even a favorite pitchfork, equestrians tend to know what they believe and why. This even extends to what constitutes good or bad horse welfare — not everyone agrees on what’s good and bad for horses. Those views, researchers recently confirmed, have a lot to do with peoples’ personal beliefs and experiences.
“The idea of welfare is an important concept to anyone dealing with animals, but what welfare is, or what comprises good or poor welfare, seems to be very subjective and influenced by personal, cultural, or societal values,” said Katrina Merkies, PhD, associate professor and equine program coordinator at the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada.
In a recent study, Merkies and colleagues asked 14 industry professionals to consider a series of 12 scenarios involving horses and owners, each of which described a situation in which horse welfare might (or might not) be compromised. Read full article »
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NOTE: The image filed with this post was selected by Tuesday’s Horse and not part of The Horse’ article cited here. Thank you!
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