A survey of welfare problems associated with transporting horses by road in Germany (2022-2024).

The research conducted a survey to understand issues related to horse transportation in Germany between 2022 and 2024. The paper investigates problems like stress, behavioral problems, injuries, and diseases occurring due to transportation.

Methodology

• The researchers conducted a cross-sectional survey-based study. Cross-sectional studies observe data at a certain point of time, and this one is focused on transport-related practices and the health and behavioral issues observed due to transportation.
• The survey was aimed at both amateur and professional horse owners. It collected data on numerous aspects, including demographic details, the respondent’s experience with horses, frequency and length of horse transportation, and any observed behavioral or health problems correlated to transportation.
• The study also applied logistic regression analysis to understand the relation between transport parameters and the observed problems. This analysis allows for a correlation between conditions or events and a certain outcome.

Participation

• The survey succeeded in accumulating a total of 432 horse owners as participants, although only 59.7% (or 258 respondents) fully completed the survey.

Findings

• Of the transportation journeys documented, 72.5% lasted less than 2 hours and almost half of the respondents, 45.8%, fed hay to their horses during transit.
• The survey results showed that a third of respondents observed behavioral problems, with 42.6% reporting health problems. Diarrhea was the most frequently reported issue, seen in 33.9% of cases, followed by injuries (19.3%), muscle disorders (4%), respiratory problems, and colic (each 2.4%).
• The professional transit handlers were less likely (OR 1.04) to observe diarrhea in the transported horses compared to the amateurs.
• Horses that were transported alone exhibited significantly more behavioral problems than those which were transported in groups (OR 0.53, with CI 0.35-0.76 and P = 0.001).

Conclusions

• Most of the horse transportation journeys in Germany lasted under two hours.
• Despite a high rate of behavioral problems being reported, health issues were less frequently observed. This discrepancy could be attributed to good management practices, the use of safety equipment, shorter travel distances, and favorable climatic conditions, which are relatively better in Germany compared to other countries.