An Exploration of Industry Expert Perception of Equine Welfare Using Vignettes.
Abstract: As part of a larger Delphi survey project, equine professionals ( = 14) were presented with twelve short scenarios in which a horse's welfare could be compromised. They were asked to rank each scenario (with 0 indicating no welfare concerns and 5 indicating a situation where immediate intervention was necessary), provide justification for their ranking, and give examples of what might have been the motivation behind the scenario. The wide range within vignette scores demonstrated the diversity of opinion even among a relatively small group of equine professionals. Qualitative analysis of responses to vignettes suggested that respondents typically ranked situations higher if they had a longer duration and the potential for greater or longer-lasting consequences (e.g., serious injury). Respondents were also the most sensitive to situations in which the horse's physical well-being (e.g., painful experience) was, or could be, compromised. Financial reasons, ignorance, and human convenience were also areas discussed as potential motivators by survey respondents. Overall, responses from the vignettes allowed for a picture of welfare perception based on personal values.
Publication Date: 2017-12-20 PubMed ID: 29261119PubMed Central: PMC5742796DOI: 10.3390/ani7120102Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The study involves equine professionals evaluating different situations that could affect horse welfare, ranking them based on severity, explaining their rankings and suggesting possible motives for such scenarios. The findings highlight a diverse range of opinions among professionals on horse welfare, with scenarios involving long-term or serious damage ranked highest and the horse’s physical well-being of greatest concern.
Study Methodology
- The research project used a Delphi survey methodology, which is a structured communication technique used to gather the collective intelligence of a group efficiently.
- Around fourteen professionals from the equine industry were presented with twelve hypothetical scenarios or vignettes. These vignettes were situations where a horse’s welfare might be at risk.
- The participants were required to rank each situation on a scale of 0 to 5. A score of 0 was used to indicate that there were no welfare concerns, while a score of 5 indicated that immediate intervention was necessary for the horse’s welfare.
- The participants were also asked to provide their reasoning behind each of their rankings and suggest potential motivations for each hypothetical scenario.
Findings
- The results showed a wide range of scores within the vignettes, indicating a variety of opinions among the small group of equine professionals.
- Qualitative analysis of the participants’ responses suggested that they generally ranked cases higher if the situations were long-lasting and had the potential for serious consequences, such as severe injury.
- Equine professionals were especially sensitive to the conditions where a horse’s physical well-being was or potentially could be compromised. The physical welfare of the horse, such as the possibility of painful experiences, was cited as a major concern.
- The responses also shed light on what could drive these potential welfare-compromising scenarios. Financial factors, lack of knowledge, and human convenience were the primary motivators discussed by the survey respondents.
Conclusions
- The study demonstrated the diverse perspectives among equine professionals when it comes to the welfare of horses.
- It provided an overview of welfare perception based on personal values and the complexity involved in decisions about the welfare of horses.
- The study emphasized the need for a more comprehensive understanding of welfare scenarios to ensure efficient and effective protection measures for horses.
Cite This Article
APA
DuBois C, Hambly-Odame H, Haley DB, Merkies K.
(2017).
An Exploration of Industry Expert Perception of Equine Welfare Using Vignettes.
Animals (Basel), 7(12), 102.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani7120102 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. cdubois@uoguelph.ca.
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. cdubois@uoguelph.ca.
- School of Environmental Design and Rural Development, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. hhambly@uoguelph.ca.
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. dhaley@uoguelph.ca.
- Department of Population Medicine, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. dhaley@uoguelph.ca.
- Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. kmerkies@uoguelph.ca.
- Campbell Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada. kmerkies@uoguelph.ca.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Citations
This article has been cited 6 times.- Ross M, Proudfoot K, Merkies K, Elsohaby I, Mills M, Macmillan K, Mckenna S, Ritter C. Horse Housing on Prince Edward Island, Canada: Attitudes and Experiences Related to Keeping Horses Outdoors and in Groups. Animals (Basel) 2023 Jan 13;13(2).
- Merkies K, Franzin O. Enhanced Understanding of Horse-Human Interactions to Optimize Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2021 May 9;11(5).
- DuBois C, Nakonechny L, Derisoud E, Merkies K. Examining Canadian Equine Industry Participants' Perceptions of Horses and Their Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2018 Nov 7;8(11).
- Grandgeorge M, Lerch N, Delarue A, Hausberger M. From Human Perception of Good Practices to Horse (Equus Caballus) Welfare: Example of Equine-Assisted Activities. Animals (Basel) 2024 Sep 2;14(17).
- Maurício LS, Leme DP, Hötzel MJ. The Easiest Becomes the Rule: Beliefs, Knowledge and Attitudes of Equine Practitioners and Enthusiasts Regarding Horse Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2024 Apr 24;14(9).
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