An online survey of horse-owners in Great Britain.
Abstract: Contingency planning for potential equine infectious disease outbreaks relies on accurate information on horse location and movements to estimate the risk of dissemination of disease(s). An online questionnaire was used to obtain unique information linking owner and horse location to characteristics of horse movements within and outwith Great Britain (GB). Results: This online survey yielded a strong response, providing more than four times the target number of respondents (1000 target respondents) living in all parts of GB. Key demographic findings of this study indicated that horses which were kept on livery yards and riding schools were likely to be found in urban environments, some distance away from the owner's home and vaccinated against influenza and herpes virus. Survey respondents were likely to travel greater than 10 miles to attend activities such as eventing or endurance but were also likely to travel and return home within a single day (58.6%, 2063/3522). This may affect the geographical extent and speed of disease spread, if large numbers of people from disparate parts of the country are attending the same event and the disease agent is highly infectious or virulent. The greatest risk for disease introduction and spread may be represented by a small proportion of people who import or travel internationally with their horses. These respondents were likely to have foreign horse passports, which were not necessarily recorded in the National Equine Database (NED), making the location of these horses untraceable. Conclusions: These results illustrate the difficulties which exist with national GB horse traceability despite the existence of the NED and the horse passport system. This study also demonstrates that an online approach could be adopted to obtain important demographic data on GB horse owners on a more routine and frequent basis to inform decisions or policy pertaining to equine disease control. This represents a reasonable alternative to collection of GB horse location and movement data given that the NED no longer exists and there is no immediate plan to replace it.
Publication Date: 2013-09-28 PubMed ID: 24074003PubMed Central: PMC3850011DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-188Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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This research article presents the findings of an online survey conducted among horse owners in Great Britain which collected information about the location and movement of horses. The aim was to aid in risk assessment and contingency planning for potential outbreaks of equine infectious diseases.
Overview of the Study
- The researchers conducted a comprehensive online study garnering a response from horse owners across Great Britain, exceeding the target by more than four times.
- The online questionnaire was designed to obtain important information tying the owner and their horse’s location to the characteristics of horse movements both within and outside of Great Britain.
Key Findings
- It was found that horses from livery yards and riding schools were typically situated in urban environments, often far from the owner’s home, and were likely to be vaccinated against influenza and herpes virus.
- The horse owners surveyed frequently travelled distances greater than 10 miles for events like endurance or eventing, and often returned on the same day (58.6% of respondents). This behaviour has potential implications for the scope and speed of disease dissemination, especially if the disease in question is highly infectious or virulent and several people from numerous regions attend the same event.
Risk Assessment
- The most significant risk for disease introduction and spread likely comes from a small subset of people who import horses or travel internationally with their equines. These respondents were found to possibly have foreign horse passports not recorded in the National Equine Database (NED), making these horses’ location untraceable.
Conclusions and Implications
- Results indicate a problem with horse traceability in Great Britain, despite the existence of the NED and a horse passport system.
- The study findings suggest that utilizing an online survey approach could be effective in capturing vital demographics from horse owners in Great Britain, informing decisions and policies related to equine disease control.
- This method seems reasonable for collecting data on horse location and movement, especially considering that the NED is now defunct and there are no immediate plans to replace it.
Cite This Article
APA
Boden LA, Parkin TD, Yates J, Mellor D, Kao RR.
(2013).
An online survey of horse-owners in Great Britain.
BMC Vet Res, 9, 188.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-9-188 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Boyd Orr Centre for Population and Ecosystem Health, School of Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, 464 Bearsden Road, Glasgow G61 1QH, Scotland. lisa.boden@glasgow.ac.uk.
MeSH Terms
- Adult
- Animal Husbandry
- Animals
- Communicable Diseases / epidemiology
- Communicable Diseases / veterinary
- Data Collection
- Female
- Horse Diseases / prevention & control
- Horses
- Housing, Animal
- Humans
- Internet
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Ownership
- Surveys and Questionnaires
- Transportation
- United Kingdom / epidemiology
Grant Funding
- Wellcome Trust
References
This article includes 19 references
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