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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2019; 9(9); 620; doi: 10.3390/ani9090620

Benefits of Animal Exposure on Veterinary Students’ Understanding of Equine Behaviour and Self-Assessed Equine Handling Skills.

Abstract: Horses are one of the most dangerous animals veterinarians have to work with. For many veterinary students, their first exposure to horses occurs during practical classes. To evaluate the level of knowledge students have of equine behaviour and their equine handling competency when entering the programme, 214 veterinary students (1st and 4th year) were recruited to participate in a questionnaire. Participants were asked to choose one out of 12 terms that best represented the affective state of a horse in a picture, and to self-assess their equine handling skills. Half (n = 56/115) of the first-year students correctly interpreted the horse's behaviour. The majority had (1) a poor understanding of equine learning mechanisms and (2) poor self-rated equine handling skills. A history of pet ownership ( = 0.027) and the presence of horses on their family property ( = 0.001) were significantly associated with a correct understanding of equine behaviour. Fourth-year students were three times more likely to accurately interpret the horse's behaviour ( = 0.01) and rated their handling skills higher than first-year students ( = 0.006). These results suggest that previous animal experience confers a considerable advantage to interpret equine behaviour and highlight the critical importance of practical training in the veterinary programme.
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Publication Date: 2019-08-28 PubMed ID: 31466298PubMed Central: PMC6769774DOI: 10.3390/ani9090620Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

The research article explores how exposure to animals, especially horses, can significantly improve the understanding of equine behaviour and equine handling skills among veterinary students.

Research Design and Participants

  • The research was conducted with 214 veterinary students, who were divided into two main groups: first-year students and fourth-year students. This provided a comparison between beginners and those nearing the end of their study programme.
  • An evaluation was made of the students’ understanding and handling competency regarding equine behaviour. The researchers utilized a questionnaire where the students had to interpret horse behaviour from a picture and assess their equine handling skills.

First-Year Students

  • Of the 115 first-year participants, only around half (56 students) were able to correctly interpret the behavioural cues of the horse depicted in the questionnaire’s picture.
  • Many had a poor understanding of how horses learn and of equine behaviour in general.
  • They also self-assessed their equine handling skills as being rather poor.
  • Interestingly, those with a history of pet ownership and having horses on their family property were significantly more likely to accurately understand equine behaviour.

Fourth-Year Students

  • Compared to their first-year counterparts, fourth-year students were three times more likely to accurately interpret horse behaviour and rated their handling skills as being higher.
  • This suggests that practical experience gained during the veterinary program significantly enhances understanding and competence in handling equines.

Conclusions

  • This study concludes that prior experience with animals, particularly horses, provides a notable advantage for veterinary students in interpreting equine behaviour.
  • Moreover, it emphasizes the importance of practical training in a veterinary programme, which not only strengthens their technical skills but also enhances understanding of animal behaviour, using equine handling as a case in point.

Cite This Article

APA
Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Bolwell CF, Norman EJ, Rogers CW. (2019). Benefits of Animal Exposure on Veterinary Students’ Understanding of Equine Behaviour and Self-Assessed Equine Handling Skills. Animals (Basel), 9(9), 620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani9090620

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 9
Issue: 9
PII: 620

Researcher Affiliations

Guinnefollau, Lauréline
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand. L.Guinnefollau@massey.ac.nz.
Gee, Erica K
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Bolwell, Charlotte F
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Norman, Elizabeth J
  • College of Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Rogers, Chris W
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
  • School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Guinnefollau L, Gee EK, Norman EJ, Rogers CW, Bolwell CF. Horses Used for Educational Purposes in New Zealand: A Descriptive Analysis of Their Use for Teaching. Animals (Basel) 2020 Sep 1;10(9).
    doi: 10.3390/ani10091547pubmed: 32882976google scholar: lookup
  2. Haussler KK, le Jeune SS, MacKechnie-Guire R, Latif SN, Clayton HM. The Challenge of Defining Laterality in Horses: Is It Laterality or Just Asymmetry?. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jan 21;15(3).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15030288pubmed: 39943060google scholar: lookup
  3. Müller-Klein A, Braun MN, Ferreira de Sá DS, Michael T, Link-Dorner U, Lass-Hennemann J. A Relaxed Horse-A Relaxed Client? An Experimental Investigation of the Effects of Therapy Horses' Stress on Clients' Stress, Mood, and Anxiety. Animals (Basel) 2024 Feb 13;14(4).
    doi: 10.3390/ani14040604pubmed: 38396572google scholar: lookup
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