Demographic Factors Associated with Prince Edward Island Horse Farm Owner Awareness of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines.
Abstract: The objectives of this study were to determine the proportion of owners of horse farms in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada that were aware of the (CODE) and determine demographic factors associated with awareness. A questionnaire was completed by owners at fifty horse farms. In total, 38% of the farm owners were unaware of the CODE, 48% were aware, but were not familiar with its content and only 14% used the CODE when making decisions on caring for their horses. Owners of private stables were more aware of the CODE than owners of boarding stables. The CODE awareness varied between the three PEI counties and was weakly associated with the number of horses owned by the farm owner. These results will be used to direct educational efforts and further research into CODE awareness and compliance for horses in PEI.
Publication Date: 2019-09-07 PubMed ID: 31496284DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2019.1663739Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Summary
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This research reveals that a significant portion of horse farm owners in Prince Edward Island, Canada, do not have an adequate awareness of the recommended Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines, and investigates the demographic factors that correlate with this awareness.
Study Objectives
- The primary purposes of this study were to comprehend the degree of awareness regarding the Code of Practice (CODE) for horse care and handling among the owners of horse farms in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada.
- Moreover, the research aimed to identify the demographic factors significantly associated with the extent of this awareness.
Methodology
- A questionnaire-based survey was carried out across fifty horse farms on the island. The designed questionnaire intended to quantify the farm owner’s knowledge and application of the CODE.
- The data gathered from the survey were then analyzed to understand the overall awareness and use of the CODE in decision-making specific to equine care across the examined farms.
Findings
- The study found that a significant 38% of horse farm owners were completely unaware of the CODE. Besides, 48% of the owners knew about the CODE but were not familiar with its contents.
- Only a small fraction, around 14%, regularly used the CODE for making choices about their horses’ care.
- In terms of the type of stables, owners of private stables showed higher awareness levels about the CODE than owners of boarding stables.
- Also, the awareness of the CODE differed across the various counties in PEI.
- A weak association was also noticed between the number of horses owned by the farm owner and CODE awareness.
Implications
- The findings from this research will be instrumental in directing future educational efforts, with a special emphasis on those regions and demographic groups where the lack of awareness is profound.
- The results also provide an impetus for more research into the awareness and compliance of the CODE among horse owners in Prince Edward Island.
Cite This Article
APA
Millican L, Vanderstichel R, McClure J, MacMillan K.
(2019).
Demographic Factors Associated with Prince Edward Island Horse Farm Owner Awareness of the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines.
J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 23(3), 378-384.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2019.1663739 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
- Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
- Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
- Department of Health Management, Atlantic Veterinary College, University of Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown, PE, Canada.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animal Husbandry / standards
- Animal Welfare / standards
- Animals
- Farmers / psychology
- Farmers / statistics & numerical data
- Farms
- Guideline Adherence / statistics & numerical data
- Guidelines as Topic
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Horses
- Humans
- Prince Edward Island
- Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations
This article has been cited 1 times.- MacMillan KM, Millican LJ, Burns JJ, McClure JT, Vanderstichel R. Compliance with the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines on 50 horse farms in Prince Edward Island. Can Vet J 2020 Sep;61(9):985-989.
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