Equine anthelmintics: survey of the patterns of use, beliefs and attitudes among horse owners in the UK.
Abstract: An online survey was conducted to establish horse owners' beliefs, attitudes and practices relating to the use of anthelmintic drugs. Out of a total of 574 respondents, 89 per cent described themselves as 'leisure riders', most of whom took part in a variety of activities including eventing, show jumping, dressage, hunter trials, hunting, driving, endurance and showing. Overall, respondents were generally aware and concerned about the issue of anthelmintic resistance. Less than 60 per cent of all respondents were comfortable with their existing anthelmintic programme, and 25 per cent would like to reduce the use of anthelmintics in their horses. Of all the respondents, 47 per cent used livery, and 49 per cent of those reported that the livery imposed a common anthelmintic programme for horses kept on the premises; 45 per cent of these respondents were not entirely happy with the livery yard's programme. Less than 50 per cent of all respondents included 'veterinary surgeon' among their sources of advice on worming.
Publication Date: 2011-04-18 PubMed ID: 21502196DOI: 10.1136/vr.d731Google Scholar: Lookup
The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Anthelmintic Resistance
- Anthelmintic Treatment
- Disease Management
- Disease Prevention
- Epidemiology
- Equestrian
- Equine Diseases
- Equine Health
- Equine Science
- Equine Studies
- Horse Management
- Horse Owners
- Infection
- Parasites
- Public Health
- Stable Management
- Survey Study
- Veterinary Care
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
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 highlights the habits, beliefs and approaches relating to the use of anthelmintic drugs (worm medicines) for horses in the UK, indicating that many horse owners are aware of drug resistance issues, but are fairly comfortable with their current worming program. The study further uncovers dissatisfaction with imposed worming programs in livery settings and a lack of veterinary consultation as an advice source.
About the Study
- The research was conducted via an online survey, reaching out to horse owners in order to understand their beliefs, attitudes and practices related to the use of anthelmintics, which are drugs designed to treat parasitic worms.
- Out of a total of 574 respondents who took the survey, 89 percent of them identified as ‘leisure riders’. These are horse owners engaged in a range of activities such as eventing, dressage, show jumping, hunter trials, hunting, showing, driving and endurance.
Concerns About Anthelmintics Use
- The study showed that there is a general level of awareness and concern among respondents about anthelmintic resistance, which is when worms develop resistance to the drugs designed to kill them.
- Less than 60 percent of all respondents felt comfortable with their existing anthelmintic programme, suggesting some degree of unease or dissatisfaction with current worming protocols.
- A noticeable portion (25 percent) expressed a desire to decrease the use of anthelmintics in their horses.
Livery Yard’s Anthelmintic Programs
- Around 47 percent of the respondents stated that they used a livery, which is a service that provides care and stabling for horses.
- Around half of those respondents noted that the livery imposed a common anthelmintic program for all horses kept on the premises.
- Notably, 45 percent of these respondents were not entirely happy with the livery yard’s worming programme, indicating a level of dissatisfaction with imposed practices.
Advice on Worming
- The study found that less than 50 percent of all respondents had included a ‘veterinary surgeon’ among their sources of advice on worming. This suggests that a considerable number of horse owners are not primarily utilising professional veterinary advice when making decisions about anthelmintics use.
Cite This Article
APA
Allison K, Taylor NM, Wilsmore AJ, Garforth C.
(2011).
Equine anthelmintics: survey of the patterns of use, beliefs and attitudes among horse owners in the UK.
Vet Rec, 168(18), 483.
https://doi.org/10.1136/vr.d731 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Epidemiology and Economics Research Unit, University of Reading, Earley Gate, PO Box 237, Reading, Berkshire RG6 6AR.
MeSH Terms
- Animal Husbandry / methods
- Animals
- Anthelmintics / therapeutic use
- Drug Resistance
- Female
- Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
- Helminthiasis, Animal / drug therapy
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Ownership
- United Kingdom
Use Nutrition Calculator
Check if your horse's diet meets their nutrition requirements with our easy-to-use tool Check your horse's diet with our easy-to-use tool
Talk to a Nutritionist
Discuss your horse's feeding plan with our experts over a free phone consultation Discuss your horse's diet over a phone consultation
Submit Diet Evaluation
Get a customized feeding plan for your horse formulated by our equine nutritionists Get a custom feeding plan formulated by our nutritionists
