Equine Caregiver Information-Seeking Preferences: Surveys in the Midwest.

This research found that equine owners in the Upper Midwest primarily seek information from veterinarians, books and magazines, and horse enthusiasts. It also highlighted the trust equine owners place in the advice of veterinarians, nutritionists, and university-based experts.

Study Methodology

• The research was based on data from two surveys, one focused on perceptions of equid health and well-being (142 respondents) and the other on equine nutrition and feeding practices (151 respondents). These surveys were conducted in 2014-2015 and 2016 respectively.
• The surveys employed multimodal distribution and convenience sampling, with participants sourced from email lists and social media sites. Questions focused on participant’s methods of seeking equine-related information.

Demographic Information

• Most respondents in the surveys were female, specifically 62% in the health and well-being survey and 84% in the nutrition and feeding survey.
• Participants were generally experienced, with 47% and 61% of respondents in the health and well-being and nutrition/feeding surveys respectively, having over 20 years of equine ownership or management experience.

Primary Information Sources

• The nutrition and feeding survey showed that the most popular information source used by respondents was veterinarians (77%). Other sources included books/magazines (42%), other horse enthusiasts (38%), friends and family (35%), and internet/social media (28%).
• Other professional resources, like feed company representatives, farriers, scientific publications, trainers/instructors, equine nutritionists, and dentists, were also consulted by a number of participants.

Trusted Sources Of Information

• The health and well-being survey asked participants to rate their likelihood of trusting different sources for information on a 5-point Likert scale.
• Respondents in this survey indicated veterinarians/nutritionists and university-based experts as their most trusted sources for information, with average scores of 4.5 and 4.0 respectively.
• Least-trusted sources of information included local and national humane societies and rescues, with average scores of 2.9 and 2.8 respectively.

Key Findings

• The results shed light on the primary information-seeking preferences of equine owners in the Upper Midwest, highlighting the importance of veterinarians as a trusted source of information for this demographic.