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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Human Injuries Associated with the Transport of Horses by Ro...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2023; 13(10); 1594; doi: 10.3390/ani13101594

Human Injuries Associated with the Transport of Horses by Road.

Abstract: There is an increased understanding of shared human-animal risk in terms of "one welfare", whereby when animals are at risk, so are people, so preventing injury to one species may also prevent injury to the other. Because transport-related injuries to horses are common, the authors considered this paradigm to study road equine transport-related injuries to humans in New Zealand. The aim was to determine their frequency and associated factors by distributing a survey to horse industry participants through industry organisations asking about their horse activities, road transport experiences, and any related self-injury. There were 112/1067 (10.5%) handlers injured while preparing (13/112), loading (39/112), traveling (6/112), or unloading (33/112). Of these, 40% had multiple injury types, and 33% had several body regions affected. Hand injuries were most common (46%), followed by the foot (25%), arm (17%), and head or face (15%). Median recovery time was 7 days. Injuries were associated with the responder's industry educational background, years of driving experience, and reporting a horse injured during road transport in the past two years. Wearing helmets and gloves, and adopting strategies designed to eliminate equine injuries associated with the road transport of horses to reduce the risk of injury to their handlers are recommended.
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Publication Date: 2023-05-10 PubMed ID: 37238024PubMed Central: PMC10215915DOI: 10.3390/ani13101594Google Scholar: Lookup
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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 investigated the rate and causes of injuries to humans while transporting horses by road in New Zealand, with a call for safety measures like wearing helmets and gloves to reduce occurrences.

Objectives and Methodology of the Study

  • The study aimed to examine the frequency of injuries sustained by humans while transporting horses by road in New Zealand and the factors associated with these injuries.
  • To gather data, the researchers distributed a survey to horse industry participants through industry organizations. This questionnaire sought information about the participants’ horse activities, their experiences relating to road transport, and any related injuries they had sustained to themselves.

Results of the Study

  • From the 1067 participants in the survey, 112 (or 10.5%) reported being injured while preparing, loading, traveling, or unloading horses. Among these injured respondents, 40% reported multiple types of injuries and a third had injuries in multiple body regions.
  • The most common injuries were to the hand (46%), followed by foot (25%), arm (17%), and head or face injuries (15%). The median recovery time for these injuries was 7 days.
  • The respondents’ level of education in the industry, years of driving experience, and past incidents of horse injuries during road transport were found to be factors associated with the occurrence of these injuries.

Conclusion and Recommendations of the Study

  • In conclusion, the study demonstrated a significant level of risk associated with human injuries during the road transportation of horses. The results lend support to the concept of “one welfare”, which proposes that when animals are at risk, humans are often at risk too.
  • Based on the research findings, the authors recommended that horse transport handlers should wear safety equipment such as helmets and gloves. Additionally, they suggested implementing strategies that would reduce injuries to horses during transport, as this would also decrease the risk of injury to the people handling them.

Cite This Article

APA
Riley CB, Padalino B, Rogers CW, Thompson KR. (2023). Human Injuries Associated with the Transport of Horses by Road. Animals (Basel), 13(10), 1594. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13101594

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 13
Issue: 10
PII: 1594

Researcher Affiliations

Riley, Christopher B
  • Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada.
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Padalino, Barbara
  • Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-Alimentari, Alma Mater Studiorum-Università di Bologna, Viale Fanin 50, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
Rogers, Chris W
  • School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Thompson, Kirrilly R
  • School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW 2300, Australia.
  • Hunter New England Local Health District, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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