Morbidity of Swedish horses insured for veterinary care between 1997 and 2000: variations with age, sex, breed and location.

This research examines the health records of Swedish horses insured for veterinary care from 1997 to 2000. It explores variations in health problems based on factors like age, sex, breed, and location.

Objective and Methodology

• The objective of this study was to assess if Agria’s (a Swedish insurance company) database could provide reliable statistics on the kinds of diseases affecting Swedish horses.
• The researchers studied the demographic details of horses insured for veterinary care between 1997 and 2000.
• The researchers calculated the incidence rate of morbidity, defined as instances where horses required veterinary care costing above the insurance policy excess.
• These calculations were carried out for all horses that required at least one veterinary visit, and then specifically for horses with complete insurance, while factoring in variables like sex, age, breed, location, and the density of the human population in the area.

Use of Poisson Regression

• The researchers used a statistical technique called Poisson regression. This technique adjusts the risk estimation to account for other factors in the model. For example, it compensates for the fact that older horses may naturally be more susceptible to health problems than younger ones.

Major Findings

• The total number of horse-years at risk for those with complete insurance was over 72,000 each year.
• The incidence rate for horses requiring veterinary care at least once varied annually from 1080 to 1190 events per 10,000 horse-years.
• When broken down by sex of the horse, the average incidence rate was 1398 events for geldings, 1042 events for mares, and 780 events for stallions per 10,000 horse-years.
• The study found significant variations in the incidence rates across different horse breeds.