Variation in equine management factors between riding schools with high vs. low insurance claims for orthopaedic injury: a field study.

This research article investigates how different management approaches in riding schools affect the frequency of orthopaedic injuries in horses. The study discovered that horses in schools with fewer insurance claims for such injuries had been in the ownership of those schools for a longer period of time, and suggested that having experienced staff could help to mitigate the risk of injury.

Study Approach

• The aim of the study was to ascertain whether varying management strategies could influence the rate of orthopaedic injury in horses.
• Researchers used riding schools’ insurance claims for these injuries as an indirect measure of wastage, grouping the schools into those with high (HUIO) versus low (LUIO) numbers of claims.
• The research methodology involved an extensive questionnaire survey of the schools along with site visits.

Key Findings

• The authors found that different management strategies between the schools had a significant effect on the risk of orthopaedic injury in horses.
• For example, horses at LUIO schools had generally been under the school’s management for a longer period, which was associated with a lower rate of injury. Although these horses also tended to be older, the difference in age was not statistically significant.
• The hiring of experienced managers and highly qualified chief instructors was linked with a lower rate of orthopaedic injury in both types of school.
• LUIO schools were considerably more likely to require new horses to undergo at least 11 weeks of initial training and were more likely to be managed privately. These factors could also be contributing to the lower rate of injury among these schools.

Implications

• These results can give us an understanding of how management practices could help reduce the incidence of orthopaedic injury in horses, potentially leading to better welfare for the animals and reduced waste for the schools.
• The specific measures associated with a lower injury rate – longer ownership, employment of experienced staff, extensive initial training for new horses, and private management – could serve as guidelines for riding schools aiming to minimize horse injuries.