World Horse Welfare online collection of research on working equids.

The research article is about the World Horse Welfare’s efforts to improve the well-being of working equids (horses, donkeys, and mules) through the establishment and expansion of an online repository of research articles. The collection, which is set to grow over time, contains articles addressing various clinical and welfare issues faced by these animals.

Overview of the Article

• This article is a comprehensive account of the efforts made by World Horse Welfare, an international equine charity, to establish an online collection of research articles focused on the welfare of working equids. This initiative aims to disseminate information to improve understanding and awareness of health and welfare issues faced by these animals worldwide.
• Examples of topics covered by the currently included research papers range from clinical problems such as lameness, husbandry issues, tack-related wounds, to parasitic infestations, and poor nutrition leading to gastric ulcers, particularly in donkeys.
• Importantly, the collection emphasizes the fact that these animals are not merely beasts of burden used for transport and agricultural labor – their meat and milk are significant contributors to human welfare, and their health risks should be prioritize accordingly.
• Additionally, the collection is planned to expand over time, with new research papers added as they are published. This expansion is made possible through the generous sponsorship of World Horse Welfare.

Goals and Roles of the Online Collection

• The online collection is designed to support the World Horse Welfare’s commitment to using scientific evidence to enhance its work and policies, facilitating global knowledge and information sharing, and fostering collaborations with developmental organisations, universities, and governments.
• It also caters to the need for more research work on working equids, touching different areas such as the scale of their use, contribution to human livelihood, and prevalent health and welfare problems.
• The compilation plays a significant role in underpinning World Horse Welfare’s overseas programs, supporting their preparations for community-based projects through contextual research, needs analysis and evaluations.
• Moreover, World Horse Welfare uses the research to offer advice to horse owners worldwide on how to address specific health issues. They also provide bursaries to veterinary students and research grants to encourage research into major welfare challenges in the UK and overseas.
• Given the increasing threat of disease due to climate change and the growing trade in equids, the online repository emphasizes the need for a global approach to monitor and tackle the threat. As such, the research can inform preventative measures and treatments for common welfare problems.