Horse Owners’ Knowledge of Care and a Mandatory Certificate of Knowledge

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Horse Owners’ Knowledge of Fundamental Care and their Perceptions on the Implementation of a Mandatory Certificate of Knowledge
J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2024 Aug 28:1-20. doi: 10.1080/10888705.2024.2393124. Online ahead of print.
Authors
Megan Watney 1 , Bryony Lancaster 2 , Hayley Randle 1
Affiliations

1 Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
2 Charles Sturt University, Albury, Australia.

PMID: 39193831
DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2024.2393124

Abstract

The aims of this study were to first determine the extent of owners’ fundamental knowledge of equine care, second, gain their opinions on the implementation of a mandatory certificate of knowledge and third, to investigate the association of certification on horse owner knowledge. An online survey comprising 23 questions (18 closed, 5 open) was distributed worldwide via snowball sampling, and completed by 1847 horse owners who were all ≥18 years old from 17 different countries. Almost all (96%, n = 1781) completed surveys were usable. Just over half (52%) of participants held a current equine knowledge certification, and 59% believed a mandatory certificate of knowledge should be necessary to buy, own, or sell a horse. Horse owners with an equine certificate of knowledge were more likely to be in favor of a mandatory certificate (Pearson’s Chi-squared = 50.79, df = 1, p < 0.0001). The mean correctly answered knowledge questions was 68%, indicating that approximately 1/3 of horse owners lacked fundamental horse care knowledge. Further examination indicated that participating horse owners showed the least understanding in the behavioral interactions domain (ANOVA F(4, 24) = 4.98, p < 0.01), specifically in relation to pain recognition and learning theory terminology. Arguably, this deficit in knowledge and likely correct application increases the risk of owners using misinformed or inappropriate techniques to manage horse behavior and training, predisposing the horse to experiencing a sub-optimal quality of life. Overall no significant difference was found between the total correct scores of horse owners with or without a certificate (ANOVA F(1, 56) = 0.78, p > 0.05); however, a series of Chi-squared tests revealed that for the more complex questions, horse owners with a certificate scored better than those without (all p < 0.05). Further work is needed to develop an evidence-based assessment framework if mandatory certification of horse owners is to become an effective tool for improving horse welfare and quality of life. Keywords: Certification; Horse owner; Learning theory; Social licence to operate; Welfare.