International study aims to track impact of COVID19 on horse owners and their horses
By Equestrian Life
An international study is evaluating the effects of COVID19 on horse owners and their horses.
The study, conducted by Dr Hayley Randle (Charles Sturt University, Australia), Dr Jane Williams (Hartpury University, UK), and Dr David Marlin (DM Consulting Ltd, UK), first ran a survey at the end of March to begin understanding the effects of the pandemic on the equestrian industry.
“We found the majority of horse owners felt they had been affected by the pandemic and associated quarantine restrictions. Most facilities had put in place some form of control measures to reduce spread of transmission of the virus but only a third of horse owners felt fully informed. Most owners had not experienced issues accessing veterinary and other professional services, but two thirds were worried about the long term financial impact of the pandemic and how this could inform equine management, health and welfare in the future,” explains Dr Hayley Randle.
Six months further on from the first survey, the researchers now want to understand if and how the situation facing Australian and NZ horse owners has changed.
“Anonymised data will be shared with various stakeholders such as the Equestrian Australia/New Zealand Equestrian Federation, Australian Veterinary Association/New Zealand Veterinary Association and the RSPCA/SPCA New Zealand. The results will also be made public as soon as possible. With this information we will be able to develop a better understanding of the effects of the ongoing situation, with the aim of being able to produce more targeted advice and support for horse owners, facility managers/owners and equestrian professionals,” continues Dr Randle.
Stage 2 of the survey is currently being launched; it should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and no personal data will be collected:
Complete the survey to help researchers understand the ongoing impact of COVID-19 on ANZ horse owners here.
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