Contemporary Issues in Equine Welfare

Contemporary Issues in Equine Welfare

Overview

  • Presenter: Dr. Stacy Anderson, DVM, PhD, DACVS-LA

Learning Objectives

  1. Five Freedoms Framework for equid welfare

  2. Social License to Operate (SLO) and consequences if lost

  3. Signs of Pain in Horses: Identification and understanding

    • In various contexts: interaction with humans, stall behavior, ridden pain indicators

Definition of Animal Welfare

  • Animal Welfare: Quality of life experienced by an individual animal, covering physical, mental, emotional well-being, and environmental interactions.

  • AVMA Definition: A human responsibility involving housing, management, nutrition, disease, humane handling, and necessary euthanasia.

  • Acknowledges human use of animals in society.

Animal Welfare vs. Animal Rights

Animal Rights

  • Concerned with the legal and moral standing of animals in society.

  • Emphasizes autonomy (choice): animals should not be subjected to human desires.

Humane Treatment

  • Humane: Showing compassion and minimizing suffering.

  • Inhumane: Lack of compassion leading to cruelty.

Animal Welfare: The Individual Perspective

  • Assessed from the individual animal's capability to cope with surroundings.

Physical and Mental States

  • Physical Condition: Freedom from pain, hunger, disease.

  • Mental and Emotional States: Contentment, fear, curiosity.

  • Balanced Perspective: Importance of fostering positive emotions, not just absence of negative ones.

  • Human Responsibilities: Provide proper housing, nutrition, care, and humane euthanasia when necessary.

Foundation of Animal Welfare

The Five Freedoms

  1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst

  2. Freedom from Discomfort

  3. Freedom from Pain, Injury, Disease

  4. Freedom from Fear and Distress

  5. Freedom to Behave Normally

  • Developed in 1965 by Roger Brambell, UK.

Freedom from Hunger and Thirst

Significance for Horses

  • Essential for maintaining horse health and behavior.

  • Nutrition: Forage-based diet, access to clean water, mimicking natural grazing.

  • Small stomachs require frequent, small feedings.

  • Customized feeding programs based on optimal weight to prevent malnutrition.

Freedom from Pain, Injury, Disease

Health and Monitoring

  • Essential for horses to be free of illness and pain.

  • Continuous monitoring of health: vital signs, lameness signs, ideal weight, and veterinary care including dental checks and disease prevention (vaccinations, de-worming, hygiene).

  • Regular farrier care to address hoof health.

Freedom from Fear and Distress

Environment for Horses

  • Providing a safe and appropriate space is crucial.

  • Safe shelter, adequate exercise, and comfort are important for mental well-being.

  • Access to companions contributes to security and happiness.

Freedom to Behave Normally

Behavior of Horses

  • Horses as herd animals require bonding and agency to move freely.

  • Training must align with natural horse behaviors and be humane, avoiding pain.

Learning and Training Dynamics

  • Learning is the adaptation process in behavior due to experiences.

  • Types of Learning: Non-associative vs. Associative learning.

  • Positive Reinforcement: Adding a desired stimulus (e.g., food).

  • Negative Reinforcement: Removing unwanted stimuli (e.g., pressure).

  • Negative Punishment: Removal of a desired stimulus to decrease behavior.

  • Training environments must minimize stress to improve learning effectiveness.

Freedom from Discomfort

Well-Being Implications

  • Well-being involves addressing mental states and fulfilling basic needs.

  • Impact of interactions with humans significantly affects equine mental security.

Social License to Operate (SLO)

Definition and Importance

  • SLO: Implicit societal approval of horse treatment.

  • SLO evolves with societal values; the horse is a key stakeholder in this perception.

Implications of Losing SLO

  • Potential loss of equestrian sports and sponsorships; risks industry sustainability.

Ethical Dimensions of Horse Welfare

Public Perception

  • Horses are viewed as sentient beings with rights to humane treatment.

  • Practices like excessive whipping can lead to public backlash and loss of trust in equestrian sports.

Transparency and Accountability

  • Maintaining public trust requires open reporting of welfare standards and incidents.

  • Governance and oversight play crucial roles in sustaining SLO.

Challenges in the Horse Industry

  • Issues such as racehorse breakdowns, unethical training practices, and over-competition pose risks to welfare.

Equine Welfare Initiatives

Examples of Positive Change

  • Organizations like USEF working toward better welfare practices and public engagement.

Equine Welfare Assessment

Domains of Assessment

  1. Nutrition

  2. Health

  3. Environment

  4. Mental State

  5. Behavior

  6. Physiological Responses

  7. Human Relationships

EARS Protocol

  • Global effort with 9 protocols tailored for different contexts such as working equids, sanctuary settings, and production environments.

Examples of Protocols

  • Working Equids: Indicators like body condition score (BCS), lameness, wounds, behavioral stress.

  • Sanctuary Equids: Focus on chronic health conditions and social interactions.

  • Research Equids: Compliance with ethical standards and veterinary care quality.

AWIN Welfare Assessment Protocol for Horses

  • Developed: By the AWIN project (2011-2015) with a focus on scientifically validated indicators for equine welfare in various management systems.

  • Two Level System: 1. Screening (quick check), 2. Full Welfare Assessment (detailed evaluation).

Key Welfare Indicators

  • Good Feeding, Health, Housing, Behavior.

  • Evaluation of human-animal interactions and presence of stereotypic behaviors.

Pain Assessment Tools

Horse Grimace Scale (HGS)

  • Methodology includes observing facial expressions across six Facial Action Units (FAUs) to gauge pain levels:

    1. Ears: Position and movement.

    2. Eyes: Appearance and intensity of expression.

    3. Nostrils: Shape and appearance changes.

    4. Face Muscles: Tension in facial muscles.

    5. Muzzle: Shape changes during pain.

  • Individual scoring from 0 (not present) to 2 (obviously present), maximum score of 12.

Implications of High HGS Score

  • Scores above >5 indicate pain; <2 indicates no pain. Effective for monitoring changes in pain over time.

Additional Pain Indicators in Horses

  • Indicators include head height, position in the stall, weight-bearing behaviors, and facial expressions.

  • Utilization of scales like the Equine Comfort Assessment Scale for clinical evaluations.

Important Considerations in Research

  • Studies revealing inadequate assessment of chronic pain in geriatric horses due to observational limitations.

  • Necessity for new generic tools focused on quality of life within horse welfare assessments.

Technological Integration in Welfare Assessment

  • Introduction of apps for pain measurement based on facial expressions and overall health tracking.

Conclusion

  • Knowledge about horse welfare continues to evolve, necessitating ongoing assessment and innovation in practices and tools to ensure optimal equine health and welfare.