169 Engaging Pennsylvania horse owners with a tick-check extension program

Abstract

With no available vaccine for Lyme disease or equine anaplasmosis for horses, tick bite prevention is the recommended method to prevent tick-borne diseases (TBDs) transmission. Routine tick checks, which allow horse owners to remove ticks before tick bites, can reduce the incidence of TBD in horses. The objective of this extension program was to engage Pennsylvania (PA) horse owners in community science to conduct weekly tick checks on horses and report tick numbers and locations. Horse owners (n = 35) were recruited who had horses (n = 55) that resided in PA for most of the year. Participants were required to attend a webinar where they learned how to conduct tick checks and then completed a survey assessing their current tick management practices. Participants were mailed a tick-check kit and asked to conduct tick checks twice a week for 7 weeks (April–May 2022). Numbers and locations of ticks were recorded on data sheets; these and the ticks were sent to Penn State for identification. A post-program survey was completed at the end of the program. Most respondents (72%) cared for 2–5 horses. The majority (85%) turned out horses in or near forested habitats from April to November. Each time tick checks were performed, 72% found 1–2 ticks, and the most common location was under the jaw. Most owners used on-animalrepellents (65%) as a primary method of tick control, followed by pasture/landscape management (24%). Data sheets (n = 645) showed 343 ticks found; however, 83% of all reported ticks came from one horse. With this outlier removed, most (32%) ticks were found between the front legs. The post-program survey indicated that knowledge of tick basics, TBDs, and tick checks increased (3.53 ± 1.01, 3.14 ± 0.82, 3.72 ± 1.24, respectively) as a result of participation and that 67% of respondents had “a lot” or “a great deal” higher confidence in performing tick checks. Most respondents (72%) will continue performing full-body tick checks on all or some of their horses and will do so either once a week (39%) or 2–6 times a week (39%). Most respondents (66%) found fewer ticks than they expected. Most respondents (69%) were not any more or less concerned about risk of tick bites than they were before the study. This study shows that horse owners are willing to commit to community science projects and provide data. The numbers and locations of ticks found during the program did not match participants’ expectations pre-study. This Extension project resulted in behavior change as a result of education and training.