91 Horse owners’ perspectives of horse weight management

Abstract

Equine obesity is a significant welfare issue in developed countries. As the main decision-maker for horses, owners are at the forefront of horse welfare, yet limited research has assessed owners’ role in horse weight management. This study aimed to: 1) compare horse owner assessments of their horses’ weight with a veterinarian assessment and, 2) identify how horse owners understand their horses’ weight and implement weight management strategies in practice. An on-farm horse care questionnaire was administered to 76 horse owners in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Owners indicated whether they thought their horse(s) were underweight, healthy, or overweight. Owner and veterinarian perception of horse weight was compared using a 3-by-3 table and kappa statistics (n = 411 horses). Of the 76 owners, 24 owners of overweight horses were purposively sampled to participate in in-depth qualitative interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using template analysis, a qualitative research approach in which textual data are coded to identify patterns and develop overarching themes. There was fair agreement (kappa = 0.4) between the veterinarian's and owners’ weight assessment, but owners tended to underestimate (20%) versus overestimate (9%) their horses’ weight. Analysis of the in-depth interviews (a total of 24 h of conversation) revealed that horse owners discussed weight management in complex ways that incorporated aspects of their horses’welfare and background. Owners discussed trade-offs between managing horses in outdoor, group environments and maintaining their horse within a “healthy” weight. Further, emotional responses to managing under- versus overweight horses and societal norms influenced horse owners’ decisions toward managing their horses as slightly overweight compared with slightly underweight despite their belief that horses’ physical health is better when managed as slightly underweight. Owners took personal responsibility of weight management-related decisions for their horse(s) but sought knowledge from respected horse owners in their community. Owners constructed the veterinarians’ role as predominantly treatment-oriented and did not consider them resources for preventative care related to horse weight management. These findings suggest that owners place importance on managing their horses' weight yet face intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that require shifts in societal paradigms and enhancement of knowledge transfer. Emphasis for knowledge dissemination and translation may need to be placed on equestrian bodies outside of the veterinary community, given that horse owners consider their peers a primary knowledge source.