Abstract
Horses are one of the most dangerous animals veterinarians have to work with. For many veterinary students, their first exposure to horses occurs during practical classes. To evaluate the level of knowledge students have of equine behaviour and their equine handling competency when entering the programme, 214 veterinary students (1st and 4th year) were recruited to participate in a questionnaire. Participants were asked to choose one out of 12 terms that best represented the affective state of a horse in a picture, and to self-assess their equine handling skills. Half (n = 56/115) of the first-year students correctly interpreted the horse's behaviour. The majority had (1) a poor understanding of equine learning mechanisms and (2) poor self-rated equine handling skills. A history of pet ownership (p = 0.027) and the presence of horses on their family property (p = 0.001) were significantly associated with a correct understanding of equine behaviour. Fourth-year students were three times more likely to accurately interpret the horse's behaviour (p = 0.01) and rated their handling skills higher than first-year students (p = 0.006). These results suggest that previous animal experience confers a considerable advantage to interpret equine behaviour and highlight the critical importance of practical training in the veterinary programme.
Highlights
Veterinarians are 9.2 times more likely to suffer from a severe occupational accident compared to their colleagues in the medical profession [1]
Fourth-year students were three times more likely to accurately interpret the horse’s behaviour (p = 0.01) and rated their handling skills higher than first-year students (p = 0.006). These results suggest that previous animal experience confers a considerable advantage to interpret equine behaviour and highlight the critical importance of practical training in the veterinary programme
The risk of injury is increased when working with large animals, as having a recent injury is more likely for large- and mixed- animal veterinarians compared to small animal veterinarians [4,5]
Summary
Veterinarians are 9.2 (95% CI 8.12–10.42) times more likely to suffer from a severe occupational accident compared to their colleagues in the medical profession [1]. Over a 30-year career, the average veterinarian is expected to sustain 7–8 work-related injuries [2], with this number being higher than any other professional civilian occupation, according to the British Equine Veterinary Association [3]. Animals 2019, 9, 620 veterinarians, 67% of self-reported disease or injuries are related to work, which is higher than those reported (35%) in the European workforce [6]. Recent veterinary graduates (with presumably less experience) are 1.8 times more likely to have had an injury in the past 12 months compared to graduates from previous years [4]. Less than half of the students had large animals or horses on their family property when growing up. Grew up with pets (common and/or other *)
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