Abstract
SummaryDespite the considerable risk of veterinary occupational injury due to adverse horse behaviour, limited information is available about the prevalence of unwanted equine behaviours or common approaches to managing them. An understanding of learning theory may affect veterinarians’ approaches to dealing with unwanted equine behaviours; however, learning theory is not widely taught. The aim of this study was to document the challenges equine veterinarians face when working with difficult horses and define their approaches to managing them, including their understanding of the processes through which horses learn. A link to an online survey was distributed via email amongst UK equine veterinarians. Descriptive and Kruskal–Wallis statistical analyses were performed. We found that 95% of equine veterinarians reported working with difficult horses on at least a monthly basis, resulting in 81% of them sustaining at least one injury in the last 5 years. The most popular methods of dealing with unwanted behaviours were physical and chemical restraint. 46% of those surveyed had never received any tuition on the processes through which horses learn. Despite 79% believing they had at least a moderate understanding of equine learning theory, they performed poorly when tested, with only 10% able to get at least five out of six questions correct. Further education on the subject of learning theory may be beneficial.
Highlights
Working as an equine veterinarian has been shown to carry a high risk of occupational injury, with horse behaviour being a well-recognised risk factor (Reijula et al 2003; Ja€ggen et al 2005; Nienhaus et al 2005; Fritschi et al 2006; Houpt and Mills, 2006; MacLeay 2007; Parkin et al 2018)
Current literature on undergraduate veterinary training suggests the emphasis remains on physical restraint when faced with a difficult horse (Austin et al 2007; Cawdell-Smith et al 2007; Chapman et al 2007; Hanlon et al 2007; Stafford and Erceg, 2007), and so it was hypothesised that veterinarians would be reliant on chemical and physical restraint to mitigate against the potential adverse effects of these equine behaviours
Developing a greater understanding of the most common types of unwanted behaviours seen, the popular methods of dealing with these and the current level of understanding of learning theory by equine veterinarians have the potential to highlight areas where further education or research may help reduce the risk of occupational injury
Summary
Working as an equine veterinarian has been shown to carry a high risk of occupational injury, with horse behaviour being a well-recognised risk factor (Reijula et al 2003; Ja€ggen et al 2005; Nienhaus et al 2005; Fritschi et al 2006; Houpt and Mills, 2006; MacLeay 2007; Parkin et al 2018). Current literature on undergraduate veterinary training suggests the emphasis remains on physical restraint when faced with a difficult horse (Austin et al 2007; Cawdell-Smith et al 2007; Chapman et al 2007; Hanlon et al 2007; Stafford and Erceg, 2007), and so it was hypothesised that veterinarians would be reliant on chemical and physical restraint to mitigate against the potential adverse effects of these equine behaviours. Developing a greater understanding of the most common types of unwanted behaviours seen, the popular methods of dealing with these and the current level of understanding of learning theory by equine veterinarians have the potential to highlight areas where further education or research may help reduce the risk of occupational injury
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