Abstract

The number of unwanted horses in the UK has increased in recent years. It is therefore important to identify factors that indicate whether a horse can be rehomed and how...

Highlights

  • The number of horses and ponies considered to be unwanted or no longer useful by their owners has risen considerably in the last 10 years in the UnitedKingdom (UK) (1, 2), representing a serious welfare issue (3, 4)

  • A total of 410 (51.8%, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 48.2% to 55.3%) horses were rehomed between January 2013 and March 2014; 163 (39.8%; 95% CI 35.0% to 44.7%) of these through the charity and 247 (60.2%; 95% CI 55.3% to 65.0%) via other routes

  • Proportional hazards were not violated in either normal or log normal scales and no influential observations were detected. This is the first study to describe horses available for rehoming in the UK and identify factors associated with the success and speed of rehoming

Read more

Summary

Introduction

The number of horses and ponies (hereafter referred to as ‘horses’) considered to be unwanted or no longer useful by their owners has risen considerably in the last 10 years in the UnitedKingdom (UK) (1, 2), representing a serious welfare issue (3, 4). The number of horses and ponies (hereafter referred to as ‘horses’) considered to be unwanted or no longer useful by their owners has risen considerably in the last 10 years in the United. For whatever reason, no longer wish to, or can, keep their horse can choose to sell or rehome it. Due to the growing size of the problem, charities that rescue or take in unwanted horses in the UK are nearing, or have exceeded, critical capacity (3). Reasons for owners seeking to rehome horses may include lack of money or time, poor health or owner death, and/or a change in family circumstances (7). Horse characteristics that may result in them being unwanted could include health issues, old age, unsuitability for its intended purpose or undesirable behaviours

Objectives
Methods
Results
Conclusion

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.