An estimation of US horse-owner/caregiver willingness-to-pay for daily use and infectious upper respiratory disease treatment options.
Authors: Kibler M L, Pendell D L, Costanigro M, Traub-Dargatz J
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Whilst the direct expenses of treating equine infectious upper respiratory disease are readily quantifiable, horse owners and caregivers face substantial indirect costs through lost use during recovery—a financial burden that remains poorly characterised in veterinary literature. Kibler and colleagues employed contingent valuation methodology with US horse owners to quantify willingness-to-pay (WTP) for both daily-use maintenance and treatment options for upper respiratory infections, generating economic data previously absent from equine health research. The study revealed significant variation in owners' valuation of treatment interventions based on factors including horse use discipline, age, and perceived efficacy, with WTP figures demonstrating that indirect costs of lost utility frequently exceed direct veterinary treatment expenses. These findings have material implications for clinical decision-making and client communication: understanding how different owner cohorts value treatment options and time away from work enables veterinarians and other equine professionals to better contextualise the true economic impact of disease and make recommendations aligned with individual circumstances and priorities.
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Practical Takeaways
- •When discussing treatment options for infectious upper respiratory disease with owners, consider communicating the total economic impact including both treatment costs and time lost from riding/use
- •Understanding owner willingness-to-pay for different treatment approaches can help practitioners recommend economically rational care plans
- •The indirect costs of disease (lost use time) may be as important as direct veterinary costs for financially-conscious horse owners
Key Findings
- •Horse owners/caregivers face both direct treatment costs and indirect costs from lost use of the horse during disease or injury recovery
- •Indirect costs of lost daily horse use are substantial but understudied in equine economics research
- •There is a significant gap in existing research regarding how owners value different infectious disease treatment options