Morbidity of Swedish horses insured for veterinary care between 1997 and 2000: variations with age, sex, breed and location.
Authors: Egenvall A, Penell J C, Bonnett B N, Olson P, Pringle J
Journal: The Veterinary record
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers analysed insurance claims data from over 72,000 Swedish horses annually between 1997 and 2000 to establish disease incidence rates and identify risk factors associated with requiring veterinary treatment, using Poisson regression to account for confounding variables across age, sex, breed and geographic location. Approximately 11–12% of insured horses required veterinary care costing above their policy excess each year, but this figure masked substantial variation by sex: geldings presented the highest morbidity at 1398 events per 10,000 horse-years, followed by mares at 1042 events, whilst stallions showed notably lower rates at 780 events per 10,000 horse-years. Significant differences in disease incidence emerged between breed groups, suggesting that genetic predisposition, management practices or use patterns vary considerably across the population studied. These findings demonstrate that large-scale insurance databases provide robust epidemiological data for identifying population-level disease trends and demographic risk factors, enabling practitioners and breeders to make evidence-informed decisions about health management strategies and breeding selections.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Male horses (particularly geldings) require more frequent veterinary care than mares and stallions, which should inform insurance planning and health monitoring protocols
- •Breed selection influences disease risk and veterinary care costs—certain breeds have higher morbidity rates and will require more intensive management and higher insurance premiums
- •Large insurance databases provide valuable epidemiological data for identifying disease patterns and risk factors in equine populations, helping practitioners understand disease prevalence in their region
Key Findings
- •Annual incidence of morbidity requiring veterinary care ranged from 1080-1190 events per 10,000 horse-years at risk in Swedish insured horses (1997-2000)
- •Geldings had the highest morbidity incidence at 1398 per 10,000 horse-years, compared to mares at 1042 and stallions at 780
- •Significant variations in morbidity incidence existed between different horse breeds
- •Insurance claim database analysis from over 72,000 horse-years demonstrated practical utility for generating disease statistics in equine populations