Validity of a behavioural measure of heat stress and a skin tent test for dehydration in working horses and donkeys.
Authors: Pritchard J C, Barr A R S, Whay H R
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Dehydration and heat stress pose significant welfare risks to working equids in developing regions, yet practitioners often lack standardised, validated field assessment tools—creating delays in identifying and treating affected animals. Pritchard and colleagues evaluated the reliability of two practical techniques: a behavioural scoring system for heat stress and the skin tent test for dehydration in both horses and donkeys under working conditions. The skin tent test demonstrated strong validity for detecting dehydration, with results correlating reliably to clinical dehydration status, whilst the behavioural measure proved effective at identifying heat-stressed individuals, offering farriers, vets and field workers objective criteria for rapid assessment without laboratory support. These validated methods enable earlier intervention and reduce dependence on external veterinary resources in settings where timely diagnosis is critical to animal welfare. For equine professionals managing working animals in warm climates or demanding conditions, implementing these standardised tests represents a practical, evidence-based approach to preventing serious complications from preventable systemic stress.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Owners and handlers of working equids can use validated behavioural indicators and skin tent testing to identify dehydration and heat stress without waiting for veterinary examination
- •Standardised interpretation protocols for the skin tent test enable more consistent and reliable field-based assessment of dehydration status
- •Early identification using these methods can reduce welfare deterioration and treatment delays in working horses and donkeys in resource-limited settings
Key Findings
- •The study validates behavioural measures and skin tent test as practical field methods for identifying heat stress and dehydration in working horses and donkeys
- •Standardised interpretation of the skin tent test was lacking and needed development for equids in developing countries
- •These validation methods address the welfare problem of delayed treatment in working equids dependent on owner-level assessment