Horses Used for Educational Purposes in New Zealand: A Descriptive Analysis of Their Use for Teaching.
Authors: Guinnefollau Lauréline, Gee Erica K, Norman Elizabeth J, Rogers Chris W, Bolwell Charlotte F
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Teaching Horses in New Zealand Educational Programmes Twenty-four horses distributed across three university herds underwent year-long activity monitoring to characterise their use in equine and veterinary science degree programmes, revealing that teaching comprised their primary function despite concurrent involvement in research and husbandry tasks. The workload proved modest across all herds, ranging from a median of 19.5 to 28 teaching sessions annually (approximately one to two sessions weekly during semesters), with Herd B experiencing significantly greater utilisation than Herds M and T. Notably, sedation was reserved for dentistry classes in accordance with national standards, whilst more invasive procedures such as mare reproductive and medical rectal examinations—restricted to final-year veterinary students and conducted in stocks—were characterised by shorter duration and reduced student numbers per horse. The low overall workload presents a genuine opportunity to expand student exposure without welfare compromise; however, the authors appropriately recommend further investigation into specific environmental stressors that may affect teaching horses, as current metrics alone do not capture the full welfare picture during handling and procedural activities. These findings should encourage equine professionals involved in teaching programmes to consider both their current capacity for additional practical exposure and the need for more granular welfare assessment beyond simple session frequency.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Educational horses used for teaching typically work only 1-2 sessions per week, suggesting current usage patterns maintain good welfare margins with potential for increased student exposure
- •Dental teaching can be safely conducted with appropriate sedation protocols; non-dental practical classes generally do not require sedation
- •Reproductive rectal examination classes require different handling considerations (stocks-based restraint) and lower student-to-horse ratios compared to other teaching activities
Key Findings
- •Teaching horses were used for 1-2 weekly sessions during the teaching semester, representing a relatively low workload despite being the predominant use of the animals
- •Herd B received significantly more teaching sessions (median 28/year) compared to herds M (median 21/year) and T (median 19.5/year)
- •Sedation was used in dentistry classes in alignment with best practice standards but rarely required for other teaching activities
- •Mare reproductive rectal examination classes involved more restraint in stocks and had fewer students per horse compared to other practical classes