Cross-Sectional Survey of Horse Owners to Assess Their Knowledge and Use of Biosecurity Practices for Equine Infectious Diseases in the United States.
Authors: White Nathaniel, Pelzel-McCluskey Angela
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary With over 9 million horses transported annually across the United States and frequent co-mingling at competitions and events, infectious disease transmission remains a significant welfare and economic concern, yet systematic data on owner biosecurity practices has been sparse. White and Pelzel-McCluskey conducted a cross-sectional survey of 2413 horse owners stratified by primary use categories (ranging from pleasure riding to racing), using cross-tabulation analysis to identify variations in biosecurity knowledge and implementation across these different equestrian disciplines. Significant differences emerged between user groups in nine key areas: vaccination uptake, formal biosecurity planning, isolation protocols, disease risk perception, health monitoring, co-mingling practices, sanitation standards, medical decision-making processes and event entry requirements—suggesting that a one-size-fits-all approach to biosecurity communication is unlikely to succeed. The survey revealed a concerning finding: most horse owners show low concern about infectious disease risk and minimal engagement with biosecurity measures, despite widespread awareness of the individual practices themselves. For practitioners advising clients on farm management or event protocols, these results highlight the need for targeted education tailored to specific horse use categories, with particular emphasis on temperature monitoring, isolation of newly introduced horses, vaccination/health certificate requirements at events, and the development of formal biosecurity plans for facilities and gatherings where horses co-mingle.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Develop facility-specific biosecurity plans with emphasis on isolation protocols for new horses and health certificate/vaccination entry requirements—owners lack awareness of these basic controls
- •Implement temperature monitoring and health record requirements at events where horses co-mingle, as survey data shows most owners underestimate transmission risk across different horse use types
- •Use these survey results when counseling clients on disease prevention; tailor biosecurity messaging by horse use category since knowledge gaps vary significantly between pleasure, competitive, breeding, and racing operations
Key Findings
- •Most horse owners are not highly concerned about disease risk or biosecurity implementation despite documented transmission risks
- •Significant differences in biosecurity knowledge and practices exist across 10 categories of horse use (pleasure riding, showing, racing, breeding, etc.)
- •Critical gaps identified in vaccination compliance, isolation protocols, health record requirements, and temperature monitoring at facilities and events
- •Biosecurity planning, disease monitoring, and co-mingling risk awareness are underutilized across U.S. horse operations