A Retrospective Survey of Factors Affecting the Risk of Incidents and Equine Injury During Non-Commercial Transportation by Road in the United Kingdom.
Authors: Hall Carol, Kay Rachel, Green Jim
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Road transport incidents involving equines remain poorly quantified in the UK, yet evidence suggests they occur with considerable frequency and injury risk. Hall and colleagues conducted an online survey between May and July 2017, collecting transport-related incident data from 2,116 non-commercial equine transporters, with 342 respondents (16.2%) reporting a total of 399 incidents. Equine behaviour was implicated in 56% of incidents, the majority occurring within the first hour of travel (65%), whilst over half of all reported incidents resulted in injury—notably, incidents stemming from vehicle malfunction carried the highest injury rate at 68%. Participants with professional or competitive involvement experienced significantly more incidents than leisure owners, suggesting greater exposure risk or potentially inadequate preparation specific to performance demands. These findings underscore a critical gap in equine transport safety management: the need for systematic pre-transport conditioning protocols, standardised vehicle maintenance and design standards, and targeted risk assessment based on equine and operator variables, warranting collaborative guidance development across the farriery, veterinary and coaching professions.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Prioritize behavioural preparation and desensitization of equines to transport, as equine behaviour was the primary incident cause; this is especially critical for the first hour of travel when most incidents occur
- •Conduct regular maintenance and safety checks of transport vehicles, as vehicle malfunction incidents showed the highest injury rates (68%), suggesting mechanical failure creates severe incident outcomes
- •Establish transport protocols and safety training, particularly for handlers with competitive involvement who reported higher incident rates than leisure handlers
Key Findings
- •16.2% of non-commercial equine transporters (342/2116 participants) reported incidents during road transport
- •Equine behaviour was attributed as the cause in 56% of reported incidents, with most incidents occurring within the first hour of travel (65%)
- •Over 50% of incidents resulted in equine injury, with transport vehicle malfunction associated with the highest injury rate (68%)
- •Professional/competitive equine handlers reported significantly more incidents than leisure handlers (p < 0.01)