Biosecurity perceptions among Ontario horse owners during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authors: Germann Juliet A, O'Sullivan Terri L, Greer Amy L, Spence Kelsey L
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Biosecurity Perceptions Among Ontario Horse Owners During COVID-19 Ontario's equine industry faces recurrent challenges from respiratory infectious diseases, yet little evidence exists regarding whether horse owners actually implement adequate biosecurity measures or how external events shape their approach to disease prevention. Germann and colleagues surveyed Ontario horse owners during the COVID-19 pandemic to assess their biosecurity practices, perceived risks, and whether the pandemic influenced their attitudes towards equine disease mitigation. The findings reveal significant variation in biosecurity adoption across the surveyed population, with implications for both individual herd health and regional disease resilience—particularly relevant given Ontario's documented history of respiratory disease outbreaks affecting multiple facilities. Understanding these perceptions provides practitioners with crucial insight into the barriers and drivers influencing owner compliance with biosecurity protocols, enabling more targeted communication strategies when advising on disease prevention. For farriers, veterinarians, physiotherapists, and other equine professionals, these results highlight the need for tailored education that acknowledges owners' existing risk perception and pandemic-influenced attitudes, rather than assuming universal understanding of biosecurity's importance.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Veterinarians should assess individual horse owner biosecurity knowledge and practices, as the pandemic may have created opportunities to improve awareness of disease prevention measures
- •Educational campaigns on equine biosecurity should be tailored to Ontario horse owners, particularly addressing respiratory disease prevention given the region's frequent outbreaks
- •Consider leveraging increased pandemic-related health consciousness to encourage adoption of evidence-based biosecurity protocols in equine facilities
Key Findings
- •Ontario horse owners' biosecurity practices and perceptions were assessed in relation to COVID-19 pandemic influences
- •Research identified gaps between current biosecurity engagement and measures necessary to mitigate equine disease risk
- •COVID-19 pandemic appears to influence attitudes towards equine biosecurity practices among horse owners