Bite and kick injuries in horses: prevalence, risk factors and prevention.
Authors: Knubben J M, Furst A, Gygax L, Stauffacher M
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Bite and Kick Injuries in Horses Knubben and colleagues conducted the first population-based prevalence study of bite and kick injuries in Swiss horses, surveying 2559 randomly selected owners about disease incidence, injury frequency, and associated management factors across 2912 horses. Whilst intra-equine bite and kick injuries accounted for only 1.7% of the overall horse population studied, they represented 21.6% of all recorded injuries and 5.6% of total disease and injury cases—suggesting that when injuries do occur, behavioural trauma is a significant concern. Notably, Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, and Arabian horses demonstrated a fourfold increased risk compared with other breeds, and 18% of injuries correlated with housing management changes, regardless of whether horses were kept in permanent or temporary group arrangements. These findings underscore that establishing stable social hierarchies within groups and implementing housing systems with adequate space and species-appropriate environmental design are critical prevention strategies; farriers, veterinarians, and yard managers should recognise that housing transitions and overcrowding present identifiable risk periods for behavioural injuries, particularly in performance and hot-blooded breeds.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Warmblood, Thoroughbred and Arabian breeds require heightened vigilance for bite and kick injuries due to significantly elevated risk; consider this in pre-purchase assessments and insurance evaluations
- •Housing management changes are a critical trigger for injuries—minimise disruptions to group composition and allow adequate time for hierarchy stabilisation when changes are necessary
- •Ensure housing systems provide adequate space and accommodate natural horse behaviours to reduce conflict-related injuries in group settings
Key Findings
- •Bite and kick injuries accounted for 21.6% of all injuries (50 of 231) and 5.6% of all diseases and injuries in the study population
- •Only 1.7% of all horses evaluated sustained bite or kick injuries
- •Warmblood, Thoroughbred and Arabian horses had 4.3 times higher risk of bite or kick injuries compared to other breeds
- •18% of injuries were associated with changes in housing management, regardless of whether horses were kept in groups permanently or sporadically