Determining a Welfare Prioritization for Horses Using a Delphi Method.
Authors: Rioja-Lang Fiona C, Connor Melanie, Bacon Heather, Dwyer Cathy M
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Prioritising Equine Welfare Through Expert Consensus A panel of 19 equine welfare specialists used a structured Delphi consensus method to identify and rank the most pressing welfare concerns affecting horses in the UK, moving beyond anecdotal observations to establish evidence-based priorities for the profession. The researchers began with 84 distinct welfare issues identified through online consultation and thematic analysis, then systematically reduced this list by asking experts to score each issue for prevalence, severity and duration of suffering on a six-point scale; 37 issues meeting a mean score of 3+ progressed through multiple rounds of ranking and refinement, culminating in a two-day workshop to finalise the priority list. Lack of biosecurity, delayed euthanasia, poor owner knowledge of equine welfare requirements, fear/stress associated with ridden work, and obesity emerged as the most prevalent welfare concerns, whilst delayed euthanasia, owners' failure to recognise pain behaviour, large worm burdens, obesity and unsuitable feeding practices were identified as causing the greatest suffering to individual animals. These findings have direct relevance for equine professionals: biosecurity protocols warrant urgent attention across all yards, farriers and vets should prioritise client education on pain recognition and appropriate nutrition, and the profession collectively needs to address cultural attitudes towards end-of-life decision-making. The consensus-based approach provides a robust framework for directing research funding, developing educational campaigns and refining best-practice guidelines to address the welfare issues that truly matter most in working and leisure horses.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Focus welfare education and intervention efforts on the top five prevalent issues: biosecurity, euthanasia timing decisions, owner education, stress management, and weight control
- •Owner education on recognizing pain behaviours and appropriate nutrition is critical as these directly impact individual horse suffering
- •Parasite control and dietary management should be prioritized in practice protocols as they consistently rank high for both prevalence and severity of suffering
Key Findings
- •Using Delphi method with 19 equine welfare experts, 37 of 84 identified welfare issues met inclusion criteria (mean score ≥3)
- •Most prevalent welfare issues were lack of biosecurity, delayed euthanasia, lack of owner knowledge, fear/stress from use, and obesity
- •Issues causing greatest suffering were delayed euthanasia, lack of pain recognition by owners, large worm burdens, obesity, and unsuitable feeding