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Initial outcomes of a harmonized approach to collect welfare data in sport and leisure horses

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 July 2016

E. Dalla Costa ,
F. Dai ,
D. Lebelt ,
P. Scholz ,
S. Barbieri ,
E. Canali  and
M. Minero
E. Dalla Costa*
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy
F. Dai
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy
D. Lebelt
Affiliation:
Pferdeklinik Havelland/Havelland Equine Hospital, Hohenferchesarer Straße 49, D-14778 Beetzsee OT Brielow, Germany
P. Scholz
Affiliation:
Pferdeklinik Havelland/Havelland Equine Hospital, Hohenferchesarer Straße 49, D-14778 Beetzsee OT Brielow, Germany
S. Barbieri
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy
E. Canali
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy
M. Minero
Affiliation:
Dipartimento di Medicina Veterinaria, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Celoria 10, 20133 Milan, Italy
*
†E-mail: emanuela.dallacosta@unimi.it
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Abstract

A truthful snapshot of horse welfare conditions is a prerequisite for predicting the impact of any actions intended to improve the quality of life of horses. This can be achieved when welfare information, gathered by different assessors in diverse geographical areas, is valid, comparable and collected in a harmonized way. This paper aims to present the first outcomes of the Animal Welfare Indicators (AWIN) approach: the results of on-farm assessment and a reliable and harmonized data collection system. A total of 355 sport and leisure horses, stabled in 40 facilities in Italy and in Germany, were evaluated by three trained assessors using the AWIN welfare assessment protocol for horses. The AWINHorse app was used to collect, store and send data to a common server. Identified welfare issues were obesity, unsatisfactory box dimensions, long periods of confinement and lack of social interaction. The digitalized data collection was feasible in an on-farm environment, and our results suggest that this approach could prove useful in identifying the most relevant welfare issues of horses in Europe or worldwide.

Keywords

AWINanimal-based indicatordata collectionhorsewelfare assessment
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , February 2017 , pp. 254 - 260
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2016 

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