Do horse owners in Sweden stable their horses more often than horse owners in New Zealand? What do horse owners in France and Holland feed their horses? Do riders in England use the same bits and saddles as riders in Australia? Do horse owners in the United States or Spain use the internet the most to find out about horse care? Are Italian horses more likely to wear shoes or go barefoot?
The University of Sydney and the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) wants to find out the answers to these questions! They have developed a seven language online survey that gives horse owners worldwide the chance to contribute information about how they care for their horses.
The survey covers housing and feeding, behaviour, equipment and the information sources owners use to learn about caring for their horses. It is easy and fun to complete.
“The global horse industry is hugely varied” said PhD candidate Georgie Caspar, “so we’re really interested to identify the differences and similarities in horse care across countries”.
The findings of the survey will be used to gain an understanding of how horses are cared for and managed as well as how owners access information about horse care across the globe. These findings will help researchers, horse trainers and educators develop relevant and informative programs to assist horse owners to improve the health and welfare of their horses.
The survey takes approximately 20 minutes to complete and is online HERE.
Participants need to select the flag in their chosen language and tell us about their horse. Upon completion you can enter a prize draw to win a year’s membership of ISES. The results of the survey will be published towards the end of 2014.
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