Can understanding owner behavior improve equine health and welfare?

Editorial office presenting a special virtual issue of the magazine Equine Veterinary Journal draws attention to horse owners. The editorial presents a collection of 20 studies that examine horse owner behaviors such as recognizing colic, managing infectious diseases, vaccinating against various pathogens, and following veterinary advice, and how these behaviors affect equine health and welfare.

Spreading this knowledge can lead to changes that will positively impact veterinary care.

“Until recently, human behavior has received little attention in the veterinary literature; we assumed that if we progressed further veterinarians and share this knowledge with owners, the rest will fall into place,” said co-author David Randle, BVSc, MVM, CertEM(IntMed), DipECEIM, FRCVS, recently appointed president of the British Equine Veterinary Association. “This is clearly not the case, and in this editorial discusses how we should engage with science human behavior if we want to translate veterinary science into improving equine welfare.”