Welfare problems of horses
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31548/dopovidi2021.02.011Keywords:
welfare, horse, biosecurity, quality of life, feeding, housing, managementAbstract
The article presents an analysis of the basic concepts of animal welfare, which is a prerequisite for quality and successful innovative animal husbandry. The horses welfare should be considered from the standpoint of the concept of the "five freedoms", which should be reflected in the lives of animals.
The aim of the article is to analyze the state of the horses welfare and the prospects of development and implementation at the national and European levels.
The analysis indicates the need to develop a system for assessing the welfare of horses and its implementation in Ukraine, while, taking into account objective and subjective indicators, the system for assessing the welfare of horses should include owners, veterinarians (horse care) and experts.
To assess the welfare of sport horses, the Veterinary Regulations (BP) of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) must be used during the competition, which must be observed during the event.
Methods for assessing the degree of welfare, characterize the condition of the animal in both external and internal indicators, but the dominant is stress, which through the nervous and endocrine systems adversely affect all parts of the immune system.
In Ukraine, the horse population has tripled reduce in thirty years and continues to decline, but the analysis of horse welfare in Ukraine is either not conducted at all, or is sporadic and mainly aimed at assessing individual animal health indicators (assessment of body condition, lameness, etc.).
Therefore, in Ukraine it is necessary to establish criteria and develop a system for assessing the welfare of horses, improving the legal framework and implementation in practice. A plan of recommended action for stakeholders (federations, veterinarians, horse owners, government services, etc.) was presented, and it was recommended to develop and implement criteria for assessing the welfare of horses that could be used to study animal welfare.
We believe that the system of horse welfare assessment as a consulting tool is necessary for the standardization of survey and analysis of welfare, to develop measures to optimize the management of horses, which should be the main document of equestrian associations of Ukraine.
In addition, legislation on the welfare of horses is crucial, but there is no legislation acts in the field of welfare.
Undoubtedly, in combination with the welfare of horses, it is important to develop an algorithm for biosecurity in the horses management with an emphasis on the epizootology of diseases, vaccination conditions, disinfection and analysis of critical points of admission to animals, which should be the basis for the development of the National Standard for Welfare and Biosecurity at the level of horse farms in Ukraine.
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