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HEALTH AND WE L FARE
Defining health and welfare for the UK
horse population
- time for action
Josh Slater, Professor of Equine Clinical Studies,
Royal Veterinary College
Five years on, through a project led by
leading animal charity The Blue Cross and the
British Equine Veterinary Association, we now
have a practical way of collecting disease
data through regular National Equine Health
Surveys (NEHS) and finally have a means of
delivering this aspect of the Strategy.
The survey was first launched in November
2010 to assess for the first time the
prevalence of common disease syndromes
affecting horses, ponies, donkeys and mules
in the UK, including lameness, skin problems,
weight issues and respiratory disease. It is
now conducted twice yearly and horse
owners are encouraged to participate on a
voluntary and anonymous basis, with the most
recent survey in November 2011 collecting
results from 6,000 animals - the results of
which are to be launched shortly.
This is a significant step forwards and the
challenge is now, I believe, for the equine
industry and veterinary sector to work together
to collect data and maximise the number of
records available, making sure that it is
representative of all parts of these sectors.
Kerry Doyle, education officer for The
Blue Cross, which manages and funds
the survey, said:
‘We are thrilled to
be involved with this innovative project
to enhance the future health of our
horses and very grateful to all those
who have participated in the survey so
far. As participation continues to grow,
it will provide a valuable insight into
trends in equine health, enabling
research into disease prevention,
veterinary training and education to
be targeted accordingly.’
The high importance of disease surveillance for the UK horse industry is now widely recognised. The 2007
Equine Health and Welfare Strategy for Great Britain specified that accurate disease prevalence data are a
vital prerequisite for defining health and establishing benchmarks for equine welfare and management at both
individual horse and population level.
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EQUINE MATTERS