Indiana 4-H Horse and Pony adult volunteers' valuation of equine welfare
Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to determine the value that Indiana 4-H Horse and Pony adult volunteers place on skills that reflect aspects of equine well-being. In order to promote horse welfare through practice, the underlying perceptional attitudes about horse welfare must first be gleaned from industry participants. Because the 4-H Horse and Pony program functions as an educational resource for recreational horse enthusiasts, this program, and the adult facilitators in charge of programming, play an active role in the development of proper horsemanship skills for 4-H youth. This study asked these adult volunteer educators to assign a value to National 4-H Horse and Pony project skills that represented components of the Five Freedoms framework of animal welfare. Overall these adult volunteers perceived skills related to welfare were of high value, but with differential value placed on certain skill sets. Skills related to nutrition, malnutrition, and thirst were the most highly regarded, and skills related to physical facility management and design were the least valued in regards to the responsible care and use of horses. Different assignments of value were also observed based on previous horse ownership experience, education level, and familiarity with the programmatic source of the skills. These results are discussed in terms of the implications for horse welfare from a 4-H program perspective, and for the continued effectiveness of welfare as a science in the horse industry at large.
Degree
M.S.
Advisors
Brady, Purdue University.
Subject Area
Agricultural education
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