The National Equine Health Survey runs from the 22-29th of May and it is really important for as many horse owners as possible to get involved during this time. This is the only survey in the UK which looks at the general health of our horses, ponies donkeys and mules and it can be a fantastic tool for improving equine welfare.
Last year over 5,000 owners took part in the survey and discovered some interesting results about the horse population in the UK. Last years survey found that only 62% of horses were completely healthy, as in they had no health problems at the time. The survey also found that the top 5 health problems for horses in the UK were: lameness, laminitis, sweet itch, mud fever and Cushing’s disease.
These were just some of the findings from the survey, but why are these findings important to horse owners?
Realistically, this survey isn’t going to make an obvious difference to your day to day management of your horse, especially if your horse is one of the completely healthy horses. However, this information is used by vets, universities, retailers and manufacturers within the industry. Vet’s and researchers can see that x% of horses are affected by an issue and they can start to investigate why so many horses are affected and improve prevention and treatment techniques. Retailers and manufacturers can also use this information to identify a gap in the market for a potentially revolutionary new product or service, which could lead to increased equine welfare.
I always find the results a very interesting read as at least one of the findings will surprise me. It’s fantastic to get this snapshot of the industry and the more people who take part, the more accurate this snapshot will be. So please take a moment to register for the survey today here. It takes 2 minutes to register and once the survey is live, it will take 10-15 mins to complete.
Last Updated on 07/08/2018
