Survey of horse transportation in Australia: issues and practices.
OBJECTIVE
To survey amateur and professional participants on equine transportation management, practices and outcomes in Australia.


METHODS
An online survey targeting people who organised horse movements at least monthly was made available to a broad cross-section of amateur and professional equine associations. Respondents were invited to provide demographic details and information relating to their routine transportation management practices and their experiences of issues relating to the transportation of horses.


RESULTS
Of 797 usable responses involving approximately 17,000 horses and 313,000 individual horse transport events, transport-related behavioural problems were reported by 38% of respondents, particularly at loading. Transport-related health problems had been experienced during or after transportation by horses in the care of 67% of respondents. The most common problems reported were traumatic injuries (45.0%), diarrhoea (20.0%), muscular problems (13.0%), respiratory problems (12.3%), overheating (10.5%) and colic (10.3%). In the 2 years reviewed in the survey, 9.4% of participants reported at least one case of transport-associated pneumonia and 35 horses had died, most commonly from fractures, colic or pneumonia. Although respondents identifying as amateurs transported horses less frequently and over shorter distances, the incidence of transport-related problems was similar between amateurs and professionals. Respondents reported specific precautions before, during and after transportation, although management was often not compliant with the Australian Code of horse transportation.


CONCLUSIONS
Responses indicated that there remains a substantial risk of adverse welfare and health outcomes for horses transported in Australia and management practices reported may not be compliant with current recommendations for transportation.
Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden 2570, New South Wales, Australia. barbara.padalino@sydney.edu.au.|Department of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Bari, Italy. barbara.padalino@sydney.edu.au.|School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia. barbara.padalino@sydney.edu.au.
B
http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7630-8285
B
Padalino
School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia.
S L
SL
Raidal
Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden 2570, New South Wales, Australia.
E
E
Hall
DSM Nutritional Products, Animal Nutrition and Health, Columbia, MD, USA.
P
P
Knight
Faculty of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia.|Discipline of Biomedical Science, School of Medical Sciences, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia.
P
P
Celi
Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden 2570, New South Wales, Australia.
L
L
Jeffcott
Faculty of Veterinary Science, The University of Sydney, 425 Werombi Road, Camden 2570, New South Wales, Australia.
G
G
Muscatello
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003085:Colic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D018882:Heat Stress Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D006734:Horse Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006736:Horses; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary; D011247:Pregnancy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014186:Transportation; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary
Australia; animal welfare; horses; transportation