School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Loughborough, UK.
Vet Rec. 2021 Mar;188(6):e79. doi: 10.1002/vetr.79. Epub 2021 Jan 28.
There is a lack of research exploring how the horse-human relationship influences horse owners' decision-making. The aim of this study was to investigate how an owner's relationship with their horse affects decisions around key events during their horse's lifetime.
An online survey and semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with horse-owners. The online survey asked horse owners about their experiences of decision-making and their relationship with their horse and identified interview participants. Two semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 horse owners on their experience of purchasing and euthanasia of horses. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, and thematic analysis was performed.
There were 938 responses to the online survey. The majority of owners considered their horse to be a member of the family (92.9%, 808/870). The mean amount spent annually on their horse was £9215 (range £324-14,240). Seven themes were identified in the interviews including mismatching of horse and rider; financial, time, welfare and personal obligations involved in horse ownership; shared-decision making; the horse's quality of life; guilt and responsibility grief surrounding euthanasia decisions.
This study highlighted the strong owner-horse relationship, the significant obligations involved in horse ownership and the emotional impact of euthanasia decisions.
目前缺乏研究探索马与人的关系如何影响马主的决策。本研究旨在调查主人与马的关系如何影响他们在马的一生中的关键事件的决策。
对马主进行了在线调查和半结构化电话访谈。在线调查询问了马主的决策经验以及他们与马的关系，并确定了访谈参与者。对 11 位马主进行了两次关于购买和安乐死马的半结构化访谈。对访谈进行了记录和转录，并进行了主题分析。
在线调查收到了 938 份回复。大多数马主认为他们的马是家庭的一员（92.9%，808/870）。他们每年在马身上的平均花费为 9215 英镑（范围为 324-14240 英镑）。访谈中确定了 7 个主题，包括马和骑手的不匹配；养马所涉及的财务、时间、福利和个人义务；共同决策；马的生活质量；安乐死决策带来的内疚和责任悲伤。
本研究强调了马主与马之间的牢固关系、养马所涉及的重大义务以及安乐死决策带来的情感影响。
