Furtado Tamzin, Perkins Elizabeth, McGowan Catherine, Pinchbeck Gina
Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Cheshire CH64 7TE, UK.
Institute of Population Health, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GL, UK.
Animals (Basel). 2021 May 14;11(5):1416. doi: 10.3390/ani11051416.
Approximately 60% of the UK's leisure horses are kept at livery yards under the management and oversight of a livery yard owner or manager (LYO/M), yet their role has received little research attention. This study used the COVID-19 pandemic as a lens through which to view LYO/Ms' decisions around equine care and management at a time when changes to usual practice were necessary. Qualitative research methods were used. Up to 3 interviews were conducted with 24 different LYO/Ms over nine months ( = 48). Discussion threads from open-access UK discussion fora were also analysed. All data were anonymised and analysed using a Grounded Theory methodology. Prior to the pandemic, equine care and management practices varied greatly across yards, and yard cultures were a product of LYO/Ms' construction of good equine care, their business model, and the need to balance human and equine contentment. The role of the LYO/M was to maintain an equilibrium between those interlinked factors. During the pandemic, LYO/Ms adopted new measures designed to influence the movement of horse owners and other people on yards to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission. During this time, LYO/Ms reported prioritising equine wellbeing by limiting change to equine routines and management wherever possible. Instead of altering equine management, there was an expectation that the lives of humans would be moulded and re-shaped to fit with the government COVID-19 guidelines. These results highlight the importance of routines, traditions and cultures in each individual yard. Maintaining the standard of care for the horse was prioritised regardless of who provided that care.
在英国，约60%的休闲用马寄养在马场，由马场主或经理（LYO/M）管理和监督，然而他们的角色很少受到研究关注。本研究以新冠疫情为视角，观察在需要改变常规做法时，LYO/M围绕马匹护理和管理所做的决策。采用了定性研究方法。在九个月内，对24位不同的LYO/M进行了多达3次访谈（n = 48）。还分析了英国开放获取讨论论坛的讨论帖。所有数据均匿名，并采用扎根理论方法进行分析。在疫情之前，各马场的马匹护理和管理做法差异很大，马场文化是LYO/M对优质马匹护理的构建、其商业模式以及平衡人和马满意度需求的产物。LYO/M的作用是在这些相互关联的因素之间保持平衡。在疫情期间，LYO/M采取了新措施，旨在影响马匹主人和其他人员在马场的活动，以尽量减少新冠病毒传播风险。在此期间，LYO/M报告称，尽可能限制马匹日常活动和管理的变化，将马匹福祉放在首位。人们期望的不是改变马匹管理方式，而是调整和重塑人类的生活，以符合政府的新冠疫情指导方针。这些结果凸显了每个马场的日常活动、传统和文化的重要性。无论由谁提供护理，保障马匹护理标准都是首要任务。
