Golding Emma, Al Ansari Ahmed Saleh Ali, Sutton Gila A, Walshe Nicola, Duggan Vivienne
School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
Large Animal Department, Robert H Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Veterinary Teaching Hospital, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O. Box 12, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel.
Ir Vet J. 2023 Apr 6;76(1):9. doi: 10.1186/s13620-023-00237-w.
Equine obesity is a significant health and welfare concern. The proportion of domestic horse populations that are overweight are as high as 45%. As the primary decision-makers for their horses' care, owners are theoretically ideally placed to identify whether their horses are appropriately conditioned, however, research in other countries has shown that many owners are unable to accurately judge their horse's body condition. In this study, through the comparison of body condition scoring (BCS) performed by an expert and the horse owners and interviews with owners, we aimed to identify the proportion of horses that were overweight or obese, to assess the accuracy of horse owners' BCS assessment both prior to and after receiving information and instructions on body condition scoring, and to identify common themes amongst owners' views regarding BCS assessment and the Henneke BCS system.
Forty-five percent of the horses in this study were overweight or obese. The agreement between the owners and an equine veterinarian regarding the horses' BCS was fair to good both prior to (κ = .311, P < 0.001; ICC = .502, P < 0.001) and after (κ = .381, P < 0.001; ICC = .561, P < 0.001) receiving information and instructions on scoring. Three quarters of the owners who took part in the study did not use any method of monitoring their horse's body condition. Thematic analysis of owner responses was varied, with the most common theme being an awareness of the need to monitor or make changes to their horse's condition with responses in this theme split between owners who felt in control and those who did not. Owner feedback on the utility and useability of the scorning system was that it was useful however parts are too technical or need improvement.
Equine obesity is a significant problem in this population in Ireland. Horse owners' ability to accurately judge their horse's condition does not improve with provision of instructions on body condition scoring. These results combined with owners' feedback on the Henneke BCS system indicate that it is not a tool that can be reliably used by owners.
马的肥胖是一个重大的健康和福利问题。国内超重马的比例高达45%。作为马匹护理的主要决策者，理论上主人最有条件判断他们的马是否处于适当的身体状况，然而，其他国家的研究表明，许多主人无法准确判断他们马匹的身体状况。在本研究中，通过比较专家和马主进行的身体状况评分（BCS）以及对马主的访谈，我们旨在确定超重或肥胖马匹的比例，评估马主在接受身体状况评分信息和指导前后BCS评估的准确性，并确定马主关于BCS评估和亨内克BCS系统观点中的共同主题。
本研究中45%的马超重或肥胖。在接受评分信息和指导之前（κ = 0.311，P < 0.001；ICC = 0.502，P < 0.001）和之后（κ = 0.381，P < 0.001；ICC = 0.561，P < 0.001），马主与马兽医在马匹BCS方面的一致性为中等至良好。参与研究的四分之三的马主没有使用任何方法来监测他们马匹的身体状况。对马主回答的主题分析各不相同，最常见的主题是意识到需要监测或改变他们马匹的状况，这一主题的回答在感觉能够掌控的马主和感觉不能掌控的马主之间存在分歧。马主对评分系统实用性和易用性的反馈是，它有用，但部分内容过于专业或需要改进。
在爱尔兰的这群马中，马的肥胖是一个重大问题。提供身体状况评分指导并不能提高马主准确判断其马匹状况的能力。这些结果与马主对亨内克BCS系统的反馈表明，它不是马主可以可靠使用的工具。
