MARS Equestrian Scholar, M.H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, United States of America.
Equine Studies Group, Waltham Petcare Science Institute, Waltham-on-the-Wolds, Leicestershire, England, United Kingdom.
J Equine Vet Sci. 2024 Sep;140:105137. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2024.105137. Epub 2024 Jun 22.
Horses are regularly transported in the United States (U.S.); however, how, and why horses travel by road has not been explored. Consequently, an online nationwide survey was conducted to understand 1) the most common reasons for travel; 2) the types of journeys undertaken when being transported by road in the U.S. and 3) the general management practices when transporting for 3 h or less. Responses were collected from 1294 participants with at least one response from every state in the continental U.S. The most common survey taker was a female (93.9 %), adult amateur (81.2 %), horse owner (64.6 %) who rode recreationally (33.1 %) and transported their own horse (79.4 %). The most common reasons for travel were for trail or leisure riding (34.2 %) followed by showing and competition (25.3 %); however, this varied by discipline. The most common trip duration was less than one hour (46.8 %), with only 12.4 % of the most common trip durations being 4 h or more. The most common specific horse transported by road for 3 h or less was an adult (age 5-15; 59.0 %), Quarter Horse (21.2 %), used for pleasure or trail riding (44.3 %). The biggest concern when transporting was injury to the horse (26.7 %), whilst the biggest factor when planning to travel was the weather (24.1 %). These results provide insight into why horses are being transported by road in the U.S. and that it is more common to transport horses for shorter durations.
马在美国经常被运输；然而，马是如何以及为什么通过公路旅行还没有被探索过。因此，进行了一项全国范围内的在线调查，以了解：1）旅行的最常见原因；2）在美国通过公路运输时进行的旅行类型；3）在 3 小时或更短时间内运输时的一般管理做法。共收到来自 1294 名参与者的回复，美国大陆的每个州都至少有一名参与者做出了回复。最常见的调查对象是女性（93.9%）、成年业余骑手（81.2%）、马主（64.6%），他们休闲骑马（33.1%）并自己运输马匹（79.4%）。旅行的最常见原因是为了进行徒步或休闲骑行（34.2%），其次是表演和比赛（25.3%）；然而，这因学科而异。最常见的行程时间不到一个小时（46.8%），只有 12.4%的最常见行程时间为 4 小时或更长时间。在 3 小时或更短时间内通过公路运输的最常见的马是成年马（5-15 岁；59.0%）、夸特马（21.2%），用于休闲或徒步骑行（44.3%）。运输时最大的担忧是马受伤（26.7%），而计划旅行时最大的因素是天气（24.1%）。这些结果提供了美国为什么通过公路运输马的原因，并且更常见的是在较短的时间内运输马。
