Feedlot horses face a blind spot in animal welfare research
Australian researchers found that the welfare of horses working in cattle feedlots remains almost entirely unstudied, despite widespread public concern about feedlot conditions. The discovery exposes a gap in agricultural oversight that could matter to livestock operators, insurers, and regulators seeking comprehensive welfare standards across the supply chain.
Originaltitel: What Is Understood About the Welfare of Horses Working in Australian Cattle Feedlots: An Introductory Survey
Ridden horses are commonly used to manage cattle in feedlots in a range of countries, including Australia. While there is public concern about the welfare of cattle in feedlots, research into feedlot working horses and their welfare is lacking to date. Accordingly, an online survey was initially developed to ascertain the views of Australian animal and equine communities concerning this cohort of horses and the work they perform. In addition, respondents were asked about their views on animal welfare in general. The survey comprised a mixture of Likert scale questions consisting of six options, multiple-choice responses, and open-ended responses, and was completed by a total of 440 participants. The majority of participants were involved in the equine industry (95.87%), and therefore the findings reflect an equine industry viewpoint. Animal welfare in general was considered to be at a minimum important (χ2 = 20.1, df = 5, P = 0.001), and animal well-being was considered extremely important (χ2 = 10.59, df = 4, P = 0.032). Animal agency was considered important or very important by a majority (354) of participants (χ2 = 10.6, df = 5, P = 0.06). Participants strongly agreed that cattle welfare has the potential to be improved by the use of horses on feedlots (χ2 = 6.17, df = 2, P = 0.046). Participants clearly believe that animal and horse welfare is important both generally and in the feedlot industry. This aligns with wider community concerns about the welfare of animals used for, and in association with, food production.