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Perceptions of Equine Well-being in South Dakota
South Dakota is a rural state with a high number of equids for its human population. In South Dakota, the status of equid well-being is relatively unknown. The objectives of the current study were to 1) gain understanding about the current perceptions of animal well-being in South Dakota with an emphasis on horses and other equids, 2) determine the level of care equids are reportedly receiving and the perceived challenges to equine well-being in South Dakota, and 3) determine if people from diverse geographical locations (east or west of the Missouri River) have similar views on the well-being of equids in South Dakota. Vast geographical differences and population densities exist across South Dakota, thus identifying varying viewpoints assists future educational efforts on animal well-being topics.
Members of the South Dakota equid industry participated in our survey via hard copy at equine events, mailings, or a web-based questionnaire distributed through Extension websites and equine organizations. Most survey questions were designed using a Likert scale: strongly disagree, disagree, undecided, agree, and strongly agree. Survey completion rate was 82% with a total of 142 responses from South Dakota. The sample population was 62% female and relatively young with 60% of our sample between 18 and 44 years old. Most respondents (87%) were from east of the Missouri River.
The respondents were in agreement (76%) that the current level of equid well-being in South Dakota is sufficient, yet 75% of respondents strongly agreed that there can be improvements. A majority of survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed that high annual cost of horse care (81%), poor horsemanship (67%), dental problems (66%), and whether the caretaker understands basic equine care (66%) were considered current challenges for the equid population of South Dakota. There was a significant association between where a respondent lives (western or eastern South Dakota) and their level of agreement with three statements: 1) a caretaker’s misunderstanding could contribute to a lack of well-being (p = 0.0423), 2) neglect of basic physical needs was a current challenge to South Dakota equines (p = 0.0443), and 3) the low market value of horses has allowed people to acquire and/or retain more horses than available resources support (p= 0.0361).
The results of this survey on perceptions of equid well-being provided a benchmark to gauge well-being and helps give direction for future educational needs to be addressed that can continue to improve equid care.
Keywords:
equine well-being, equid care, animal welfare