The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Horse Owners and Horse Welfare
Back in late March Dr David Marlin got together a group of researchers to try and understand the
effect of the COVID-19 Pandemic on horse owners and horse welfare. This was very early on in the
Pandemic. Now, six months on, we will be releasing a follow-up survey in the next few weeks. The
group consists of Dr David Marlin, Dr Jane Williams (Hartpury University, UK), Dr Kirstie Pickles
(Nottingham Vet School, UK), Dr Hayley Randle (Charles Sturt University, Australia), Prof Shannon
Pratt-Phillips (North Carolina State University, USA) and Jenna Kutzner-Mulligan (USA).
The original surveys, tailored for different geographical areas, were launched simultaneously in the
UK, Australia and New Zealand and USA and Canada and were completed by over 11,000 people. In
March 2020, each of these three regions was at a different stage of the pandemic. The results were
shared with stakeholders in each country, including veterinary bodies, Government and horse
welfare charities. The results were also presented at the 2020 International Society for Equitation
Science virtual conference and have been submitted to the scientific journal Animal for publication.
The ISES presentation can be viewed:
