The
results of the 2018 National Equine Health Survey (NEHS) have been published. This
is the eighth and final annual survey, which provides a clear sense of what
continues to affect the health of British horses, helping equine specialists to
identify current and predicted equine health priorities. The results are
consistent with those from previous years.
Gemma
Taylor, Education Officer at Blue Cross said: “Thanks to the loyal support of
the UK’s horse, pony, mule and donkey owners and keepers, NEHS has achieved
more than we ever imagined over the past eight years.”
As a
snapshot survey at community level NEHS has looked at the prevalence of the
same disease syndromes during the same week of May every year. It has relied on
the participation of thousands of UK horse owners and keepers and is the first
time anyone has obtained data about what really affects the UK’s horses from a
community perspective.
The
information generated by NEHS has helped pinpoint trends in endemic equine
diseases. The results are regularly referenced by vets and researchers as
benchmarks for our general knowledge of horse health. The emerging patterns are
now helping to steer equine awareness, education and research to help keep the
nation’s horses healthier.
As in
previous years, the survey was led by animal welfare charity, the Blue Cross.
It was conducted on-line and was open to respondents to complete for one week.
The survey used the same format as previous years with owners reporting
problems that were present in each horse under their care on the day they chose
to complete the survey. The 2018 survey used the same broad disease syndrome categories
to allow comparison with previous years.
This year
a total of 5529 people took part and returned records for 13,873 horses.
The
results enable an initial breakdown into general disease syndromes and then a
further breakdown into individual diseases. In each case the 2018 results for
both were similar to previous years:
No health problems were reported for 62% of horses; one or more problems were
reported in 38%. Skin disease (including
wounds and external parasites) was the most frequent general disease syndrome.
It accounted for one third of all problems reported, nearly half of which were
attributed to sweet itch and mud fever. Lameness, including laminitis,
accounted for 29% of all problems reported. Other than skin diseases, the most
frequently reported general syndromes were metabolic diseases (7.4%),
respiratory disease (7.1%), gastrointestinal conditions (6.6%) and eye problems
(6.25%).
Full
details are available from the Blue Cross. See:
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