Hardship of working equines revealed in survey

The thinner animals were also lamer, had more wounds, and a greater incidence of diarrhea. Sixty-three per cent of animals had wounds, with one quarter of these being deep enough to expose the muscle layer, or even the tendons and bones. Ninety-seven per cent of animals had abnormal gaits.

The survey was conducted by Dr Charlotte Burn, of The Royal Veterinary College, together with The University of Bristol and The Brooke Hospital for Animals, in Britain. They have collectively been studying the welfare of working equines.

Burn recently shared some of her research results as part of the behaviour and welfare seminar series run by the University of Guelph's Centre for the Study of Animal Welfare, in Canada.

The results indicate serious and ongoing welfare challenges that need addressing, Burn said.

In developing countries, working horses, donkeys and mules are most often used for heavy labour, whether it be hauling heavy loads of cargo or carrying tourists. Conditions can be harsh - it may be extremely hot or extremely cold, with difficult terrain.

Animals can suffer malnourishment, dehydration, disease, lameness or injury. Rest and recovery is often not a practical option. The animals have no choice but to continue working despite poor environmental or health conditions, as the livelihoods of their impoverished owners depend on the steady work they do.

The aim of Burn's work is to identify practical, sustainable solutions and interventions to the various problems, assess their effectiveness, and ultimately have the best solutions applied by equine owners themselves.

One particular study was aimed at addressing a problem noted in tourist donkeys in Petra. These donkeys carry people up and down a mountainside by saddle - the strap of which wraps under the base of their tails, sometimes rubbing away the skin and causing raw wounds.

Burn surveyed the donkeys, and found tail-base lesions in 73 per cent of 86 donkeys studied.

She also found that dirty straps and straps padded with cotton or fleece made the problem worse. Simply using clean, synthetic straps and eliminating padding altogether proved to be a realistic, sustainable intervention in this case.

Burn was also curious to know if equine behaviour could be used as a field indicator of physical welfare. She looked at a variety of behaviour, and found unresponsiveness and apathy to be associated with thinness, lesions, pale mucus membranes, diarrhoea, old age, parasites, lameness, eye abnormalities, and missing teeth.

Thus, this behaviour can be considered a good first indicator of health conditions that are likely painful, or that may contribute to weakness and exhaustion.

Such information can assist veterinarians in making quick judgments about animals in need of further assessment and possibly immediate care and intervention.

Burn says a key to success is community participation in animal health and welfare initiatives.

A two-way exchange of ideas, understanding community priorities, giving participants ownership of ideas, and providing expert feedback on efficacy all ensure the most successful outcome for the animals.

Burn continues to work with the University of Bristol and the Brooke Hospital toward reducing suffering of working equines.