Unwanted horses represent a subset of horses within the domestic equine population that are no longer needed, useful, or whose owners are no longer interested or capable of financially or physically caring for them (Messer et al, 2004). Most unwanted equines unable to be re-homed or sold will be sent to slaughter, euthanized, disposed of through rendering, or abandoned and left to die of natural causes (Messer et al, 2004). The global recession which commenced in 2008 has caused horses in many countries to become unwanted (Leadon et al, 2012). Case studies have shown the most common causes of starvation cases are due to owner ignorance, economic hardship, indecision, or disagreements (McIntosh et al, 2012). The production of horses is not easily
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Horse slaughter has become a controversial issue in agriculture in the past decade (Lawlor et al, 2015) and has caused many slaughterhouses to abide by stricter policy leaving horses without identification unsuitable for slaughter (Collins et al, 2008), therefore higher numbers left at risk of abandonment and starvation. Worldwide, a de facto ban was created in the US due to the 2007 appropriations bill (Becker, 2007) leaving unwanted horses in even more vulnerable …show more content…
Although weigh bridges are more exact, they are often inaccessible for owners and welfare organisations. Estimation techniques have shown varying accuracy (Wagner and Tyler, 2011; Reavell, 1999; Dugdale, 2011) which may be due to method or due to human error (Wyse et al, 2008). The most common method of assessment in research concerning starvation in the horse is body condition scoring (BCS) (Witham and Stull, 1998; Whiting et al, 2005; Stull et al, 2003; Munoz et al, 2010) based on the Henneke scale of 1-9 (Henneke et al, 1983). BCS is a numerical scale used to evaluate the amount of fat on a horse’s body (Henneke et al, 1983) (Table 1.0). However, conflicting information or views exist as BCS has also been suggested as not useful when assessing differences in regional adiposity (Carter et al, 2009), which is relevant when assessing the starved horse. When assessing a malnourished horse, lack of nutrition should be judged by muscle wastage over absence of fat (Henneke et al, 1983; Huntington, 1988; Kronfeld, 1998; Munoz et al, 2010). Although there are various methods of weight estimation, there is limited clarity on the best method of body condition scoring for the underweight horse, and guidelines on BCS could increase awareness and more easily determine the severity of weight loss in the
Horse slaughter has become a controversial issue in agriculture in the past decade (Lawlor et al, 2015) and has caused many slaughterhouses to abide by stricter policy leaving horses without identification unsuitable for slaughter (Collins et al, 2008), therefore higher numbers left at risk of abandonment and starvation. Worldwide, a de facto ban was created in the US due to the 2007 appropriations bill (Becker, 2007) leaving unwanted horses in even more vulnerable …show more content…
Although weigh bridges are more exact, they are often inaccessible for owners and welfare organisations. Estimation techniques have shown varying accuracy (Wagner and Tyler, 2011; Reavell, 1999; Dugdale, 2011) which may be due to method or due to human error (Wyse et al, 2008). The most common method of assessment in research concerning starvation in the horse is body condition scoring (BCS) (Witham and Stull, 1998; Whiting et al, 2005; Stull et al, 2003; Munoz et al, 2010) based on the Henneke scale of 1-9 (Henneke et al, 1983). BCS is a numerical scale used to evaluate the amount of fat on a horse’s body (Henneke et al, 1983) (Table 1.0). However, conflicting information or views exist as BCS has also been suggested as not useful when assessing differences in regional adiposity (Carter et al, 2009), which is relevant when assessing the starved horse. When assessing a malnourished horse, lack of nutrition should be judged by muscle wastage over absence of fat (Henneke et al, 1983; Huntington, 1988; Kronfeld, 1998; Munoz et al, 2010). Although there are various methods of weight estimation, there is limited clarity on the best method of body condition scoring for the underweight horse, and guidelines on BCS could increase awareness and more easily determine the severity of weight loss in the