Views on equine‐related research in Australia from the Australian equestrian community: perceived outputs and benefits

Abstract

There is a significant opportunity for increasing awareness of Australia-based equine research and its value to owners of horses. The critical engagement with research by some owners suggests the need for communicators to present research in terms suitable for an intelligent lay audience, with clear identification of the personal and collective benefits for owners, horses and the equestrian community.

In this issue – April 2016

“…The first article in this issue reports the findings of a survey of Australian horse owners' understanding and perceived benefits of equine research. 1 Approximately half of the participants were aware of equine research that had taken place in Australia and some individual researchers were cited. However, 20% of respondents reported they were unaware of any research and 20% did not comment.…”

Optimising the Efficacy of Equine Welfare Communications: Do Equine Stakeholders Differ in Their Information-Seeking Behaviour and Communication Preferences?

“…Mismanagement through owner ignorance is perceived to be a greater cause of poor welfare within equines than intentional harm [5]. However, utilisation of equine welfare information resources is dependent on several factors: stakeholders being aware that they exist, their motivation to seek them out and then to follow the recommendations given [8]. Due to the devolved parliaments within the UK, multiple Codes of Practice exist alongside that published by DEFRA; the governments of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have all separately published their own equine welfare Codes [9][10][11].…”