World Horse Welfare online collection of research on working equids

Abstract

Editorials World Horse Welfare online collection of research on working equidsWorld Horse Welfare is pleased to sponsor an online collection of articles featuring research related to improving the welfare of working equids and looks forward to seeing the collection grow in future years. The collection currently includes reports of recent research addressing clinical problems related to the working lives of these animals. Lameness [1,2], husbandry problems and tack-related wounds [3,4] are common and, possibly due to poor nutrition, donkeys are prone to gastric ulceration [5]. Parasitic infestation is a major threat [5]. There is also a need to develop tools which can be used to assess health and welfare in the field setting [6]. Donkeys and other equids are commonly used for transport and agricultural labour, but their meat and milk may also contribute to human welfare [7]; thus, knowledge of potential risks associated with this is essential [8]. Equine Veterinary Journal is proud of its small but important contribution to the dissemination of this knowledge.The online collection will expand over time, with generous sponsorship from World Horse Welfare. It is intended that future research papers will be added to the collection as they are published. There are a number of reasons why the charity is so keen to make this research available.