Cross-Sectional Survey of Horse Owners to Assess Their Knowledge and Use of Biosecurity Practices for Equine Infectious Diseases in the United States

Simple Summary Biosecurity practices are essential to protect the United States horse industry from infectious disease outbreaks. Horse owners' level of knowledge and awareness of biosecurity are not known. To inform the industry, the current practices need to be understood to determine the kind of education needed to improve biosecurity on owners' properties or when traveling to horse events. A survey, which consisted of a website-based questionnaire and collection, was distributed to horse owner organizations' email lists. Evaluation of the results included analysis with a cross-tabulation software to identify significant differences in biosecurity practices associated with horse use and location within the United States. Four areas in the United States were identified (Northeast, Midwest, South and West), and horse use was classified as follows: Pleasure/Trail Riding, Lessons/School, Western Show, English Show, Breeding, Farm/Ranch, Retired, Racing and Driving. In total, 2413 responses were received to the 24-question survey. Differences in biosecurity use and understanding were identified across horse use categories and regions of the country, including differences in the availability of biosecurity plans, risk assessment for horse contact and the use of isolation to mitigate infectious disease. Owners are responsible for medical decision making, and veterinarians are the most trusted resource for medical information. Owners indicated that websites are the preferred way to receive educational information about diseases. There are several biosecurity methods that owners can apply to benefit horse health and welfare. These include temperature monitoring, isolation of new horses at facilities, understanding the risks of horse mingling, knowing the entry requirements such as vaccination and health certificates at events, and having a biosecurity plan for facilities and events where horses come into contact.Abstract Horses are transported in the United States more than any other livestock species and co-mingle at various events; therefore, they are considered to be at an increased risk for infectious disease transmission. The fragmented movement of horses combined with numerous sites of co-mingling makes tracing the potential spread of a disease outbreak a necessary part of an infection control plan, both locally and nationally. The cross-movement of personnel with horses and the persistence of endemic diseases make biosecurity implementation an ongoing challenge. Although many of the risks for infection are known, there is limited documentation about the usefulness of prospective control measures. The objective of this survey was to determine horse owners' understanding and knowledge of biosecurity practices for preventing infectious diseases in the United States. Questions covered owner demographic information, including horse use which was divided into 10 categories as follows: Pleasure/Trail Riding, Lessons/School, Western Show, English Show, Breeding, Farm/Ranch, Retired, Racing, Driving and Other. The survey was distributed by sending requests to a list of horse owner organizations, which then sent emails to their members. The email request described the survey and provided a website link to start the survey. A total of 2413 responses were collected. Analysis of the results included cross-tabulation to identify significant differences in biosecurity knowledge and awareness by horse use. Significant differences by horse use were identified for vaccination, biosecurity planning, use of isolation, disease risk, monitoring for diseases, co-mingling of horses, sanitation, medical decision making and health record requirements for horse events. In summary, the results suggest that most owners are not highly concerned about the risk of disease or the use of biosecurity. There are several biosecurity applications and techniques which can be increased and will benefit horse health and welfare. These include reliance on temperature monitoring, isolation of new horses at facilities, risks of horse mingling, entry requirements such as vaccination and health certificates at events, and an emphasis on having biosecurity plans for facilities and events where horses co-mingle. The information from this study will be used to create tools and information that horse owners and veterinarians can use to implement appropriate biosecurity practices for different types of horse uses and events.