Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland
Equine veterinarians face a range of challenges when attending competition horses. Athletic goals may significantly impact veterinary decision making, and the veterinarian’s work can be complicated by reputational considerations and rival opinions during an assessment of whether a horse is “fit to c...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/13/2126 |
| _version_ | 1797592231669923840 |
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| author | Svenja Springer Denise Isabell Mihatsch Herwig Grimm Florien Jenner |
| author_facet | Svenja Springer Denise Isabell Mihatsch Herwig Grimm Florien Jenner |
| author_sort | Svenja Springer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Equine veterinarians face a range of challenges when attending competition horses. Athletic goals may significantly impact veterinary decision making, and the veterinarian’s work can be complicated by reputational considerations and rival opinions during an assessment of whether a horse is “fit to compete”. Using an online questionnaire, we found that the majority of German, Austrian and Swiss equine veterinarians (N = 172) surveyed agreed that the owners of competition horses are more likely than owners of leisure horses to approach them with clear treatment ideas, and that the former have higher expectations of the medical services provided. The data also show that the veterinarian’s reputation plays a more important role in the competition sphere. Using a case vignette, we established that, on the grounds of equine welfare, the majority of respondents indicated that they would decide against starting a dressage horse with low-grade lameness in a competition. Those respondents who indicated that they would approve a start of the dressage horse indicated that a horse with a low-grade lameness was fit enough “to compete”. We conclude that clearer definitions of phrases, such as “fit to compete”, may be helpful in guiding veterinarians as they discharge their professional responsibilities during competitions and reduce the reputational stress they experience in this working context. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:48:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-daec3b2c0f0a402f814aa376c85b2b61 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:48:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-daec3b2c0f0a402f814aa376c85b2b612023-11-18T16:03:22ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-06-011313212610.3390/ani13132126Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and SwitzerlandSvenja Springer0Denise Isabell Mihatsch1Herwig Grimm2Florien Jenner3Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Messerli Research Institute, Unit of Ethics and Human-Animal-Studies, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Companion Animals and Horses, Equine Hospital, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Messerli Research Institute, Unit of Ethics and Human-Animal-Studies, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Companion Animals and Horses, Equine Hospital, Equine Surgery Unit, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, AustriaEquine veterinarians face a range of challenges when attending competition horses. Athletic goals may significantly impact veterinary decision making, and the veterinarian’s work can be complicated by reputational considerations and rival opinions during an assessment of whether a horse is “fit to compete”. Using an online questionnaire, we found that the majority of German, Austrian and Swiss equine veterinarians (N = 172) surveyed agreed that the owners of competition horses are more likely than owners of leisure horses to approach them with clear treatment ideas, and that the former have higher expectations of the medical services provided. The data also show that the veterinarian’s reputation plays a more important role in the competition sphere. Using a case vignette, we established that, on the grounds of equine welfare, the majority of respondents indicated that they would decide against starting a dressage horse with low-grade lameness in a competition. Those respondents who indicated that they would approve a start of the dressage horse indicated that a horse with a low-grade lameness was fit enough “to compete”. We conclude that clearer definitions of phrases, such as “fit to compete”, may be helpful in guiding veterinarians as they discharge their professional responsibilities during competitions and reduce the reputational stress they experience in this working context.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/13/2126competition horsesveterinary careequine veterinariansreputationfitness to competeveterinary ethics |
| spellingShingle | Svenja Springer Denise Isabell Mihatsch Herwig Grimm Florien Jenner Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland Animals competition horses veterinary care equine veterinarians reputation fitness to compete veterinary ethics |
| title | Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| title_full | Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| title_fullStr | Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| title_full_unstemmed | Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| title_short | Between Leisure and Pressure—Veterinarians’ Attitudes towards the Care of Competition Horses in Germany, Austria and Switzerland |
| title_sort | between leisure and pressure veterinarians attitudes towards the care of competition horses in germany austria and switzerland |
| topic | competition horses veterinary care equine veterinarians reputation fitness to compete veterinary ethics |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/13/2126 |
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