Overview of the Current Situation in a Sample of Headshakers and Owner Assessment of Effective Therapeutic Measures Used in Germany
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Overview of the Current Situation in a Sample of Headshakers and Owner Assessment of Effective Therapeutic Measures Used in Germany. / Stange, Laura Maxi; Krieter, Joachim; Czycholl, Irena.
In: Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, Vol. 95, 103270, 12.2020.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Overview of the Current Situation in a Sample of Headshakers and Owner Assessment of Effective Therapeutic Measures Used in Germany
AU - Stange, Laura Maxi
AU - Krieter, Joachim
AU - Czycholl, Irena
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Equine headshaking syndrome is a problematic behavior that has been described in literature for more than 100 years. The signs of headshaking syndrome appear frequently and violently so that riding the horse can be dangerous. The aim of this research was to gain an overview of the underlying causes of equine headshaking syndrome to identify effective treatment options, reduce the distress of horses and, in a second step, potentially improve therapeutic possibilities for horse owners and veterinarians. Most studies on prevalence originate from Anglo-American countries, so this research was to provide an overview of German horses; therefore, an online survey was designed by experts in the field (researchers and veterinarians) and answered by German horse owners. Questionnaires were pretested by a small group of horse owners (n = 5) and redesigned accordingly. The final questionnaire consisted of 27 questions, which were divided into seven open questions with an associated text field and 20 multiple-choice questions (Supplementary Material 1). For some of the multiple-choice questions, multiple answers were permitted. In total, 163 completed questionnaires were obtained from owners of head-shaking horses (n(total) = 163). Gender distribution of the horses resulted in 64.4% geldings, 33.7% mares, and 1.8% stallions. Most horses were German warmbloods (55.4%). The average age was 12.7 years (with a wide range of 5 to 34 years). The vertical movement of the head was the most frequently mentioned symptom in 75.5% of the evaluated horses. In 18.4% of the cases, the horse owners identified stress as the main trigger for headshaking. Furthermore, 18.4% claimed that their horses suffered from additional stereotypical behavior. The percentages do not refer to the same horses here. 11.0% of the participants in this study tried scientifically evaluated therapies such as surgical therapy (1.2%) or medical treatment (9.8%). In addition, 54.0% of the owners utilized a nose cover to reduce the symptoms of the headshaking syndrome. A high percentage of 84.0% used alternative therapies such as physiotherapy (31.9%), change of equipment (22.7%), or change of riding style (29.4%). Overall, this study provides a useful overview of causes and effective therapies. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
AB - Equine headshaking syndrome is a problematic behavior that has been described in literature for more than 100 years. The signs of headshaking syndrome appear frequently and violently so that riding the horse can be dangerous. The aim of this research was to gain an overview of the underlying causes of equine headshaking syndrome to identify effective treatment options, reduce the distress of horses and, in a second step, potentially improve therapeutic possibilities for horse owners and veterinarians. Most studies on prevalence originate from Anglo-American countries, so this research was to provide an overview of German horses; therefore, an online survey was designed by experts in the field (researchers and veterinarians) and answered by German horse owners. Questionnaires were pretested by a small group of horse owners (n = 5) and redesigned accordingly. The final questionnaire consisted of 27 questions, which were divided into seven open questions with an associated text field and 20 multiple-choice questions (Supplementary Material 1). For some of the multiple-choice questions, multiple answers were permitted. In total, 163 completed questionnaires were obtained from owners of head-shaking horses (n(total) = 163). Gender distribution of the horses resulted in 64.4% geldings, 33.7% mares, and 1.8% stallions. Most horses were German warmbloods (55.4%). The average age was 12.7 years (with a wide range of 5 to 34 years). The vertical movement of the head was the most frequently mentioned symptom in 75.5% of the evaluated horses. In 18.4% of the cases, the horse owners identified stress as the main trigger for headshaking. Furthermore, 18.4% claimed that their horses suffered from additional stereotypical behavior. The percentages do not refer to the same horses here. 11.0% of the participants in this study tried scientifically evaluated therapies such as surgical therapy (1.2%) or medical treatment (9.8%). In addition, 54.0% of the owners utilized a nose cover to reduce the symptoms of the headshaking syndrome. A high percentage of 84.0% used alternative therapies such as physiotherapy (31.9%), change of equipment (22.7%), or change of riding style (29.4%). Overall, this study provides a useful overview of causes and effective therapies. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
KW - Equine headshaking
KW - Horse
KW - Idiopathic headshaking
KW - Horse owner survey
KW - Therapy
KW - IDIOPATHIC HEADSHAKING
KW - CAUDAL COMPRESSION
KW - INFRAORBITAL NERVE
KW - HORSES
KW - EFFICACY
U2 - 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103270
DO - 10.1016/j.jevs.2020.103270
M3 - Journal article
VL - 95
JO - Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
JF - Journal of Equine Veterinary Science
SN - 0737-0806
M1 - 103270
ER -
ID: 328014586