| Abstrakt: |
Horses play an important role in the livelihood of people living in the rural areas in Lesotho; however, their health and behaviour remains a concern. A crosssectional study on the assessment of health and behaviour of horses was carried out from September to December 2020. The aim of the study was to determine the problems of horses in Lesotho using health and behavioural parameters. Assessment of health condition was based on direct observation of horses. Horse behaviour was assessed through reaction that relied on the observer's approach and contact. A total of 455 horses participated in the study and data was statistically analysed in Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20. None of the assessed horses had abnormal mucous membranes, diarrhoea or lower limb swelling. The incidence of ticks was higher. Approximately, 42.2%, 45.2% and 35.1% of horses respectively in the rural, semi-urban and urban areas had good body condition scores. Open lesions occurred mainly in horses in the rural region (11.6%). Few horses demonstrated hoof abnormalities (4.8% in rural region and 3.1% in semi-urban region) and gait deformities (2%, 0.6% and 0.7%) respectively for urban, semi-urban and rural regions. Horses in urban regions (35.1%) demonstrated a negative reactive behaviour towards an observer, while in rural region; most horses (43.5%) reacted positively when approached. The indicators of good health and behaviour of horses were observed across the three regions. Therefore, there is a need for horse owners to be trained on issues aimed at improving the human-horse relationship, control of parasites and wound care of horses in Lesotho. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
