Working equines: Assessment of welfare and management practices in and around Debre Markos District, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background: Working equines play a crucial role in human livelihoods globally, yet their management is often inadequate.

Objective: To assess the welfare and management practices of working equines.

Study design: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2022 to April 2023 in and around Debre Markos, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods: Physical examination and structured interviews were used as data collection tools. A total of 384 equines (186 donkeys, 144 horses, and 54 mules) and their owners were selected through a purposive sampling method.

Results: The results showed that 60.4% of the equines were used for transporting goods. While the majority of the respondents used both traditional and modern treatments for disease control, regular check-ups were infrequently practised. Notably, 54.2% of owners refrained from using saddles for their equines, 72.4% of individuals did not engage in hoof care for their equines, and 13% neglected enclosure cleaning. The prevalence of different lesions was 52.1%, with donkeys being more likely to develop skin, mouth, and foot lesions than horses (Adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.008, 95% CI 1.572-5.752, p = 0.001). Farmers were more likely to practise regular check-ups for their equines compared to merchants, while controlling for other factors (OR 0.441, 0.286-0.679, p < 0.001), and literate individuals were more likely to conduct regular check-ups than unschooled individuals (OR: 3.867, 2.436-6.139, p < 0.001).

Main limitation: Seasonal variations-welfare and management practices may change depending on the season, affecting factors such as workload, feed availability, and disease prevalence. Subjectivity in welfare assessment-some welfare indicators, such as body condition scoring and behavioural observations, may involve subjective judgement, leading to potential observer bias. Reliance on owner reports - information obtained through interviews and questionnaires may be influenced by recall bias or social desirability bias, as owners may not always report poor management practices accurately.

Conclusions: Significant issues were identified in regular check-ups, harness usage, enclosure cleaning, and hoof management. Therefore, improving owners' awareness and implementation of these practices is strongly recommended to enhance equine welfare in the study area.