The Equine Welfare Data Collective (EWDC) is proud to announce the release of its second report, containing analysis of equine welfare data for July 2018-December 2018. This report follows the EWDC Inaugural Report released September 2019 that analyzed equine welfare data for January 2018-June 2018.
Goals of the second report included collecting data from additional organizations to increase the number of unique responses and also to ask additional questions that were identified as areas of need since the analysis of the inaugural report. Data collected across the two reports now captures 32.86% of the total population of equine welfare organizations within the United States and Puerto Rico that take custody of at-risk equines, with the second report alone accounting for 21.43% of the same population.
The data analysis is reported on a national and regional level. Respondents varied widely, from small capacity organizations capable of caring for fewer than 10 equines at any one time, to larger organizations with capacity for over 100 equines.
The robust sample size of this report allowed for national estimates to be made for the maximum number of at-risk equines the total population of equine welfare organizations is able to care for at any one point in time.
The estimated total maximum capacity of the entire population of organization that take custody of equines in the United States and Puerto Rico at any one time is 47,194 equines (95% CI, Std. Err. 4,664, lower 95% 38,017, upper 56,370, accounting for outliers).
“With the coming of this second report, we can truly start to have a better understanding of where we stand as a Nation when it comes to the welfare of the equines in our care by supplying factual data and analysis – not just anecdotal opinions. This report is the continuation of a baseline of incredibly crucial information that we can build upon and expand as more data is contributed to the survey,” said Ashley Harkins, program director of the United Horse Coalition.
The data analysis was audited by Matthew Konopka (San Francisco, CA) and the report was peer reviewed by Dr. Monique Udell, Associate Professor at Oregon State University.
The EWDC launched its first survey in November 2018. The data analyzed in each report is a snapshot of a 6-month time period as told by the numerous 501c3 and municipal organizations that take custody of at-risk equines and those in transition across the United States. The reported analysis is described on a national and regional level.It is critical to continue tracking data related to at-risk equines and identify trends, especially so during the current extraordinary times. It takes 18 months from the start of a collection period to completion of a written report. Our third report, representing data collection for January 2019-June 2019, will arrive Winter 2020.
The EWDC is a collaborative effort to accumulate, analyze, and report data to enhance services for transitioning and at-risk equines. The Collective was created by the United Horse Coalition (UHC), a program of the American Horse Council (AHC), with funding partners being The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and it’s program The Right Horse Initiative (TRH), and the Foundation for the Horse (formerly the AAEP Foundation).
Participation in the EWDC is free, and all data collected is aggregated so no individual organization is identified. Organizations that contribute data are the first to receive the results and are given an EWDC badge for their website to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the mission.
To view EWDC reports free of charge, or to contribute data for the current collection period, please visit the EWDC website at www.unitedhorsecoalition.org/ewdc/ or contact Emily Stearns, EWDC program manager at EWDC@horsecouncil.org.
About the American Horse Council and United Horse Coalition
As the national association representing all segments of the horse industry in Washington, D.C., the American Horse Council works daily to represent equine interests and opportunities. Organized in 1969, the AHC promotes and protects the industry by communicating with Congress, federal agencies, the media and the industry on behalf of all horse related interests each and every day. The AHC is member supported by individuals and organizations representing virtually every facet of the horse world from owners, breeders, veterinarians, farriers, breed registries and horsemen's associations to horse shows, race tracks, rodeos, commercial suppliers and state horse councils. Learn more at www.horsecouncil.org
The United Horse Coalition was created with one goal in mind – to create a neutral coalition and safe setting, in which all organizations within the equine industry, no matter their background or role, could discuss the plight of what was then known as the “unwanted” or "at-risk" horse population. Learn more at www.unitedhorsecoalition.org/