An Exploration of Environmentally Sustainable Practices Associated with Alternative Grazing Management System Use for Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Mules in the UK



Furtado, Tamzin ORCID: 0000-0002-1590-6417, King, Mollie, Perkins, Elizabeth ORCID: 0000-0002-0213-8105, McGowan, Catherine ORCID: 0000-0002-1946-9584, Chubbock, Samantha, Hannelly, Emmeline, Rogers, Jan and Pinchbeck, Gina ORCID: 0000-0002-5671-8623
(2022) An Exploration of Environmentally Sustainable Practices Associated with Alternative Grazing Management System Use for Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Mules in the UK. ANIMALS, 12 (2). 151-.

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Abstract

Equestrian grazing management is a poorly researched area, despite potentially significant environmental impacts. This study explored keepers' use of alternative grazing systems in the care of UK horses, donkeys and mules through an internet survey. The survey was available during the summer of 2020 and comprised closed and open questions, which were analysed with descriptive statistics and iterative thematic analysis, respectively. A total of 758 responses was incorporated into the analysis; the most popular system used were tracks (56.5%), Equicentral (19%), "other" (e.g., non-grass turnout) (12.5%), rewilding (7.5%) and turnout on either moorland (0.7%) or woodland (2.5%). The thematic analysis highlighted that equid keepers across the systems were highly engaged in exploring sustainable practices. Their approaches varied according to each system, yet all aimed to fulfil practices in three major categories, i.e., supporting diverse plant life (usually through restricting equid access to certain areas), supporting wildlife (through the creation of biodiverse environments) and sustainably managing droppings and helminths. Additionally, proponents of the Equicentral systems declared to be aiming to support soil health. These data provide a promising insight into equid keepers' behaviour and attitudes to sustainability.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: grazing management, equid, equine, horse, environment, sustainability, pasture management
Divisions: Faculty of Health and Life Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences
Faculty of Health and Life Sciences > Institute of Population Health
Depositing User: Symplectic Admin
Date Deposited: 14 Feb 2022 13:53
Last Modified: 18 Jan 2023 21:12
DOI: 10.3390/ani12020151
Open Access URL: https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?acc...
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URI: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3148924