NAHMS Equine 2015 Study Info Sheet

Veterinary Services

Centers for Epidemiology and Animal Health August 2014

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NAHMS Equine 2015 Study

In July 2015, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Health Monitoring System (NAHMS) will launch its third national equine study. Equine 2015 will take an in-depth look at U.S. equine operations and provide the industry with new and valuable information regarding trends in the equine industry from 1998 to 2015.

Study focus

For the study, NAHMS asked equine owners, industry stakeholders, and government officials to provide input and define the information needs of the equine industry. During this process, seven study objectives were identified:

• Describe trends in equine care and health management for study years 1998, 2005, and 2015.

• Estimate the occurrence of owner-reported lameness and describe practices associated with the management of lameness.

• Describe health and management practices associated with important equine infectious diseases.

• Describe animal health related costs of equine ownership.

• Evaluate control practices for gastrointestinal parasites.

• Evaluate horses for presence of ticks and describe tick-control practices used on equine operations.

• Collect equine sera along with equine demographic information in order to create a serum bank for future studies.

“Past NAHMS equine studies have been used as an important resource for horse owners and all parts of the horse industry. NAHMS Equine 2015 will provide valuable information about disease prevalence and the impact disease has on horse health. This will help create awareness, improve horse husbandry to prevent disease, and focus research on the most important diseases affecting horses, including evaluating parasite and tick control. I urge all selected horse owners to participate.”

—Nathaniel A. White II, DVM, MS Diplomate ACVS

Professor Emeritus of Equine Surgery

Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center
Past President of the American
Association of Equine Practioners

What your participation involves

In July 2015, representatives from the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will contact selected horse owners in 28 States (see map below). NASS representatives will conduct personal interviews with all participating operations that have one or more equids¹ and qualify as a farm, as defined by the 2012 Agricultural Census² conducted by NASS. For operations that choose to continue in the study and are eligible to do so, representatives from USDA’s Veterinary Services will visit from late summer through mid-December 2015 to administer a second questionnaire, collect blood and fecal samples, perform a tick exam, and collect tick specimens.

Benefits of participating in the Equine 2015 study

Participating equine owners will receive:

• Customized reports describing animal health information, including enteric parasite status, tick identification, and information regarding how to address and manage health risks.

• Best management practices/industry goals.

• Information sheets derived from study data.

The equine industry will benefit from:

• Current and scientifically valid estimates of management practices, disease prevalence, and other information important for trade and the health of the equine industry (e.g., benchmarking).

• Data on trends in the implementation of equine health management practices and the antibiotic susceptibility of selected enteric bacteria.

“By participating in the NAHMS Equine 2015 study, you’ll be providing equine population experts with valuable information on issues such as the prevalence of lameness and how you and other horse owners treat it, what preventive care practices you consider most important, and how you control internal parasites. Ultimately, results from this study will help direct you and other horse owners in caring for your beloved charges in the best possible way. I strongly encourage you to participate in this important study.”

—Stephanie L. Church

Editor-in-Chief
“The Horse: Your Guide To Equine Health Care” and TheHorse.com

A scientific approach

NAHMS collects and reports accurate and useful

information on animal health and management in the

United States. Since 1990, NAHMS has developed

national estimates on disease prevalence and other

factors related to the health of U.S. beef cattle, sheep,

goat, dairy cattle, swine, equids, poultry, and catfish

populations. The science-based results produced by

NAHMS have proven to be of considerable value to the

U.S. livestock, poultry, and aquaculture industries, as

well as other animal health stakeholders.

NAHMS studies are:

 National in scope

 Science based

 Statistically valid

 Collaborative

 Voluntary

 Anonymous

Privacy

Because NAHMS studies rely on voluntary

participation, the privacy of every participant is

protected. Only those collecting the data know the

identity of the respondent. No name or contact

information will be associated with individual data, and

no data will be reported in a way that could reveal the

identity of a participant. Data are presented only in an

aggregate manner.

_____________________

For more information, contact:

USDA–APHIS–VS–CEAH–NAHMS

NRRC Building B, M.S. 2E7

2150 Centre Avenue

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117

970.494.7000

http://nahms.aphis.usda.gov

#to come

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250–9410, or call (800) 795–3272 (voice) or (202) 720–6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Mention of companies or commercial products does not imply recommendation or endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture over others not mentioned. USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of any product mentioned. Product names are mentioned solely to report factually on available data and to provide specific information.

1 Horses, ponies, donkeys, mules, and other domestic equine species.

2 The current definition of a farm is a place that could or does actually sell $1,000 of agricultural products annually or that has five or more equids (other than commercial enterprises such as race tracks).

U nited States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service • Safeguarding American Agriculture