Table 2.
Animal-based measures used to assess horse physical health in accordance with the Horse Welfare Assessment Protocol (HWAP; Viksten et al. 2017)
| Parameter | Score | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Respiration | 0 | No abnormal flank movements |
| 1 | Abnormal flank movements (deep or quick) | |
| Thermal comfort | 0 | No sweating or shivering |
| 1 | Sweating or shivering | |
| Hoof condition | 0 | Normal, no indication of hoof problems |
| 1 | Some cracks or long hooves | |
| 2 | Severe cracks and abnormal shape, overgrown | |
| Wounds | 0 | No wounds |
| 1 | Wounds with hair loss, no skin perforation | |
| 2 | Wounds < 3 cm skin perforation | |
| 3 | Wounds > 3 cm | |
| Chafing | 0 | No indication of chafing |
| 1 | Indication of chafing (hairless spots, broken hairs) | |
| Skin condition | 0 | Normal skin condition without problems |
| 1 | Skin problems such as dandruff, crusts, dermatitis, sunburn, insect bites on a few spots | |
| 2 | Large parts of the skin affected | |
| Coat condition 1 | 0 | Sleek, glossy coat |
| 1 | Dull, dry coat, partially long | |
| Mane and tail condition | 0 | Normal with no chafes or broken hair |
| 1 | Chafes in mane/tail with hairless spots, broken hairs < 10 cm in mane, 5×5 cm in tail | |
| 2 | Severe signs of chafing with perforated skin | |
| Ocular discharge | 0 | No ocular discharge |
| 1 | Dirty eye with mucus in the corner of the eye | |
| 2 | Dirty eye with or without mucus in the corner of the eye or all around it, and eye discharge | |
| Nasal discharge | 0 | No presence of nasal discharge or uncoloured discharge |
| 1 | Presence of coloured or thick nasal discharge in at least one nostril | |
| Lameness 2 | 0 | No visible asymmetry or abnormal movement |
| 1 | Visible asymmetrical movement | |
| 2 | Lame with no weight-bearing on one leg |
1
Season was taken into consideration so that winter coat was not assessed as long.
2
Lameness was assessed while the horse was moving, usually in walk.