Table 1.

Issues, Levels, and their Level Importance Values from the stakeholder questionnaire.

Issues		Levels
Horsemanship	1	All staff are experienced and well trained, employing knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training.
	2	50% of staff are experienced and well trained and sometimes employ knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training.
	3	None of the staff are experienced or well trained, and do not employ knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training.
Health and disease	1	Regular attention to health. Appropriate use of analgesics, tranquilizers, and parasitic control.
	2	Some attention to health. Occasional use of analgesics, tranquilizers and parasitic control medication.
	3	Infrequent attention to health. Analgesics, tranquilizers and parasitic control medication used only when absolutely necessary.
Education of horse	1	Regular training from birth, through weaning, sales preparation and transporting, riding, track work, barrier habituation and racing.
	2	Some handling as a foal, through to weaning, sales preparation and transportation, riding, track work, barrier habituation, and racing.
	3	No handling as a foal or weanling. Little preparation for sales and transporting. Riding and track work rushed with no habituation to the barrier.
Track design and Surface	1	Gradual turning cambered turf track.
	2	Gradual turning cambered synthetic track.
	3	Tight turning cambered turf track.
	4	Tight turning cambered synthetic track.
Ventilation	1	Good ventilation; fans in every stable; good ventilation in transport.
	2	Some ventilation; fans at the end of stable corridors; some ventilation in transport.
	3	Poor ventilation; stable walls of solid construction to 110 cm with wire mesh above; inadequate ventilation in transport.
Stabling	1	Large 5 m × 5 m × 6 m stable with free use of attached yard.
	2	Stable 3.6 m × 3.6 m × 4 m with free use of attached yard.
	3	Stable 5 m × 5 m × 6 m with no use of attached yard.
	4	Stable 3.6 m × 3.6 m × 4 m with no use of attached yard.
Weaning	1	Two weanlings isolated together in a stable which allows visual and physical contact with neighbouring horses.
	2	Removal of one mare at a time from a group of mares and foals in a large paddock, until all mares are removed from the group.
	3	One weanling in a stable which does not allow visual or physical contact with neighbouring horses.
Transport	1	Skilled driver, experienced staff for loading and off-loading horses.
	2	Semi-skilled driver, experienced staff for loading and off-loading horses.
	3	Staff with limited experience in driving, loading and off-loading horses.
Nutrition	1	Attention to age and training requirements of individual horse in order to balance fibre/grain intake, with proven supplement requirements, and access to additional green forage.
	2	Attention to age and training requirements of individual horse in order to balance fibre/grain intake with proven supplement requirements, infrequent access to additional green forage.
	3	Standard nutritional program for all horses regardless of racing program, no additional green forage.
Wastage	1	Horse retired for equestrian sports.
	2	Horse retired from racing to a breeding farm.
	3	Horse given away as race record was insufficient for breeding or temperament unsuitable for retraining in equestrian sports.
	4	Horse sent to a slaughterhouse, unsuitable for further use.
Heat and humidity	1	Horses rarely exposed to climatic variation; some acclimatisation following transport; stable design allows for good temperature control.
	2	Horses sometimes exposed to climatic variation; some acclimatisation following transport; stable design allows for some temperature control.
	3	Horses regularly exposed to climatic variations; inadequate acclimatisation following transport; poor stable design for temperature control.
Whips	1	Whipping the horse occasionally throughout the race.
	2	No use of whip, jockeys ride with hands and heels.
	3	Whipping a tired horse regularly in the last 100 metres of the race.
Environment	1	Use of wood shavings. Stable/yard design allows only visual contact with other horses.
	2	Use of wood shavings. Stable/yard design allows physical and visual contact with other horses.
	3	Use of straw bedding. Stable/yard design allows physical and visual contact with other horses.
	4	Use of straw bedding. Stable/yard design allows only visual contact with other horses.
Gear	1	No blinkers or tongue tie.
	2	Use of blinkers, but no tongue tie.
	3	Use of tongue tie and blinkers.
	4	Use of tongue tie but no blinkers