Table A2.
Level importance values determined from the stakeholder questionnaire.
| Issues | Levels | Level Importance Values | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horsemanship | 1 | All staff are experienced and well trained, employing knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training. | 62.29 |
| 2 | 50% of staff are experienced and well trained and sometimes employ knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training. | −3.89 | |
| 3 | None of the staff are experienced or well trained, and do not employ knowledge of equine behaviour in management and training. | −58.40 | |
| Health and disease | 1 | Regular attention to health. Appropriate use of analgesics, tranquilizers, and parasitic control. | 62.35 |
| 2 | Some attention to health. Occasional use of analgesics, tranquilizers and parasitic control medication. | −14.68 | |
| 3 | Infrequent attention to health. Analgesics, tranquilizers and parasitic control medication used only when absolutely necessary. | −47.66 | |
| Education of horse | 1 | Regular training from birth, through weaning, sales preparation and transporting, riding, track work, barrier habituation and racing. | 52.80 |
| 2 | Some handling as a foal, through to weaning, sales preparation and transportation, riding, track work, barrier habituation, and racing. | 7.38 | |
| 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. | −60.18 | |
| Track design and Surface | 1 | Gradual turning cambered turf track. | 51.01 |
| 2 | Gradual turning cambered synthetic track. | 27.03 | |
| 3 | Tight turning cambered turf track. | −33.12 | |
| 4 | Tight turning cambered synthetic track. | −44.91 | |
| Ventilation | 1 | Good ventilation; fans in every stable; good ventilation in transport. | 48.72 |
| 2 | Some ventilation; fans at the end of stable corridors; some ventilation in transport. | 6.12 | |
| 3 | Poor ventilation; stable walls of solid construction to 110 cm with wire mesh above; inadequate ventilation in transport. | −54.84 | |
| Stabling | 1 | Large 5 m × 5 m × 6 m stable with free use of attached yard. | 37.72 |
| 2 | Stable 3.6 m × 3.6 m × 4 m with free use of attached yard. | 14.26 | |
| 3 | Stable 5 m × 5 m × 6 m with no use of attached yard. | −8.39 | |
| 4 | Stable 3.6 m × 3.6 m × 4 m with no use of attached yard. | −43.59 | |
| Weaning | 1 | Two weanlings isolated together in a stable which allows visual and physical contact with neighbouring horses. | 26.65 |
| 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. | 24.29 | |
| 3 | One weanling in a stable which does not allow visual or physical contact with neighbouring horses. | −50.94 | |
| Transport | 1 | Skilled driver, experienced staff for loading and off-loading horses. | 51.43 |
| 2 | Semi-skilled driver, experienced staff for loading and off-loading horses. | −7.98 | |
| 3 | Staff with limited experience in driving, loading and off-loading horses. | −43.45 | |
| 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. | 47.81 |
| 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. | 0.85 | |
| 3 | Standard nutritional program for all horses regardless of racing program, no additional green forage. | −48.66 | |
| Wastage | 1 | Horse retired for equestrian sports. | 30.44 |
| 2 | Horse retired from racing to a breeding farm. | 22.85 | |
| 3 | Horse given away as race record was insufficient for breeding or temperament unsuitable for retraining in equestrian sports. | −16.37 | |
| 4 | Horse sent to a slaughterhouse, unsuitable for further use. | −36.92 | |
| Heat and humidity | 1 | Horses rarely exposed to climatic variation; some acclimatisation following transport; stable design allows for good temperature control. | 31.25 |
| 2 | Horses sometimes exposed to climatic variation; some acclimatisation following transport; stable design allows for some temperature control. | 12.37 | |
| 3 | Horses regularly exposed to climatic variations; inadequate acclimatisation following transport; poor stable design for temperature control. | −43.63 | |
| Whips | 1 | Whipping the horse occasionally throughout the race. | 23.71 |
| 2 | No use of whip, jockeys ride with hands and heels. | 10.91 | |
| 3 | Whipping a tired horse regularly in the last 100 metres of the race. | −34.61 | |
| Environment | 1 | Use of wood shavings. Stable/yard design allows only visual and physical contact with other horses. | 3.44 |
| 2 | Use of wood shavings. Stable/yard design allows visual contact with other horses. | 0.10 | |
| 3 | Use of straw bedding. Stable/yard design allows physical and visual contact with other horses. | −1.45 | |
| 4 | Use of straw bedding. Stable/yard design allows only visual contact with other horses. | −2.09 | |
| Gear | 1 | No blinkers or tongue tie. | 14.74 |
| 2 | Use of blinkers, but no tongue tie. | 1.57 | |
| 3 | Use of tongue tie and blinkers. | −7.55 | |
| 4 | Use of tongue tie but no blinkers | −8.76 |