National Equine Health Survey findings released

Lameness has been revealed as the most common equine syndrome in the UK, after the findings of the Blue Cross National Equine Health Survey (NEHS) were released.

After launching in 2010, the survey has become an annual fixture and took place this year between May 5 and 11. The number of responses from across the sector rose by 21 per cent this year, compared to the 2012 survey.

Run by the Blue Cross and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA), the NEHS gathers information on common health issues in the UK's horses, ponies, donkeys and mules.

The findings from this year show 18.6 per cent of the horses included in the survey were suffering from lameness - most commonly degenerative joint disease.

This is a 5 per cent increase compared to the 2012 survey, which found lameness to be the second most common condition after skin disease.

Following lameness and skin disease, the most common issues this year were obesity, back problems and respiratory disease. A similar prevalence of these conditions was found this year, compared to the results of the 2012 survey.

A new question on vaccinations was added to the survey this year, due to concerns that lapsed vaccinations for influenza and tetanus are on the rise.

The Blue Cross judge that 65 per cent of the horses they take in are either not vaccinated or have lapsed vaccinations, while pharmaceutical data suggests that as few as 45 per cent are vaccinated.

Despite these figures, the NEHS has revealed that 95 per cent of the horses involved were up-to-date with both vaccinations.

The data gathered this year will help to establish benchmarks for equine health and disease and will be made available to equine and veterinary colleges and universities, to determine priorities for future research.

Visit the Blue Cross website to view the NEHS results.