The welfare assessment system is a tool which can be used by trained assessors to fully examine an equine (horse, donkey, mule) and record data relevant to its welfare.
The welfare assessment system was developed in collaboration with behaviour and welfare experts at Bristol University Veterinary School. The system has been rigorously tested to ensure that it provides repeatable, reliable and good quality results when used by trained assessors. Further information on the development of the system can be found in a paper published by Pritchard et al in the Journal of Preventative Veterinary Medicine in 2005.
The Brooke prides itself on the quality of the data which is collected by its team of specially trained welfare assessors. All assessors have attended an intensive training course, passed both a theory and a practical exam and gained sufficient field experience to ensure they are all assessing animals to the same standard as one another. They must also prove they are able to handle all species of equines in a welfare friendly manner to ensure that we are not compromising the welfare of an animal, such as by causing it fear, pain, distress, during collection of data.
Once qualified, assessors must undergo continued training to maintain and improve their skills in welfare assessment. This ensures that all data collected by the team is of a high quality and can be relied upon to support Brooke and their partner organisations’ programmes.
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