Despite the considerable risk of veterinary occupational injury due to adverse horse behaviour, limited information is available about the prevalence of unwanted equine behaviours or common approaches to managing them. An understanding of learning theory may affect veterinarians’ approaches to dealing with unwanted equine behaviours; however, learning theory is not widely taught. The aim of this study was to document the challenges equine veterinarians face when working with difficult horses and define their approaches to managing them, including their understanding of the processes through which horses learn. A link to an online survey was distributed via email amongst UK equine veterinarians. Descriptive and Kruskal–Wallis statistical analyses were performed. We found that 95% of equine veterinarians reported working with difficult horses on at least a monthly basis, resulting in 81% of them sustaining at least one injury in the last 5 years. The most popular methods of dealing with unwanted behaviours were physical and chemical restraint. 46% of those surveyed had never received any tuition on the processes through which horses learn. Despite 79% believing they had at least a moderate understanding of equine learning theory, they performed poorly when tested, with only 10% able to get at least five out of six questions correct. Further education on the subject of learning theory may be beneficial.

中文翻译：

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难对付的马——马兽医对它们如何发展的普遍性、管理方法和理解

尽管由于马的不良行为而造成兽医职业伤害的风险相当大，但关于不良马行为的普遍性或管理这些行为的常见方法的信息有限。对学习理论的理解可能会影响兽医处理不良马行为的方法；然而，学习理论并没有被广泛教授。这项研究的目的是记录马兽医在处理困难的马时所面临的挑战，并定义他们管理它们的方法，包括他们对马学习过程的理解。在线调查的链接通过电子邮件在英国马兽医中分发。进行了描述性和 Kruskal-Wallis 统计分析。我们发现 95% 的马兽医报告至少每月都会与难对付的马匹一起工作，导致其中 81% 在过去 5 年中至少受过一次伤害。处理不良行为的最流行方法是物理和化学约束。46% 的受访者从未接受过任何关于马学习过程的培训。尽管 79% 的人认为他们至少对马学习理论有一定的了解，但他们在测试时表现不佳，只有 10% 的人能够答对至少 6 道题中的 5 道题。关于学习理论主题的进一步教育可能是有益的。46% 的受访者从未接受过任何关于马学习过程的培训。尽管 79% 的人认为他们至少对马学习理论有一定的了解，但他们在测试时表现不佳，只有 10% 的人能够答对至少 6 道题中的 5 道题。关于学习理论主题的进一步教育可能是有益的。46% 的受访者从未接受过任何关于马学习过程的培训。尽管 79% 的人认为他们至少对马学习理论有一定的了解，但他们在测试时表现不佳，只有 10% 的人能够答对至少 6 道题中的 5 道题。关于学习理论主题的进一步教育可能是有益的。