CREATING OPTIMAL EQUESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY BY BALANCING BETWEEN HORSE WELFARES AND COSTS
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Abstract
Purpose
This paper developed a mathematical model to select the most appropriate mode of equestrian horse transportation which balanced between costs of transportation and horse welfare.
Methods
The study was divided into two stages. The first stage compared the stress level of transported horses using cortisol as well as heart rate, while the second stage developed a mathematical model that balanced between horse health and transportation cost. Six horses were recruited into this study. They were transported by different types of vehicles, i.e., air conditioning/non air conditioning and with/without space trucks and a trailer with/without space. The horses were transported for 5 hours with about 250 kilometers. Horses were transported once a week for three weeks. The cortisol level and heart rate were collected.
Results
The results showed that different mode of transportation resulted in different stressfulness in horses. A mathematical model was constructed to minimize transportation costs as well as penalty costs of poor horse welfare. The decision variables included the type of transportation vehicle and the number of horses transported into the transportation vehicle.
Conclusion
The model was easily implemented and well received by horse owners to select the most appropriate mode of transportation for their horses.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
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