Vaccination Status of Horses in Poland Based on an Internet Survey of the Horse Owners

Preventing the spread of infectious diseases in horses requires breaking the chain of infection through appropriate prophylaxis. In Poland, where the horse population reached 273,006 in 2023, vaccinations are voluntary and primarily the responsibility of horse owners, with mandatory influenza vaccinations limited to sport horses. This study aimed to evaluate the vaccination status of Polish horses against infectious diseases through a survey of 980 horse owners and an analysis of 123 horse passports from slaughterhouses. Survey participants represented all provinces, predominantly owning warmblood horses (86%), but also 10% coldblood and 4% ponies or unidentified. Nearly half engaged in equestrian competitions. While over 90% of sport and pleasure horses were vaccinated against key diseases such as equine influenza and tetanus, only 2.4% of slaughter horses had similar prophylaxis. Cold-blooded horses were underrepresented in the survey (10.4%) but made up 68.3% of the analyzed slaughterhouse sample. The findings highlight a significant disparity in vaccination practices, primarily influenced by the horse's intended use, with sport and leisure horses receiving better preventive care than slaughter horses. These results underscore the need for targeted educational efforts and policy interventions to improve the epizootiological status of Poland's horse population and ensure a more uniform approach to disease prevention. A limitation of this study is the accuracy of vaccination records in horse passports, as some owners may not have them during vaccination, leading to discrepancies.