Don’t forget about human behaviour change
There is no magic bullet for successfully managing horses on box rest.
Instead, treatment should be individually tailored to that horse-owner
combination. Try to encompass a suit of interventions that the owner
will find easy to implement by employing the COM-B model (Michie et al.,
2011), for a review of how this can be implanted in equestrianism see
(Wolframm et al., 2023).
- Capability does the owner have psychological and physical capability
(i.e. knowledge and physical skills) to implement each suggestion?
- Opportunity – is each suggestion something that is feasible in the
physical environment? And will there be social support or social
pressure that will impact on compliance? Suggesting the use of a small
electrically fenced pen on a livery yard that does not allow electric
tape will not only be unfeasible but may result in a demoralised
owner.
- Motivation – Most human behaviours are habits and so strategies that
fit in with an owner’s normal routine will be easier to implement than
those that require reflective processing, i.e. planning new
behaviours.
Engaging owners in the management plan whilst understanding their
Capability, Opportunity and Motivation to change their Behaviour (COM-B)
regarding their horse’s care will increase compliance.