ArticleEquine veterinary journal2025
Challenges for the veterinary profession: A grounded theory study of veterinarians' experiences of caring for older horses.
Article in Equine veterinary journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Drivers of decision making in pain diagnosis and treatment: Findings from an ethnographic study of veterinary practice.Equine veterinary journal · 2026Article
- Geriatric Horses in Germany: Approaches to Nutrition, Housing and Overall Care.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Challenges for the veterinary profession: A grounded theory study of veterinarians' experiences of caring for older horses.Equine veterinary journal · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundIn Great Britain, owners are keeping their horses into increasingly older age, reflecting societal changes in human-animal relationships. The uptake of routine veterinary services is reported to reduce as horses age. Horse owners seek information regarding their animal's health from alternative sources before and/or following veterinary involvement. Information regarding the experiences and behaviours of veterinarians toward older horse health care provision is limited.
objectiveThis study sought to explore how veterinary care for the ageing horse is conceptualised and approached by veterinarians treating horses in Great Britain. STUDY
designExploratory qualitative.
methodsA subset of qualitative data, collected as part of a larger study investigating how owners and veterinarians make decisions regarding the care of the older horses, was analysed using a constructivist grounded theory approach. Data included semi-structured in-depth interviews with nine veterinarians and veterinary clinical records pertaining to the horses of 13 participating owners.
resultsVeterinarians valued regular interactions with owners to optimise a horse's management, however, the timing and nature of veterinary involvement varied. The context of older age shaped decision-making and 'age-appropriate' interventions were negotiated within the context of each horse and owner. Where participants had concerns about a horse, they sought to achieve an owner's adherence to their advice while navigating the veterinarian-owner relationship. Interpersonal dimensions of veterinarian-owner interactions appeared to shape, and could challenge, veterinarians' delivery of health care services and their own sense of being a professional who cares for animals, and about people. MAIN LIMITATIONS: A sample of veterinarians were recruited for this study based on horse owners' involvement.
conclusionsThe provision of veterinary care for the older horse rests upon networks of relationships. Collaboration between the profession and owners in both the design and delivery of, veterinary health care services may better enable different types of knowledge and values to be brought together more effectively.
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Registered trials
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