Postgraduate Course: Equine Behaviour, Welfare and Ethics (EQSC11048)

Course Outline
School	Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies	College	College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate)
Course type	Online Distance Learning	Availability	Not available to visiting students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	The relationship between evolution and behaviour and physiology and associated welfare will be introduced. Equid management and associated impact on welfare will highlighted before presenting how to assess welfare in a variety of situations. The use of equids and associated welfare issues, legislation and ethics will be examined at global level before looking at the factors that influence human behaviour and its impact upon equid welfare. Finally solutions to equid welfare issues will be discussed.
Course description	This course will introduce students to the evolution of equids (horses and donkeys) and how this relates to their normal behaviour and physiology before focusing on physiology and behaviour associated with poor welfare. It will explore the relationship between management (throughout an equids life) and welfare and how we can measure and assess welfare in a variety of situations. The use of equids, their welfare and associated policy and legislation will be examined at a global level while throughout the course the application of ethics to our use of equids, as well as the trade-offs between human, environmental and equid wellbeing, will be discussed. Finally there will be a focus on human behaviour, its relationship to equid welfare and how we can begin to change behaviour in order to improve the lives of equids worldwide.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	None

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2022/23, Not available to visiting students (SS1)		Quota: None
Course Start	Flexible
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 196 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	2 x in-course assessments each worth 50%
Feedback	Students receive feedback on all formative and summative assessments. Feedback is also provided during live tutorials or lectures and on discussion boards.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: Demonstrate a critical understanding that equine welfare is multi-dimensional involving a number of societal and scientific aspects that need to be integrated when addressing a welfare problem. Apply critical analysis, evaluation and synthesis of scientific research to the welfare of equines in a specific situation and propose appropriate solutions and responses to these issues. Communicate using specific methods to targeted audiences, which focus on equine behaviour, welfare and ethics.