Working Equids: Welfare, Health and Behavior
A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 April 2026 | Viewed by 4
Special Issue Editor
2. Faculty of Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
Interests: equine internal and sports medicine; horse behavior and welfare; animal transport; equitation science; human-animal interaction; animal welfare science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Working equids—such as donkeys, mules, and working horses—are indispensable to the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. Despite their vital roles in transport, agriculture, and daily subsistence activities, their health, welfare, and behavioral needs are often under-recognized and underserved. Ensuring the well-being of these animals requires a thorough understanding of the physical, psychological, and social challenges they face in diverse working environments.
We are pleased to invite you to submit original research articles, critical reviews, and commentaries addressing the welfare, health, and behavior of working equids. Particular attention is given to the interaction between human care practices and the biological and behavioral needs of these animals across various geographic, cultural, and economic contexts.
Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following: welfare assessment, access to veterinary care, working conditions, behavioral indicators of stress and pain, human–animal interaction, environmental and management factors, and community-based approaches to improving equid welfare.
We look forward to your valuable contributions that will help improve the lives of working equids globally.
Dr. Barbara Padalino
Guest Editor
Beatrice Benedetti E-mail
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Agricultural and Food Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
Interests: equid welfare and behavior; pain recognition and management; equitation science; animal welfare
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- working equids
- carriage horses
- donkey welfare
- mule health
- equine behavior
- human–animal interaction
- veterinary care
- sustainable development
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