What's perceived, what's experienced, what's reported: A mixed-methods description of injuries on horse breeding farms

Animal production is a dangerous industry and increasingly reliant on non-English speaking workers. Within animal production, little is known about the risks or the occupational hazards of horse breeding, despite its presence in many states' agricultural economies. Extant research suggests that riders and farmhands are at risk of musculoskeletal and respiratory symptoms, kicks and other injuries. However, no known research has examined the occupational health of workers on horse breeding operations, particularly those reliant on an immigrant, often Latino, non-English speaking workforce. This paper identifies and describes the types of injuries experienced by horse breeding workers employed in one southeastern state, the circumstances surrounding recent injuries, and whether differences exist in injury type or frequency by demographic characteristics. Data were collected from horse farm owners, managers, or human resource personnel via a brief phone-administered survey; a 2-hour face-to-face semi-structured interview; and injury logs. Quantitative data were entered into Statistical Analysis Software and univariate/bivariate analyses conducted to report nature and frequency of injuries, including differences in ethnicity and farm size. Audio-recorded interviews were transcribed, entered into ATLAS.ti, and analyzed by three coders to search for themes in injury and hazard perception. Preliminary results indicate that the horse itself is a major perceived hazard and cause of injury, though other maintenance tasks (e.g., fence repair, machinery operation) also feature prominently in each. Although Latino workers are more heavily represented on horse breeding farms, White workers were more likely to report injuries. Large farms seem more likely than small farms to report injuries.