Survey Design
This project was part of a more extensive survey designed to question two general cohorts – equine veterinarians and equine caretakers/owners. Nonprobability convenience sampling was used to access information from as many producers as possible.  A survey questionnaire was created using Qualtrics (Provo, UT), and the questions were reviewed and approved by the Pennsylvania State University Institutional Review Board (IRB, STUDY00016457). The survey was then pilot tested on a sample audience to check for continuity of questions and any potential errors. The survey was distributed via email (Penn State Extension equine list) and social media (Facebook) to veterinarians across the United States and was accessible from April-July 2021. Several online equine and agriculture publications also promoted the survey.
The survey questions aimed at veterinarians were grouped into six categories: respondent demographics, knowledge of ticks and TBDs, availability of tick control options, frequency of ticks and TBDs on horses, and availability of veterinary education and information on equine ticks and TBDs. The target population for this study included anyone at least 18 years of age who was a veterinarian that evaluated horses in their practice.