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Determining optimal practices for foal weaning - A protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Nicole Cranston1, Petra Buckley1, Lorraine Rose2
1Faculty of Science and Health, School of Agricultural, Environmental and Veterinary Sciences, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia.
Plos One
|July 1, 2026
Summary
This systematic review protocol identifies optimal weaning practices for young horses (Equus caballus) to improve foal welfare. It aims to provide evidence-based recommendations for managing weaning stress in domestic horses.
Area of Science:
- Equine science
- Animal welfare
- Veterinary medicine
Background:
- Artificial weaning is a critical, stressful period for foals (Equus caballus).
- Optimizing weaning management is crucial for safeguarding early-life horse welfare.
- Current understanding of effective weaning interventions for foals remains incomplete.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify weaning interventions and management practices that enhance foal welfare.
- To evaluate physiological and behavioural outcomes in foals during artificial weaning.
- To determine the most effective strategies for optimizing foal welfare during weaning.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across six databases (August 2025) using PICO framework.
- Inclusion of grey literature and reference list screening for comprehensive data retrieval.
- Data synthesis via pairwise and Bayesian network meta-analysis, with risk of bias assessment.
Main Results:
- This section is not applicable as the output is a protocol and does not contain empirical results.
- The protocol outlines the methodology for a systematic review.
- No results are presented in this protocol document.
Conclusions:
- This systematic review protocol is the first to focus on foal welfare during artificial weaning.
- Findings are expected to yield evidence-based recommendations for improving foal welfare.
- The protocol details the planned methodology without presenting empirical data.
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