{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,18]],"date-time":"2026-04-18T19:28:26Z","timestamp":1776540506932,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":16,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,15]],"date-time":"2021-10-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1634256000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Unrestricted gift funds to Kimberly Hoagwood","award":["2021 Funds"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2021 Funds"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Veterinary Sciences"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Background: Accounting for the well-being of equine partners is a responsibility of those engaged in Equine-Assisted Services (EAS). Researchers took heed of this call to action by developing an innovative way to collect data to assess the physiological indicators of stress in equine participants. The collection of saliva is considered to be a minimally invasive method of data collection and is typically performed using a cotton swab; however, in equines, the introduction of a foreign object may induce stress; (2) Methods: Researchers used a modified bit to collect pooled saliva in an effort to further reduce stress during the saliva collection process. Additionally, the collection of pooled saliva, via the bit, increases the opportunity to consider additional analyses, such as oxytocin, which is more reliable in pooled saliva than site-specific saliva captured with a swab; (3) Results: A data analysis demonstrated that ample saliva was captured using the modified bit. Observational data supported that the horses demonstrated fewer physical stress signals to the bit than to the swab. Thus, the modified bit is a feasible and valid method for equine salivary sample collection; (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that the modified bit provides a viable method to collect equine saliva and supports national calls to prioritize animal welfare analysis, specifically for horses used within EAS. Future research should enhance methodological rigor, including in the process and timing, thereby contributing to the bit\u2019s validation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vetsci8100232","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,14]],"date-time":"2021-10-14T23:02:16Z","timestamp":1634252536000},"page":"232","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Evaluation of a Modified Bit Device to Obtain Saliva Samples from Horses"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Aviva","family":"Vincent","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Fieldstone Farm Therapeutic Riding Center, 16497 Snyder Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023, USA"},{"name":"Veterinary Social Work Certificate Program, College of Social Work, University of Tennessee (Knoxville), 1618 Cumberland Ave, 401 Henson Hall, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9695-505X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Robin Marie","family":"Peth-Pierce","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Public Health Communications Consulting, LLC., 16678 State Rd., North Royalton, OH 44133, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Meghan A.","family":"Morrissey","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York University (NYU), One Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mary C.","family":"Acri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York University (NYU), One Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fei","family":"Guo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Biostatistics, NYU Langone Health, New York University (NYU), One Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lauren","family":"Seibel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York University (NYU), One Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Kimberly E.","family":"Hoagwood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Langone Health, New York University (NYU), One Park Avenue, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10016, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,10,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Latella, D., and Abrams, B. (2019). Handbook on Animal-Assisted Therapy: Foundations and Guidelines for Animal-Assisted Interventions. The Role of the Equine in Animal-Assisted Interactions, Elsevier.","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-815395-6.00010-9"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2803","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyg.2019.02803","article-title":"Human-Animal Interaction Research: Progress and Possibilities","volume":"10","author":"Griffin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Front. Psychol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Ng, Z. (2021). The Welfare of Animals in Animal-Assisted Interventions. Strategies to Assessing and Enhancing Animal Welfare in Animal-Assisted Interventions, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-3-030-69587-3_6"},{"key":"ref_4","unstructured":"Fry, N.E. (2021). The Welfare of Animals in Animal-Assisted Interventions. 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