Conversations in Equine Science

Get Your Horses ”Into The Zone”.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss the theory of "Flow" and is it possible to achieve/measure it in horses and other animals.
Research Reference and Link (open access):
Hintze, S. and Yee, J.R. (2023), Animals in flow – towards the scientific study of intrinsic reward in animals. Biological Reviews. 
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/brv.12930

The effect of stress and exercise on the learning performance of horses.

In this episode Nancy and Kate discuss a paper on the effects of inactivity, moderate exercise and uncontrolled stress on the learning capability of horses.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Henshall, C., Randle, H., Francis, N. et al (2022). The effect of stress and exercise on the learning performance of horses. Scientific Reports, 12, 1918.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-03582-4

Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss the newest research paper by Professor Brian Nielsen Of Michigan State University.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Nielsen, B.D. A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger: Implications for Horses and Humans. Animals 2023, 13, 789.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050789

Work Satisfaction in the Veterinary Profession.

This week Nancy and Kate discuss Kate's research paper that was recently published in the Frontiers in Veterinary Science Journal.
Elte Y, Acton K, Martin J, Nielen M, van Weeren R and Wolframm I (2023) Engage and enjoy–investigating predictors of employee
engagement and work satisfaction in equine veterinary professionals. Front. Vet. Sci. 10:1036388. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1036388
Link (open access): https://eprints.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/289354/C0AEFFCA-8F7F-46C2-A0C4-A217DBF85AB3.pdf

Force and Pressure Distribution of Treeless Dressage Saddles and Conventional Dressage Saddles.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss a paper by Hilary Clayton on force and pressures of two styles of dressage saddles; treeless and conventional.
Research Reference and Link (this paper is not open access):
Hilary M. Clayton, Katherine A. O’Connor, LeeAnn J. Kaiser, (2014).
Force and pressure distribution beneath a conventional dressage saddle and a treeless dressage saddle with panels,
The Veterinary Journal, Volume 199, Issue 1, pp. 44-48.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S109002331300508X?via%3Dihub#section-cited-by

Recognizing anxiety in horses.

This episode Nancy looks into a recent research paper that analyzed interview responses from registered Equine Behaviorists on how well their clients detected fear and anxiety behavior in horses.
Research reference and link (Open Access):
Rogers, Suzanne, and Catherine Bell. 2022. "Perceptions of Fear and Anxiety in Horses as Reported in Interviews with Equine Behaviourists" Animals 12, no. 21: 2904.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212904

Horse-show anxiety and how mental preparation can build self confidence for competition success.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss pre-performance anxiety and how elite riders manage and control their anxiety during high pressure situations.
S. McGinn, D. Alcock, and L.J. Cameron (2018). "Straight from the horse’s mouth: understanding professional event riders’ mental preparation for maximising self-confidence prior to competition using thematic analysis." Comparative Exercise Physiology Vol 14 Issue 4, pp. 261-270.
Link to research paper:
https://www.wageningenacademic.com/doi/epdf/10.3920/CEP180020?role=tab

Horse Pasture Management: Horse Health and Environmental Impact.

This episode Nancy and Kate discuss a research paper that compares horse turnout systems to enhance horse health and ecosystem sustainability.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Furtado, T., King, M., Perkins, E., McGowan, C., Chubbock, S., Hannelly, E., Rogers, J. and Pinchbeck, G. (2022). An Exploration of Environmentally Sustainable Practices Associated with Alternative Grazing Management System Use for Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Mules in the UK. Animals. 12(2), p.151.
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/2/151#B12-animals-12-00151

Effects of Covid-19 Lockdowns on Anxiety and Performance of Elite Riders.

This week Kate and Nancy discuss a research paper detailing the effects of the cessation of training that occurred among elite riders during the Covid 19 lockdowns.
Research Reference and Link (Open Access):
Demarie, Sabrina, Christel Galvani, and Veronique Louise Billat. (2020). "Horse-Riding Competitions Pre and Post COVID-19: Effect of Anxiety, sRPE and HR on Performance in Eventing" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 22: 8648.
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/22/8648

Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction in Horses.

This week Nancy and Kate discuss a recent paper on the most current research findings in Equine Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction.
Research Reference and Link:
Kirkwood, NC., Hughes, KJ., Stewart, AJ (2022). Pituitary Pars Intermedia Dysfunction (PPID) in Horses.
Veterinary Science, 9(10), 556.
https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci9100556