Nineteen really interesting things about horses
How good do you lot know your horses? Researchers direct hold been discovering some interesting things virtually our equine friends. Neil Clarkson reports.
Hay’s OK, but where’s the genuinely tasty stuff?
Horses direct hold eaten hay for virtually a G years, ever since nosotros figured out how to brand the stuff. With all that munching, you’d think it would rank equally their theatre favourite – behind a overnice paddock of grass, of course.
But Dr Cecilia Müller in addition to Dr Peter Udén from the Swedish University of Agricultural Science inwards Uppsala direct hold found that horses genuinely prefer baleage.
Plastic-wrapped baleage is the cease final result of fermenting grass inwards the absence of oxygen – a procedure called ensiling.
Horses inwards the study were given complimentary selection of a moister mix of baleage, a dryer mix of baleage, in addition to hay.
The moister baleage went downward the hatch first, followed past times the dry out mix. The hay was a sorry terminal inwards the preference stakes.
Before you lot sell your hay in addition to purchase inwards baleage, scream upward you lot tin feed likewise much of a proficient thing. Baleage must live proficient quality, with the miserable materials carrying a endangerment of clostridial poisoning. It’s acidic in addition to is best fed along with hay. Introduce whatsoever feed alter gradually.
The demand for speed
A fuss unfolded inwards Britain over enquiry past times scientists at the University of Edinburgh that suggested spending lots of coin on racehorse stud fees may non direct the rewards people powerfulness expect.
The researcher suggested upward to 90% of a horse’s lifetime winnings tin live attributed to how the Equus caballus is reared, trained in addition to ridden. Only 10 per cent was lay downward to its parentage.
The researchers compared the stud fees, winnings in addition to lifetime earnings of to a greater extent than than 4000 horses used for racing in addition to breeding since 1922.
Dr Alastair Wilson lay it this way: “The offspring of expensive stallions powerfulness tend to win to a greater extent than money, but non necessarily because they direct hold inherited the best genes.
“It is probable that those breeders best able to pay high stud fees are also those who are able to pass to a greater extent than on aid of the horse, how it is trained, in addition to who rides it – all of which volition contribute to a greater extent than to how much it volition win.”
British breeders argued virtually the outcome – but many would think that 10% coming from breeding silent counts for a lot, inwards whatsoever case.
Nevertheless, at that topographic point is a clear take-home message: paying higher stud fees does non necessarily purchase access to the best genes around. The thoroughbred yearling inwards your dorsum paddock with lesser-known bloodlines could silent live a Group One winner …
Danger lurks inwards the dung
Horse owners direct hold just been given ane to a greater extent than ground to compost their animal’s manure – antibiotic-resistant genes.
Researchers at Colorado State University found that composting reduces the issue of antiobiotic-resistant genes.
Assistant Professor Amy Pruden-Bagchi showed that drug-resistant deoxyribonucleic acid is an environmental contaminant.
Apparently, fifty-fifty if cells carrying antibiotic-resistant genes direct hold been killed, some of their deoxyribonucleic acid silent winds upward inwards the surroundings just waiting to uncovering its way into other living cells.
Pruden-Bagchi says these genes are a major wellness line of piece of work concern in addition to nosotros demand to acquire composting to kill them.
The magical powers of lucerne
Anyone who cashed inwards their gilt bullion over summertime in addition to invested the coin inwards lucerne hay would live doing real nicely virtually now.
They powerfulness live virtually to add together some other twosome of dollars to each bale with recent tidings that lucerne hay has been found to combat tum ulcers inwards horses.
Stomach ulcers are a mutual occupation inwards performance horses. Up to 90% of racehorses in addition to to a greater extent than than 50% of arena performance horses direct hold ulcers of varying severity.
Feeding grain, confinement, do in addition to stress are sentiment to campaign them. Affected horses don’t consume equally good or run equally good equally salubrious horses.
Researchers from Texas A&M University, inwards a study involving 24 quarter horses, found feeding lucerne to horses with high-performance potential either prevented tum ulcers or was helpful inwards treating them.
“Something inwards alfalfa [lucerne] hay tends to buffer acid production,” said Dr Pete Gibbs, extension Equus caballus specialist at the university.
“Based on what nosotros know right at in ane lawsuit – for horses that are kept inwards confinement, eating feed in addition to getting forced do – it makes feel to consider some alfalfa equally purpose of their diet,” he said.
How much? About 500g after a repast of grain, he suggested.
Riding hats direct on akubras
Hardened Aussie stockmen run on their horses inwards the toughest of conditions, battling the searing Outback heat. It’s hard to imagine a stockman without his trusty wide-brimmed Aussie hat, called an akubra.
The stockman’s ikon took a chip of a knock, however, when some of the larger pastoral companies decided their stockmen should live wearing riding helmets when out on the range.
Some felt they were uncomfortable in addition to hotter than their regular akubra.
A lilliputian scientific discipline was called for. Researchers at the University of Wollongong stepped upward in addition to ran a study which involved, amid other things, do in addition to rut lamps beating downward on the heads of stockmen inwards hot laboratory conditions.
It was pretty much a draw, with ane item helmet, the Aussie 21, keeping heads at pretty much the same temperature equally the akubra.
The entirely remaining query is where to hang the corks on a riding helmet.
The problem with pooping inwards the non bad outdoors
Scientists direct hold been busy collecting Equus caballus dung along the kickoff 400m stretch of the Lower Piney River rails inwards western Colorado.
About 500 horses poop their way along this stretch of the trail each year.
The dung samples were lovingly nurtured equally entirely scientists tin in addition to the horrible truth emerged – inwards the cast of 564 seedlings roofing some xx flora species.
Some 85% of the seedlings were described equally “alien”, which sounds terribly worrying, but pretty much way weeds.
Their conclusion: horses direct hold the potential to disperse a large issue of seeds from a broad multifariousness of flora types. Horses needn’t experience picked upon, however. Car in addition to motorbike tyres, equally good equally the fur in addition to digestive tracts of other animals, also do a pretty proficient project inwards spreading weed seeds.
For the record, an average of 47 seedlings emerged per sample, with ane managing 192 plants!
Jet-setting horses know how to trounce jetlag
Forget virtually kickoff cast in addition to those fancy reclining seats with all the leg room. No affair what creature comforts you lot pay for, the Equus caballus inwards the freight concur volition silent live ameliorate off than you.
Horses are ameliorate at coping with jetlag than people, a study at the University of Kentucky inwards Lexington reveals.
With jet lag, it’s non just the length of the journeying that’s important. Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 fundamental element is the rapid crossing of multiple fourth dimension zones. Jet-lagged humans endure from disturbed slumber patterns, loss of appetite, lack of concentration in addition to lethargy.
Dr Barbara Murphy in addition to her colleagues took some salubrious horses in addition to messed virtually with the light/dark cycle inwards their barn to simulate jetlag.
They found levels of the hormone melatonin, a fundamental driver of the body’s daily rhythms, reset much quicker inwards horses than it did inwards humans or rodents.
We just direct hold to direct that horses brand ameliorate international jetsetters than nosotros do.
Your Equus caballus olfactory organ best
A U.S. of A. of America Equus caballus trainer is showing the basis that scent-detecting horses tin direct their identify amongst dogs inwards search in addition to rescue operations.
Terry Nowacki, of Minnesota, has been running courses for the terminal 7 years showing how horses tin live trained to follow scents – anything from people to narcotics.
“It works so proficient it is unbelievable,” says Nowacki, who lately completed a course of study for search in addition to rescue personnel inwards British Columbia, Canada.
Nowacki, a horseman with 48 years of experience, says riders mostly direct to a greater extent than preparation than the horses. Horses rapidly larn through reward-based preparation what to do, but upward to 80% of the endeavor goes into instruction the riders.
“To horses this is just a game,” he says. “They direct hold known all their lives how to follow scents. What nosotros do is exhibit people how to read the signs in addition to allow the Equus caballus to follow the scent.
“The ground it hasn’t caught on is that people don’t sympathise how to read the Equus caballus correctly. This is the whole fundamental to it.”
Nowacki says it is of import to distinguish betwixt basis scent, which the likes of bloodhounds are trained to follow, in addition to air scent, which is the horse’s forte.
“In traditional horsemanship, nosotros brand them do what nosotros want,” he says, pointing out that riders of air-scenting horses demand to driblet their reins in addition to allow the Equus caballus acquire on with the job. “It variety of goes away from traditional horsemanship.”
Horses inwards normal conditions direct hold an effective scent arrive at of upward 60m, to a greater extent than than plenty for finding people amongst wood trails, or inwards long grass or brush. The arrive at tin live nearly 400m inwards ideal conditions.
As slowly equally 1,2,3
A study inwards Britain proves horses tin count equally good equally 10-month-old infants.
Researchers allowed horses to lookout plastic apples beingness placed out of sight inwards buckets. The horses were in addition to so given a selection in addition to found to opt for the bucket asset the most apples.
The researchers, from the University of Essex, used faux apples to ensure horses weren’t making the judgment through smell.
Dr Claudia Uller in addition to Jennifer Lewis used 57 untrained horses belonging to local owners in addition to a riding schoolhouse for their experiment.
“The final result absolutely proves that horses are to a greater extent than intelligent than people think,” says Dr Uller, who enjoys Equus caballus riding.
She says the powerfulness may direct hold an evolutionary origin, with the alternative of going for to a greater extent than nutrient mayhap beingness a trait hardwired into the brains of all animals.
“It’s a real basic, rudimentary capacity,” she says of horses. “An obvious query is whether they’re going for to a greater extent than numbers, or to a greater extent than something else, tell volume or density.”
Those who know horses powerfulness think greed plays a pretty large part.
Eat here, consume there
Horses prefer to fossick virtually for their nutrient – fifty-fifty inwards their stables. That’s what Dr Debbie Goodwin found inwards her study of Equus caballus eating habits.
Most stabled horses are given hay inwards entirely ane place, she points out. This limits their natural patch-grazing behaviour.
How would they comport if they had a selection of locations, she wondered?
Dr Goodwin in addition to colleagues conducted a pocket-size serial of trials to evaluate what stabled horses did if given the endangerment to select betwixt ii locations – ane providing a unmarried provender source in addition to the other multiple provender sources.
The horses tended to pass to a greater extent than fourth dimension inwards the stable with the multiple forages, some moving betwixt the stables several times.
The trial was repeated, this fourth dimension using the horses’ favourite provender equally the unmarried offering inwards ane stable. Even though their favourite was available, horses silent moved from ane stable to the other.
The researchers propose that this may scream for horses are motivated to motility betwixt foraging locations regardless of the tastiness of what’s on offer. They decided it may live beneficial for horses to offering them a multifariousness of forages inwards dissimilar places.
There you lot direct hold it: the way to brand your Equus caballus happy is to furnish a total buffet service.
The magic of mint?
Could garden mint play a purpose inwards fighting laminitis? British researchers are running a trial to run across if agents inwards the herb could live useful inwards treating the crippling in addition to painful disease.
The research, funded past times The Horse Trust inwards Britain, in addition to is beingness led past times Professor Sue Fleetwood-Walker, who is no stranger to mint research.
Mint-based products direct hold long been used for hurting relief, in addition to its properties were good known inwards Greek in addition to Chinese medicine.
Professor Fleetwood-Walker’s before enquiry found that cooling chemicals which direct hold the same properties equally mint fossil oil had powerful pain-killing effects when applied to the peel in addition to were probable to testify ideal for patients with chronic hurting who found conventional painkillers ineffective.
Mint fossil oil in addition to related chemic compounds acted through a lately discovered receptor – a poly peptide capable of binding with these chemicals – found inwards a pocket-size percent of nervus cells inwards the human skin.
Heat your habitation with poop power
Could your Equus caballus manure rut your home? Sigrid Kusch in addition to colleagues at the University of Hohenheim inwards FRG direct hold been investigating the methane-producing potential of Equus caballus dung.
They found they could ferment the manure to create gas, which could live used for heating.
Their laboratory study used small-scale digesters, each asset virtually 50 litres of straw in addition to dung. It was successful in addition to they worked out that a larger-scale functioning could create xx cubic metres of biogas for every cubic metre of dung.
And let’s non forget the dung gets to rut you lot twice: first, when you lot collect it past times shovel inwards your paddock in addition to and so when you lot sack the gas.
Mounting blocks assist your horse
Michigan researchers created a saddle pad with an array of pressure level sensors in addition to ready virtually seeing what forces were exerted on a horse’s dorsum when a passenger gets on.
Measurements were taken equally 10 experienced riders mounted the horse. The same Equus caballus was used inwards all cases, with a properly plumbing equipment saddle.
Unsurprisingly, heavier people exerted to a greater extent than pressure level on the dorsum when getting on.
The pressure level was found to live considerably lower inwards all cases when riders used a mounting block.
Dr Hilary Clayton in addition to her colleagues at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine recommended heavier riders utilization a mounting block wherever possible, fifty-fifty if they considered themselves quite agile.
The study showed that the horse’s withers played a large purpose inwards stabilising the saddle equally the passenger mounts. There was a marked downward forcefulness inwards the left stirrup equally the riders right leg swung upwards.
Interestingly, the forces recorded during mounting were genuinely slightly lower than those recorded when the Equus caballus was ridden at a walk, in addition to much lower than during cantering.
However, the forces experienced during mounting are asymmetrical – concentrating the pressures on localised areas at the right side of the withers.
Riders blame themselves
Recent Australian enquiry into eventing accidents over a five-year stream found that most riders blame themselves for falls.
Denzil O’Brien in addition to Raymond Cripps, both from Research Centre for Injury Studies at Adelaide’s Flinders University, asked riders to fill upward out a questionnaire virtually the circumstances surrounding each mishap.
Among the 611 riders who felt their autumn was preventable, 90% lay the mishap downward to their ain riding.
The 10% who blamed other factors lay their accident downward to miserable course of study or jump design, spectator distraction, illness, the weather, in addition to equipment failure. One uncharitable passenger fifty-fifty suggested their Equus caballus was likewise fat.
The ultimate showdown
Horse owners similar to think they know what they’re doing inwards making breeding decisions, but are they smarter than the forces of nature?
In a variety of unofficial experiment, thirteen wild horses direct hold been plucked from obscurity inwards Western Commonwealth of Australia in addition to at in ane lawsuit uncovering themselves living inwards air-conditioned stables inwards Dubai, consummate with personal grooms, where they are beingness trained to compete inwards endurance.
The animals were selected past times Alan Post, who is the personal Australian veterinary to Dubai’s deputy ruler, Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
Post found a website built past times Broome adult woman Libby Lovegrove to warning the basis to the plight of wild horses inwards the broad expanses of the Kimberley.
Lovegrove’s enquiry showed many of the horses inwards the surface area were descended from Arab bloodlines brought to the district inwards the 1930s past times priests of the Balgo in addition to Kalumburu missions, who planned to breed in addition to sell them.
Thoroughbred in addition to andalusian bloodlines are also inwards the wild mix.
Post captured thirteen horses to a greater extent than or less the Lake Gregory surface area in addition to they are at in ane lawsuit inwards preparation for what many volition run across equally the ultimate showdown: whether generations of natural selection inwards the tough wilderness of Western Commonwealth of Australia is whatsoever tally for generations of selective breeding choices made past times people.
Forget the ‘evil eye’ theory
Your Equus caballus refuses to live caught inwards its paddock. Did you lot brand optic contact?
Sarah Verrill in addition to Sue McDonnell, from the University of Pennsylvania, decided to cheque out the whole eye-contact question.
A total of 104 horses in addition to ponies were approached for catching at pasture past times the same human handler inwards a touchstone manner, maintaining human-to-animal optic contact inwards one-half the cases in addition to avoiding it inwards the other half. They repeated a similar do 3 weeks subsequently but inwards contrary order.
In the end, they found no existent difference. “Human-to-horse optic contact may non live an of import influence on catching pastured horses,” they said.
In other words, if your Equus caballus doesn’t desire to live caught, no amount of eyeballing is going to brand whatsoever difference.
Monkey see, monkey do
Stabled horses are inwards danger of learning bad deportment from their neighbours, a study reveals.
Stabling a Equus caballus side past times side to ane that’s cribbing, wind-sucking, weaving or box walking tin increase the likelihood of similar deportment inwards the other, the study involving 287 horses at nine Hungarian riding schools found.
Such behaviours are seen are inwards upward to 5% of horses.
Head writer Krisztina Nagy said these bad habits are hard to alter in ane lawsuit established, so demand to live nipped inwards the bud.
The solution is non e'er slowly – just moving away a troublesome Equus caballus tin increase their social isolation in addition to brand matters fifty-fifty worse.
“This procedure is reversible past times surroundings enrichment, but entirely at early on life,” she said.
Feel the beat of the beat
A British study on 526 race-fit thoroughbreds found that those with amount murmurs did non look to perform whatsoever differently to those without.
The study, led past times Dr Lesley Young, an equine cardiologist inwards Suffolk, explored whether “cardiac valvular regurgitation” negatively impacted on race performance.
Cardiac murmurs associated with valvular regurgitation are mutual inwards conditioned performance horses but their association with athletic performance is unknown.
The 526 thoroughbreds used inwards the study were engaged inwards both apartment in addition to jump racing, over distances from 1000m to 6400m. The horses underwent testing of their cardiac in addition to race performances.
The researchers found no pattern to propose the amount murmurs affected how good they ran.
HelmET, telephone home
From our Bright Ideas Department comes the endeavor of Brycen Spencer, who has developed a helmet that automatically calls for assist if the wearer is knocked unconscious.
His novel engineering has been built into motorbike helmets so far, but at that topographic point is cypher to halt its adaptation to Equus caballus riding helmets.
The applied scientific discipline educatee at the University of Massachusetts believes the innovation could assist relieve the lives of many outdoor sports enthusiasts involved inwards accidents each year.
His Wireless Impact Guardian, or WIG, signals for assist fifty-fifty when the wearer is unconscious.
The helmet is activated when you lot buckle or clip it on. “If you lot autumn in addition to hitting your head, the helmet volition uncovering that in addition to beep for a infinitesimal or so,” he explains. “If you lot don’t plow it off, WIG sends for help, either direct to [emergency services] or to a third-party service that relays the emergency call.
“Included with the message volition live a GPS location giving your geographical coordinates so the emergency squad knows exactly where you lot are.”
First published on Horsetalk.co.nz inwards August, 2008.
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