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$50,000 Research Grant For Studies Investigating The Effect Of Horses On Humans Who Have Experienced Trauma

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF), a 501(c)3 organization, announces this request for proposals to investigate the possible effects horses have on humans who have experienced trauma. Deadline for submission proposals is June 30, 2021.

All proposals undergo a four-tier review process completed by the Scientific Advisory Council. Preference will be given to investigators with solid credentials and research experience. The maximum award is $50,000 for up to eighteen months. The winning proposal will have scientific merit, scientific and clinical significance, and relevance.

On behalf of the HHRF Board, our past board members, supporters and our Scientific Advisory Council, we are pleased to offer this opportunity. Through this call, which reflects the need to address the gaps in knowledge in equine-assisted services, HHRF strives to support true leaps in research. Through peer reviewed research we all benefit from knowledge, application, and dissemination.

Information for applicants, including the recently updated application and review guidelines, previously funded projects, and more are available at horsesandhumans.org.

Contribute to HHRF today and help ensure that this important research, and education about research on horse-human interactions continues. For more information about HHRF, visit the website horsesandhumans.org or contact Pebbles Turbeville, Executive Director, exec.director@horsesandhumans.org.

Letter to the Editor: Bryan Langlois, DVM

Time for The Industry to “Stand and Deliver” When it Comes to Accountability, Transparency, and Most Importantly, the Horse

“Ganas…all we need is Ganas.” –Jaime Escalante

Pretty simple words to say, but much harder to truly live by, and the racing industry is at the point now where it needs to truly not only say these words, but to live them.

Jerry Brown, in a letter to the editor recently published in the Thoroughbred Daily News, stated his belief that horses running in stakes races were not running true to form possibly because of not running on Lasix in those races. He pointed out that these horses may have been scoped post-race, but very often the fans, handicappers, and the public have no idea what the results of these scopes are. This issue is not related to just scoping a horse looking for bleeding, but in all facets of a horses medical care. Racing woefully fails this transparency test, a fact known for years.

One of the arguments (aside from the legal one of owners releasing records which is easily remedied with a change to an owner's license application) against providing full transparency of medical records and fatal injury data has always been that the public will not understand it, and the animal rights crowd will try to twist it to fit their narrative on things. That really is not an acceptable excuse. The industry can no longer rely on the old refrain of “you just don't understand the industry” when presented with any question or argument against racing. Take the time to explain what we all “don't understand,” but also explain it to the ones the industry has the most chance of making understand and converting to fans. It is something I have come to call the “10-80-10” rule. Ten percent of people are always going to think racing is wrong, inhumane, and should be forever banned. They are never going to see it any differently. On the other end of the spectrum, there are 10% of people who think nothing needs to change in the racing industry at all. They will not agree to changing anything even if the data points to a need for it. Both extremes are not the area racing needs to solely focus on (even though both often shout the loudest). The focus should be on the 80% in the middle that are asking to be heard but are also willing to listen. Providing not only transparency but an explanation about that transparency in a manner that people can understand builds the trust needed to bring new blood into the game. It is not hard. It just takes “ganas.”

Finally, a constant refrain I am hearing all the time regarding the sport is, “Without the owners you have no sport,” or “Without the gamblers you have no sport.” This is all true. However, what must be remembered far more importantly is this: “Without the HORSE you have no sport”!!!

Without the HORSE you have no entity for owners to own.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the gamblers to wager on.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for trainers to train.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the jockeys to ride.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for vets to treat.

Without the HORSE you have no entity for the fans to root for.

As soon as we take the focus off the horse, we lose sight of what the most important thing in this sport is. The majestic animal we all fall in love with and root on to hold onto that lead or just get up at the wire is what the sport is all about. I am not trying to belittle the contributions of all the other stakeholders of this sport (and I know some will still be offended by my statement). However, NO ONE in this industry is in a position that is superior to the creature that makes it all possible. Keeping this in mind at all times is what will help re-invigorate fans and interest to the sport. Take care of the HORSE first and foremost, and the rest will follow and fall into place.

The time for just talking about change is over. We need meaningful actions to bring about that change. In some places it is happening. In others it is not. One thing remains a constant theme throughout, though. Want to bring this amazing sport to the next level and see it thrive? All it takes is “ganas.”

The post Letter to the Editor: Bryan Langlois, DVM appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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How To Introduce A New Horse To The Herd

Stress in horses can manifest itself in a myriad of ways: some horses develop ulcers, while others begin to weave, crib or enact other stereotypies. Stressed horses can even become aggressive toward other horses, taking out their feelings of unrest on others in their barn or herd.

Aggression issues often manifest during turnout, when horses are free to interact with one another. Introducing a new horse to an established herd can be stressful to all horses involved, not just the newcomer. The introduction should be done as slowly and methodically as possible. This can be done multiple ways:

Place the new horse in a solid enclosure or field next to the new horses so he can see the other horses from a distance or “meet” them over a fence line. Once the majority of the drama has died down, turn the new horse out with the herd for short periods of time, slowly increasing the duration of time he is out with the herd. If the herd lives out 24/7, remove the new horse from the field at night.
Another option to safely introduce a new horse to a herd is to divide the herd into two groups, splitting the number of horses that can gang up on the newbie. Once the dust has settled with one group, the two groups can be combined.
If time is available, introducing the new horse one-by-one to every other herd member can make the transition as seamless as possible.

It's important to note that some horses may never be able to mingle safely with others. These anti-social animals were typically not socialized properly as foals or grew up in seclusion. These horses often become overly aggressive or become so timid they won't approach the feed or water. These horses will most likely feel comfortable being able to see other horses, but having no direct physical contact with them.

Is That You? Study Shows Horses Can Learn To Identify Photos Of Other Horses, Sheep

An Italian study has shown that horses can identify images of other horses and sheep when incentivized with food. Drs. Giulia Ragonese, Paolo Baragli, Chiara Mariti, Angelo Gazzano, Antonio Lanatà, Adriana Ferlazzo, Esterina Fazio and Cristina Cravana created an experiment that tested a horse's ability to discriminate between images of horse faces and headshots of other domestic species.

They used 10 Franches-Montagnes horses, six females and four males, that lived in Palermo. The team created a wooden testing frame with two trap doors that could hold printed images. The horses could push either side with their nose, revealing a treat on a shelf.

The research team used 20 life-sized, color images. Ten were of head-on views of horses and 10 were head-on views of cows, donkeys, sheep or a pig. All of the animals were unknown to the study horses. The horses were trained to use the boxes and the food reward (oat flakes) was placed on both sides so as not to influence the horse by smell. Only one side of the door was unlocked.

One session consisted of 10 different images and the horses completed three sessions for each phase of the experiment. Eight of the horses were able to distinguish between images of horses and other animals. In the next phase, the horses were asked to identify the sheep instead of the horse; results were the same. The horse was deemed “successful” if he picked the correct image eight out of 10 times in two consecutive sessions.

Though the horses got better at detecting the animal with each session, the time needed to make the decision increased as the trial proceeded. The team determined that the horses in the study were able to tell the difference between two-dimensional images of horses and other domestic animals. However, they were unable to identify individual horses or sheep within the images. The team concluded that the shape of the face most likely drove the recognition.

Read the full study here.