The Bond Between a Horse and a Human

The bond that exists between a horse and human was examined using EEG from the horse and human simultaneously. Three volunteers ranging from novice to elite horse experience participated with an unfamiliar horse. The elite participant was also recorded with her own horse. A dose-response effect was tested using 6 conditions requiring increasing interaction between the horse and human (baseline - apart, standing together, petting, grooming, sitting, and riding). EEG was recorded from 10 locations on the horse and the human. EEG brain maps illustrated that increasing interaction between the horse and human showed more synchronous EEG. The elite horse person showed greater synchronization with her own familiar horse. Perhaps these findings illustrate the bond that exists between horses and humans

Influence of functional rider and horse asymmetries on saddle force distribution during stance and in sitting trot

Asymmetric forces exerted on the horse's back during riding are assumed to have a negative effect on rider–horse interaction, athletic performance, and health of the horse. Visualized on a saddle pressure mat, they are initially blamed on a nonfitting saddle. The contribution of horse and rider to an asymmetric loading pattern, however, is not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of horse and rider asymmetries during stance and in sitting trot on the force distribution on the horse's back using a saddle pressure mat and motion capture analysis simultaneously. Data of 80 horse-rider pairs (HRP) were collected and analyzed using linear (mixed) models to determine the influence of rider and horse variables on asymmetric force distribution. Results showed high variation between HRP. Both rider and horse variables revealed significant relationships to asymmetric saddle force distribution (P < .001). During sitting trot, the collapse of the rider in one hip increased the force on the contralateral side, and the tilt of the rider's upper body to one side led to more force on the same side of the pressure mat. Analyzing different subsets of data revealed that rider posture as well as horse movements and conformation can cause an asymmetric force distribution. Because neither horse nor rider movement can be assessed independently during riding, the interpretation of an asymmetric force distribution on the saddle pressure mat remains challenging, and all contributing factors (horse, rider, saddle) need to be considered

Structural role of the tyrosine residues of cytochrome c

The tertiary structures of horse, tuna, Neurospora crassa, horse [Hse65,Leu67]- and horse [Hse65,Leu74]-cytochromes c were studied with high-resolution 1H n.m.r. spectroscopy. The amino acid sequences of these proteins differ at position 46, which is occupied by phenylalanine in the horse proteins but by tyrosine in the remaining two, and at positions 67, 74 and 97, which are all occupied by tyrosine residues in horse and tuna cytochrome c but in the other proteins are substituted by phenylalanine or leucine, though there is only one such substitution per protein. The various aromatic-amino-acid substitutions do not seriously affect the protein structure

Jockey Falls, Injuries, and Fatalities Associated With Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse Racing in California, 2007-2011.

BackgroundDespite the popularity of the horse racing industry in the United States and the wide recognition that horse racing is one of the most hazardous occupations, little focused research into the prevention of falls by and injuries to jockeys has been conducted.PurposeTo describe the incidence rates and characteristics of falls and injuries to Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse racing jockeys in the state of California.Study designDescriptive epidemiology study.MethodsData on race-day falls and injuries were extracted from jockey accident reports submitted to the California Horse Racing Board from January 2007 to December 2011. Denominator data, number of jockey race rides, were obtained from commercial and industry databases. Jockey fall, injury, and fatality incidence rates and ratios in Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse flat races were estimated using Poisson regression. Characteristics of falls and injuries are described and compared.ResultsIn Thoroughbred races, 184 jockey injuries occurred from 360 reported jockey falls, 180,646 race rides, 23,500 races, and 3350 race meetings. In Quarter Horse races, 85 jockey injuries occurred from 145 jockey falls, 46,106 race rides, 6320 races, and 1053 race meetings. Jockey falls occurred at a rate of 1.99 falls per 1000 rides in Thoroughbred races, with 51% of falls resulting in jockey injury, and 3.14 falls per 1000 rides in Quarter Horse races, with 59% of falls resulting in jockey injury. The majority of falls occurred during a race, with catastrophic injury or sudden death of the horse reported as the most common cause in both Thoroughbred (29%) and Quarter Horse (44%) races. During the period studied, 1 jockey fatality resulted from a fall. Jockey fall rates were lower but injury rates were comparable to those reported internationally.ConclusionOn average, a licensed jockey in California can expect to have a fall every 502 rides in Thoroughbred races and every 318 rides in Quarter Horse races. While jockey fall rates were lower, injury rates were similar to those in other racing jurisdictions. The high proportion of jockey falls caused by horse fatalities should be further investigated

The role of the horse in Europe. Editorial

The horse has a unique place in European society. Historically, it has played a major part in shaping political and agricultural advances. Today, the horse has diverse roles ranging from the companion and leisure horse, to the sporting athlete. The horse continues to work on the land in many European countries, it serves in the police and the armed forces, and in some regions is a source of food. This has resulted in a vast range of horse-human interactions and relationships. Despite the long association between man and the horse we still have a great deal to learn about their behaviour and the constraints that domestication has placed on them. The WATHAM Symposium on “The Role of the Horse in Europe”, organized in association with the Anthrozoology Institute at the University of Southampton, brought together researchers involved in the student of equine behaviour management and horsehuman interactions to present some of their recent work and to identify fruitful areas for future research. In addition to the main programme papers, the Symposium also featured a series of poster presentations on a range of topics including the evolution and domestication of horses; their husbandry, behaviour and welfare; and the role of the horse in modern society. The horse industry, and indeed, equine research, appears to be very fragmented by both discipline and country; and European collaboration provides a greater research potential than exists within countries or disciplines. The WALTHAM Symposium was successful, not only in highlighting common areas of interest, but also in revealing gaps in our knowledge where the paucity of information stands a barrier to the advancement of the equine industry, as a whole, across Europe

Horses as Sources of Proprietary Information: Commercialization, Conservation, and Compensation Pursuant to the Convention on Biological Diversity

Horses indigenous to East and Southeast (E/SE) Asia, including native, landrace, feral, and wild populations, embody valuable genetic diversity. Conservation efforts for animals have largely been driven by humane altruism, with little consideration for the information value of genomes. Yet, if horses are viewed as archives of information as well as objects of affection, their conservation shifts to a market-based paradigm. Horse genetic resources (GR) likely contain significant value to the lucrative global horse industry, including veterinary applications such as diagnostics, therapeutics, genetic markers, gene therapies, and cloning technologies. As biotechnology becomes increasingly sophisticated, mining of horse GR will accelerate, thus facilitating identification, inventorying, bioprospecting, and commercialization of genetic information. Yet, establishing a value chain that balances equitable compensation for commercial applications while promoting conservation of horse populations remains a challenge. Recommendations presented here include establishing regional and national human resource and institutional capacity (competent national authorities), that catalog eco-geographical inventories of horse GR; monitor, manage, market and direct equitable value chains from horse to genetic information to commercial products; and ensure revenue flow back to support conservation. This system will foster market incentives to build capacity for sustainable conservation of the diverse horse populations of E/SE Asia

Strategic Analysis of the U.S. Quarter Horse Industry, Emphasizing California

The American Quarter Horse is the most popular breed of horse in California, as well as nationwide. This breed has shaped agricultural history and has had a major impact on the agricultural economy because. The objective of this report is to provide strategic information about the U.S. quarter horse industry, with an emphasis on California. This report provides information on the following topics: statistics of the industry, quarter horse associations, trends in the industry, prevailing marketing practices, innovative/successful marketing practices, success factors for horse businesses, and characterization of related and supporting industries. The primary contribution of the report is a diagram and description of the horse industry supply chain. The varying levels of entry barriers and varying degrees of attractiveness to potential entrants are given for many types of businesses in the horse industry.American Quarter Horse, associations, breeder, California, entry barriers, equine, horse industry, industry trends, livestock, marketing practices, registry, related and supporting industries, supply chain, success factors, trainer, Agribusiness, Livestock Production/Industries,

Trojan Horse as an indirect technique in nuclear astrophysics. Resonance reactions

The Trojan Horse method is a powerful indirect technique that provides information to determine astrophysical factors for binary rearrangement processes $x + A \to b + B$ at astrophysically relevant energies by measuring the cross section for the Trojan Horse reaction $a + A \to y+ b + B$ in quasi-free kinematics. We present the theory of the Trojan Horse method for resonant binary subreactions based on the half-off-energy-shell R matrix approach which takes into account the off-energy-shell effects and initial and final state interactions.Comment: 6 pages and 1 figur