Works Cited

American Horse Publications Survey Sheds Light on Equine Industry Trends. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2010/04/29/ahp-survey-results.aspx>.

"Colic and Digestive Diseases Program." NC State University. NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Teaching Hospital, n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vth/clinical_services/equine/colic.html.>

Coumbe, Karen. "Understanding nose bleeds afer exersize." horseandhound.co.uk. N.p., 13 December, 2005. Web. 21 Nov 2010. <http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/care/402/72164.html.>

Firth, Jill. "Looking After Your Horse's Back." The Back in Balance Practice. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2010. <http://www.back-in-balance.co.uk/horse_back_problems.htm.>

Hargrove, Robyn. "Horse Quotations." www.thebootlady.com. Robyn Hargrove, n.d. Web. 9 Nov 2010. <http://www.thebootlady.com/quotes.html.>

Lameness Evaluations. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.bevet.com/services_and_treatments/services/lameness_evaluations/>

Maxwell, Cameron. "Nations' Cup rained out." slam.canoe.ca. Canoe Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/HorseRacing/2005/09/11/1212250-sun.html.>

Meszoly, Joanne. "Coping with Arthritis in Horses." Equisearch. Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/lameness/arthritis_horses_100109/.>

 "North Somerset Show 2007." BBC. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/image_galleries/nsomsshow_gallery.shtml?10.>

"Research Capabilities & Projects." cvm.msu.edu. Michigan State University Board of Trustees, n.d. Web. 21 Nov 2010. <http://cvm.msu.edu/research/research-centers/mcphail-equine-performance-center/research-capabilities.>

 

Reflection Paragraph on Sources

During the process of reseaching my topic, I found it to be very difficult to find reliable sources. A lot of these websites are forums and random people's oppinions who have no proof of credibility. Even so, I was successful in finding good sources; a couple of them were from university websites. The most helpful website for me was equisearch.com. The information about arthritis in horses fueled quite a few of my posts. The most trustworthy sites were from the universities considering they conduct their own experiments and studies.

Refelection Paragraph on Process

This whole experience has taught me so much about how the anatomy of a horse is affected by its physical activities. At a lot of times though, I felt so frustrated when I could not find appropriate websites. So many things on the internet are anyone's oppinion and it has become very difficult to find factual information. What I did enjoy was reading the information about all the discoveries made by such dedicated horsemen. If I had to research my project again, I might look into on specific discipline instead of two.

Wordle #2

Reflection Paragraph

The information I found throughout my research and investigation have opened my eyes for how many factors affect a horse's health. I always knew that horses were complex animals, but the issues that can arise I'm sure are insurmountable. It seems that no matter what discipline you ride, there are going to be problems and risks to the health of your horse. I personally, do not think that dressage or hunter/jumper are better or worse for a horse's physiological health, just different. The body, mind, and behavior of a horse can be negatively affected in any discipline if the proper precautions are not taken. I still wonder that if there were more investigations like the ones conducted at MSU, if an exact answer could be found.

Finding Paragraph #3

I have found that the tack used while riding can affect the performance of the horse."Learn a simple technique to discover whether your saddle is causing problem pressure points which could bruise your horse's back."(Firth). If your horse isn't comfortable, more than likely, your ride won't be. The equipment you and your horse work in is most definitely going to affect your ride. "Saddle fit is an important concern for riders.  Wearing an ill-fitting saddle causes a variety of behavioral and clinical signs ranging in severity from mild discomfort resulting in a sub-optimal performance to severe pain causing dangerous behavior.  Some of the areas of interest are the effects of asymmetrical weight distribution of a rider, effects of locomotion at different gaits on saddle fit, and the comparison between different types of saddle pads."(Saddle Fit). The tack used in a performance can definitely affect the behavior and comfort of a horse.

Firth, Jill. "Looking After Your Horse's Back." The Back in Balance Practice. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Nov 2010. <http://www.back-in-balance.co.uk/horse_back_problems.htm>.

Finding Paragraph #2

From my research, I've found that dressage is a more popular discipline than hunter/jumper. From one poll I've found that 26.3%  of the people who voted ride dressage(How do you use your horses?). The same poll stated that 12.9% of the users rode hunter and 10.6% jumpers(How do you use your horse?). Even adding the hunter and jumper percentages together, there are still less hunter/jumper riders than dressage in the research I've found.

Finding Paragraph #1

All horses can be negatively affected by their athletic disciplines. Wear and tear appears in all athletic horses. If you're doing either dressage or hunter/jumper, your horses are pressing off of their hocks and landing on four small legs with a heavy body."Arthritis is an unwelcome diagnosis for any horse, regardless of his discipline or occupation. Whether the condition appears suddenly after trauma or gradually with worsening stiffness, it means the same thing: Chronic inflammation has led to permanent degradation of the cartilage in a horse’s joints."(Meszoly). But horses aren't only affected physically. After a hard workout horses can start bleeding from their noses. These horses are called bleeders. It isn't a nose bleed but actually, blood coming from the lungs.(Coumbe) "According to the study, conducted by Frank Pellegrini, DVM, 63 percent of horses involved in competition sports, ranging from dressage to racing, suffered from colonic ulceration."(Hale). So, it's pretty safe to say that no matter the discipline, there are consequences and risks.

Quote, Paraphrase, Citation #5

As a horse moves, the flexing and compression can produce minute damage within the joint structures that triggers mild inflammatory responses to make the repairs. Normally, the body’s own defenses control inflammation and the joint remains healthy and sound.

Sometimes, however, the inflammatory process overwhelms the body’s ability to contain it, either from a single acute injury or from many years of use. At that point, a cascade of events begins: The inflammatory enzymes break down the lubricating synovial fluid, which gets thinner. Proteoglycans are lost and the collagen fibers lose integrity, which diminishes the cartilage’s ability to retain lubricating water. This damage stimulates even more inflammation, which fills the joint capsule with fluids, leading to pressure, pain and stiffness. The buildup of inflammatory enzymes further breaks down the synovial fluid, which leads to more damage to the cartilage.

Normally a horse's body can repair itself and keep a hand on inflammation in the joints. In most cases the horse's own defenses will keep him sound. Although, it does happen where the inflammation is so sever that the body cannot heal itself quickly enough. In this case, the natural lubricants of the body dissipate which causes even more damage and inflammation. This can all do permanent damage to the horse's cartilage.

This site is oriented around arthritis and inflammation in any horse. It goes on about the affects of inflammation and how it can temporarily or permanently damage a horse's body.

Meszoly, Joanne. "Coping with Arthritis in Horses." Equisearch. Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc., n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/lameness/arthritis_horses_100109/>.

Quote, Paraphrase, Citation #4

"The Colic and Digestive Diseases Program focuses on colic, a problem that remains the leading known cause of mortality among sport and leisure horses, and other digestive diseases of horses such as diarrhea and gastric ulcers. The latter is a leading cause of poor performance in sport horses. Continuing education from this program will target horse owners on the most efficient management and feeding of horses to maximize their athletic potential and decrease mortality from colic."

The college's Colic and Digestive Program investigates and analyzes colic, which is the leading cause of death in competitive horses. Colic can cause issues in the performance and health in many athletic horses. Their program can help horse owners gain information that will prevent colic in their horses.

This web page covers colic from every side and angle. They talk about the causes, prevention, what horses it targets, how it affects horses, etc. It covers every base of colic and how they as a university deal with it.


"Colic and Digestive Diseases Program." NC State University. NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Teaching Hospital, n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vth/clinical_services/equine/colic.html>.

Graph/Chart/Map Citation

This information is from a relatively popular horse website. It's a survey seeing what percentage of horse riders do certain disciplines. This is relevant to my topic because in the list is dressage and hunters. Dressage is significantly more popular than hunter in this survey, and probably, so are their beliefs in horses' health.

American Horse Publications Survey Sheds Light on Equine Industry Trends. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2010/04/29/ahp-survey-results.aspx>.

Photo, Caption, Citation #3

This is an X Ray of a normal and healthy hock of a horse.

This is an X Ray of a hock with arthritis which can easily be caused by the horse pushing off his hind legs to jump or to do a piaff.

Lameness Evaluations. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.bevet.com/services_and_treatments/services/lameness_evaluations/>.

Quote, Paraphrase, Citation #3

"Arthritis is an unwelcome diagnosis for any horse, regardless of his discipline or occupation. Whether the condition appears suddenly after trauma or gradually with worsening stiffness, it means the same thing: Chronic inflammation has led to permanent degradation of the cartilage in a horse’s joints."

Arthritis can come from any type of riding when working with horses. But the matter of the fact is that when a horse either has an accident or is consistently worked, the same results can occur. Inflammation can cause permanent damage that will deteriorate at a horse's joints.

This article focuses on the damage that can be done to a horse's body, how it effects them, what it feels like, and how it can be cause and/or prevented.

Meszoly, Joanne. "Coping with Arthritis in Horses." Equisearch. Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/lameness/arthritis_horses_100109/>.

Quote, Paraphrase, Citation #2

“The riders would not jump their horses in these conditions and what is very astounding is the powers that be don't read the FEI rulebook which says welfare of the horse above all,”

George Morris is a prominent figure in the hunter/jumper world and he's saying that a horse should be jumped and ridden in an adequate environment. He refers to the FEI rulebook that he says states that the horse comes first. 


The article is about the Nations' Cup (a horse event) getting rained out and the controversy over the decision. The board wanted the race to continue, but the riders and several important names, including George Morris, severely disagreed.

Maxwell, Cameron. "Nations' Cup rained out." slam.canoe.ca. Canoe Inc, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/HorseRacing/2005/09/11/1212250-sun.html>.

Photo, Caption, Citation #2

In this picture the horse and rider are performing a difficult movement called piaff. This is very hard on a horse's legs because they must pause and hold themselves on two legs for a moment then switch to the other two legs while standing in the same place. It takes a lot of collection on the horse's part.

The Virtual Equestrian. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.cyberhorse.net.au/cgi-bin/tve/displaynewsitem.pl?20080613equitanaandreas2.txt>.

Quote, Paraphrase, Citation #1

"A boy is a boy a long time before he knows his alphabet, longer before he has learned to spell, and perhaps several years before he can read distinctly; and yet there are some people who, as soon a they get on a young horse, entirely undressed and untaught, fancy that by beating and spurring they will make him a dressed horse in one morning only. I would feign ask such stupid people whether by beating a boy they would teach him to read without first showing him the alphabet? Sure they would beat him to death before they would make him read."

Just like a child can't read without initially being taught his letters, no matter how much you hit and beat him, a horse cannot learn his job in the same way. A horse doesn't learn to perform through beatings and brutality, only by showing him what he must first learn. 

This page is a list of several horse quotes and opinions. The list goes on forever.

Hargrove, Robyn. "Horse Quotations." www.thebootlady.com. Robyn Hargrove, n.d. Web. 9 Nov 2010. <http://www.thebootlady.com/quotes.html>.

Photo, Caption, Citation #1

This is relevant to my topic because as everyone can see, this is a big jump. That horse is heavy. According to gravity, no matter what, that horse is going to land hard. This will wear and tear on his body to eventually do some kind of damage.

"North Somerset Show 2007." BBC. Web. 11 Nov 2010. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/image_galleries/nsomsshow_gallery.shtml?10>.

Wordle #1

Preliminary Links

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/care/402/72164.html


This site describes how a hard workout can affect a horses health by creating nose bleeds. This is relevant because dressage and hunter/jumper are both intense riding disciplines that often result in an intense ride. The author of this article is Karen Coumbe MRCVS. This is important to my study because it specifies the health concerns for horses during fast or hard workouts, which includes both jumping and dressage.


http://cvm.msu.edu/research/research-centers/mcphail-equine-performance-center/research-capabilities


In this website I found a lot of helpful information where the college investigates how certain movements and riding techniques affect the health and performance of a horse. This investigation and site is established and carried out by the Michigan State Board of Trustees who have an excellent equine track record. This investigation is helpful because it evaluates through high tech equipment how horses are affected by different variables including how they are ridden.


http://www.cvm.ncsu.edu/vth/clinical_services/equine/colic.html


North Carolina State University is saught after for their equine availabilities by many horse owners within the Carolinas area. On their website is a page going into detail about horse colic. Colic, first of all, is pretty much something that happens when horses have a bad stomach ache and their digestive system gets impacted or twisted. This is relevant to my topic because I know, from experience, that competetive horses tend to colic easier than other horses. Since both dressage and hunt/jumper are both very competitive disciplines, it is not rare for their digestive health to be affect by how hard their working and the stress they are put under. This site is created by NC State College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/lameness/arthritis_horses_100109/

This site specifies into the condition of arthritis in horses. This condition is a result of many different types of riding but I find it important because it is a very common state for middle age to older horses who have backgrounds in practices such as dressage and hunter/jumper. This piece is published by Joanne Meszoly.

http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-health/performance-horse-ulcers-20849.aspx

Ulcers are things that typically lead to colic in horses. This website talks about how many high performance horses, including dressage horses, often have ulcers. This is important because horses under a lot of pressure physically and emotionally, like competing horses, are affected health wise. This is published by Cindy Hale after extensive research by Frank Pellegrini.

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