Historically, horse trainers have relied primarily upon repetition, negative reinforcement, and punishment to teach new behaviors. Positive reinforcement has been eschewed, largely on the basis of the wides read belief that positive reinforcement is not effective with horses. Additional difficulties in the timely application of such reinforcement have further inhibited its use. After repeated pairing of an auditory stimulus with an established primary reinforcer, the auditory stimulus was predicted to be a reinforcer. An equine subject was then successfully trained to perform five different, novel tasks using only the auditory stimulus. Subsequently, extinction of behavior was noted in the absence of the conditioned reinforcer. Implications for many phases of horse training were discussed. Some weaknesses of the present study were noted along with suggested issues for future investigations.

This study investigated the outcomes and practice of Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) for children aged 9 to 12 diagnosed with Attention Deficit with Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The study was carried out in order to gain new insights in the learning and growth processes facilitated by Therapeutic Horseback Riding (THR) and to improve practice. Two learning and growth processes were identified and investigated: establishing a therapeutic vision and infusing it into the therapeutic plan and facilitating the transfer of newly learned or improved skills and learning strategies from the riding learning environment to parallel learning environments such as the client’s school and home. The research also explored ways to amplify levels of skill acquired during THR sessions and to support the transformation process experienced by THR clients. A pilot exploratory survey was conducted among THR practitioners and participating parents. In depth interviews and observations were conducted. A multiple case study paradigm was selected for the purpose of the study. In depth interviews were conducted with children diagnosed with ADHD, parents, and teachers. In addition, relevant documents were examined. A THR manual for practitioners was developed to support and inform learning partnerships between school (teachers), THR practitioners (THRPs) and children and their family, in order to standardise THR practice. The findings of this research showed that the THR practitioners (THRPs) should facilitate the acquisition and transfer of skills and strategies learned during THR sessions to other environments, such as family and school, in order to improve the quality of life of children diagnosed having ADHD. The Knowing Therapeutic Horseback Riding (KTR) model of THR practice emerged and was shown to be effective in promoting a learning and growth partnership between school, THR practitioner, client and his family. The KTR model calls for the nurturing of this partnership in order to support the learned skills and amplify them.

Master of Agribusiness / Department of Agricultural Economics / Christine Wilson / Over the last decade, the United States horse industry has seen a decline in all segments of the industry. Both people and organizations within and outside the industry have debated the cause of this decline, with the 2007 horse slaughter ban being at the center of this debate. The purpose of the report is to analyze a specific segment of the industry to determine what has led to this decline over the last decade. To do this, we will look specifically at the total number of thoroughbreds sold over a thirty-year history, and using regression analysis, determine if a controversial bill that banned the slaughter of horses in the United States for the purpose of meat was the cause of this decline or if other key variables that played a key role. These additional variables will include hay prices, corn prices, oat price, gas prices, and a macro economic indicator variable. The regression results show that the horse slaughter ban did in fact have an impact on the decline of the total number of thoroughbreds sold within this specific segment of the industry. Also, both hay and the unemployment rate had an effect on the decline of the total number of thoroughbreds sold, while gas prices appear to have had an unexpected positive effect, which is contrary to common thought. This thesis shed a new light on the decline of the horse industry within the United States and the effect the ban has had on the thoroughbred industry.

Master of Science / Department of Biomedical Sciences / Warren Beard / Reasons for performing study: Caecal acidosis is a central event in the metabolic cascade that occurs following grain overload. Buffering the caecal acidosis by enterally administered sodium bicarbonate may be beneficial to affected horses. Objectives: To determine the effect and duration of enterally administered sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO[subscript]3) on caecal pH in healthy horses. Study design: Prospective controlled study using normal horses with caecal cannulas Methods: 9 horses previously fitted with a caecal cannula. 6 horses received 1.0 g/kg bwt NaHCO[subscript]3 via nasogastric tube and 3 control horses were given 3 L of water via nasogastric tube. Clinical parameters, water consumption, venous blood gases, caecal pH, faecal pH and faecal water content were measured at 6 hour intervals over a 36 hour study period. Results: Horses that received enterally administered NaHCO[subscript]3 had a significantly increased caecal pH that lasted the duration of the study. Treated horses increased their water intake, developed metabolic alcalemia, significantly increased sodium concentrations and significantly decreased potassium concentrations. Conclusions and potential relevance: Enterally administered NaHCO[subscript]3 may be beneficial in buffering the caecal acidosis that occurs following an acute carbohydrate overload

This doctoral dissertation revisits the horse in Blackfoot culture in order to explore how its adoption altered Blackfoot hunting practices and landscape uses during the Contact Period in the Northwestern Plains of North America. The Blackfoot provide one of the best avenues for research into the horse's impact on big-game hunters because of their pre-contact trajectory, history of interaction with other groups, detailed ethnographic record, and continued investment in equestrianism. While the socio-economic consequences of the horse's introduction have been studied from a historical perspective, the archaeology of this transition remains ambiguous. This project presents a new, archaeological dimension to the dynamics of the Blackfoot equestrian transition by incorporating material culture with traditional knowledge, historic accounts, and geospatial data into a multi-scalar, transnational interpretation of the horse's impact on both Blackfoot social, economic, religious, and spiritual life, as well as the way in which Blackfoot peoples used and understood their landscape. The results of this study show how these changes may be best understood as a transition in modes of production from hunting and gathering to nomadic pastoralism. In this endeavor, this project contributes new theoretical and methodological approaches as well as substantive new data to our understanding of hunting and pastoralism among people of the Northwestern Plains.

Today's use of horses is primarily for sports purposes, thus increasing the demands of their mental and physical readiness. That depends on their character and ability to adapt to sudden stressful circumstances. The object of the thesis is to create an artificially constructed alley with stress barriers and to assess the appreciation of horses of different uses, breeding and sex. Than to draw their adaptation to changing environmental conditions, which may be a stress factor. The ability of horses was tested through four tasks. Passing through the empty alley, crossing the sail, passing the balloons and passing the fringes. The individual tasks had to be completed with a conductor for familiarization with the stressors. Then they were admitted into the alley separately. When the horse passed, next task was added and everything was repeated. At the end of the alley, a positive motivation based on the food reflex was always prepared for the horse. The results demonstrated how horses responded to the addition of stressors to the alley and their difficulty. The speed and success of the aisle passage was evaluated by a point scale of 1 to 4. The statistical method of Anova was used to evaluate the difference between Czech warm-blooded breeds and other breeds. There were 83.33% of representatives of Czech warm-blooded horses able to go through the alley with all the tasks to the end. Only 12.5% of horses from the group of other breeds of horses managed to complete this task. The statistically demonstrable difference was not found in gender groups and groups distinguishing use. Even though the gelding reaction was different from the mares reaction, it was not conclusive on this amount of horses.

The main aim of this thesis was to evaluate the current state of iodine levels in horses from selected farms in South Bohemia. Out of the sample group, no animal with iodine deficiency was detected. Additional objective of this thesis was to assess whether selected horse owners supplement their horses with iodine and what form of supplementation they choose.

Legal regulation of horse breeding Abstract This diploma thesis, entitled "Legal regulation of horse breeding", deals with valid legal regulations related to horse breeding in the Czech Republic. The diploma thesis consists of a total of eight chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the position of the animal in civil law, both in terms of historical development and current legal regulation. The second chapter focuses on requirements imposed on horse breeders by the Veterinary Act. The third chapter deals with the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, especially in regards to equestrian sports. The fourth chapter deals with the requirements of the Breeding Act for horse breeding, including horse's evidence, selection of animals for breeding purposes and genetic resources. The fifth chapter focuses on the organizational provision of horse breeding in terms of state administrative body, while the sixth chapter deals with the organization of equestrian sport. The seventh chapter deals with civil liability in horse breding, and the last, eighth chapter, deals with liability for both criminal offenses and administrative offenses. Klíčová slova: horse animal legal regulation

Com o objetivo de avaliar sorológica e molecularmente a ocorrência de infecção por Rickettsia spp em equídeos e carrapatos da região Centro-Norte do estado do Piauí, foram realizadas coletas de sangue e de carrapatos que parasitavam equídeos em 10 localidades distribuídas nas microrregiões de: Campo Maior, Teresina e Valença, nos meses de agosto dos anos de 2010 e 2011. Soros de 129 equinos e 110 asininos foram analisados pela Reação de Imunofluorescência Indireta para detecção de anticorpos anti-Rickettsia spp (R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. rhipicephali e R. bellii) e 105 Dermacentor nitens, oito Amblyomma cajennense e três Amblyomma parvum foram submetidos a reação de polimerase em cadeia utilizando os primers dos genes gltA, ompA e ompB específicos para o gênero Rickettsia e rickettsias do grupo da febre maculosa (GFM). Do total de animais examinados 52,3% foram positivos para pelo menos uma das rickettsias testadas. Somente em dois carrapatos dos 116 analisados, ambos A. parvum, foram positivos para Rickettsia do GFM, apresentando esta cepa 100% de similaridade com \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\", obtida no Peru. Pelos achados sorológicos concluiu-se que \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\" cepa Piauí e ou R. amblyommii, seriam juntamente com R. bellii, os prováveis agentes circulantes na região centro-norte do estado do Piauí. D. nitens, A. cajennense e A. parvum são espécies de carrapatos que infestam equídeos na mesorregião Centro-Norte do Piauí. \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\" cepa Piauí teve seu primeiro relato no Brasil. Animais com acesso à mata ou mantidos em piquetes apresentaram associação com a ocorrência de anticorpos anti-Rickettsia spp (p<0.01). / In order to evaluate serological and molecular occurrence of infection with Rickettsia spp in horses and ticks in the central-northern region of the state of Piauí, blood samples were taken and ticks infesting horses are collected in ten locations distributed in the regions of: Campo Maior, Teresina and Valença, in August of 2010 and 2011. Sera from 129 horses and 110 donkeys were analyzed by immunofluorescent antibody test for detection of antibodies to Rickettsia spp (R. rickettsii, R. parkeri, R. amblyommii, R. rhipicephali and R. bellii) and 105 Dermacentor nitens, eight Amblyomma cajennense and three Amblyomma parvum were subjected to PCR analysis using primers of the genes gltA, ompA and ompB specific to the genus Rickettsia and spotted fever group (SFG). From all of the examined animals, 52.3% were positive for at least one of Rickettsia tested. Only two of the 116 ticks analyzed, both A. parvum, were positive for Rickettsia of the SFG, and the strain showing 100% similarity with \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\" obtained in Peru. By the serological finds it was concluded that \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\" strain Piauí and or R. amblyommii, together with R. bellii, are probably the agents circulating in the central-northern region of Piauí state. D. nitens, A. cajennense and A. parvum are species of ticks that infest horses in the region. \"Candidatus Rickettsia andeanae\" strain Piauí was firstly described in ticks in Brazil. Horses with access to forest or kept in paddocks were associated with the occurrence of anti-Rickettsia spp antibodies (p<0.01).

A domesticação dos equinos e a sua utilização para esportes fez com que a nutrição destes animais passasse por mudanças significativas. O alto requerimento energético pode ser suprido com forragem conservada e grandes quantidades de amido. Este manejo, porém, predispõe os equinos a problemas digestivos e metabólicos, podendo levar a cólica, endotoxemia e laminite. Outra forma de atingir o requerimento energético é a adição de gordura na dieta, já que óleos vegetais e animais podem conter até três vezes mais energia que grãos em igual volume. Sabe-se que óleos de diferentes fontes diferem quanto a propriedades relacionadas aos seus componentes ativos; óleos podem conter componentes como &omega;-3, &omega;-6, &gamma;-orizanol em diferentes quantidades e estes compostos podem influenciar o metabolismo. O presente estudo teve por objetivo avaliar o efeito de óleos de diferentes origens e composição sobre o metabolismo bioquímico, oxidativo e função de células polimorfonucleares de equinos. Durante 15 semanas foram utilizados cinco equinos machos, mestiços, que receberam ou óleo mineral, ou óleo de soja, ou óleo de arroz, ou óleo de linhaça, ou óleo de peixe, em delineamento experimental quadrado latino 5x5. Cada período experimental foi composto por três semanas. Foram avaliados perfil bioquímico, metabolismo oxidativo e \"burst\"-respiratório de granulócitos. Houve efeito do tratamento sobre os teores de triglicérides, fração HDL de colesterol e hemoglobina, contagem de eritrócitos, hematócrito e na intensidade de produção de EROs por granulócitos estimulados com Sa-PI. Das variáveis do perfil bioquímico, pode-se observar que a adição dos óleos de soja, arroz, linhaça e peixe na dieta reduziu os triglicérides plasmáticos, a inclusão de óleos em até 5% da MS nas dietas não representou grande desafio oxidativo, apenas as concentrações de hemoglobina foram menores no tratamento com óleo de soja. O óleo de linhaça aumentou o teor de ácido linolênico plasmático e teve efeito sobre a produção de EROs in vitro por granulócitos dos equinos. / Sports use made significant changes in horses nutrition necessary. The high energy requirement is supplied with conserved forage, and large amounts of starch. This management, however, predisposes horses to digestive and metabolic disorders, leading to colic endotoxemia and laminitis. Another way to achieve the energy requirement is adding fat to the diet, as vegetable and animal oils may contain up to three times more energy than grains in equal volume. It is known that oils from different sources differ in their active components related properties, thay may contain &omega;-3, &omega;-6, &gamma;-oryzanol, in different quantities and these compounds can influence metabolism. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different oils from different origins and composition on the maintenance of the horses biochemical and oxidative metabolism and on polymorphonuclear cells function. A Latin square design was made with five crossbreed horses fed during three weeks with the five treatments: mineral (control), soy, rice, linseed and fish oil. Biochemical profiles, oxidative metabolism respiratory-burst of granulocytes were evaluated. Treatment effect was found on the triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and hemoglobin levels, erythrocyte count, hematocrit and intensity of ROS production by granulocytes stimulated with Sa-PI. Conclusions: The addition of oil to the diet reduced plasma triglycerides, fat diets didnt offer major oxidative challenge and hemoglobin showed to be a more sensitive oxidative marker. Linseed oil increases the plasma levels of linolenic acid and had effects on the production of in vitro ROS by granulocytes of horses.