The benefits of horse riding for people with disabilities have been recognised for centuries, however, there has been very little research that explores the significance and meaning of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) for riders and there are no studies of parents of riders. This thesis is based upon ethnography and interviews with riders and riders' parents at a Riding for the Disabled Centre in Sydney, Australia. It explores the perceptions and experiences of riders and also analyses the role of parents in influencing their child's experience of the RDA. It examines parents' experiences of the RDA and the impact that it has had on them and their family. This thesis is premised on three research questions. The three questions are; 'how do riders perceive and experience the RDA and how and why do these perceptions differ?', 'how do parents perceive the RDA and its impact on their child with an impairment' and 'how do parents perceive the RDA's impact on their family and themselves?' The study draws on a feminist framework and utilises the work of feminist theorists working in Disability Studies to 'broaden' the social model of disability. This framework facilitates the exploration of personal experiences of riding as it privileges the voice of the participants and also acknowledges the diversity of RDA experiences that exist amongst them. It also allows room for the physical, bodily experience of riding to be investigated. Furthermore, this research responds to Shakespeare's (2006) call for further research on the 'social relations of disability' - it investigates the relationships between volunteers who do not have an impairment, and the riders who have an impairment. The central argument that emerges is that Riding for the Disabled is a unique individual experience that holds varied meanings for riders. For some Riding for the Disabled is a central feature of their lives and has altered their world. For others, it is one activity among many and its impact is limited. The type of impairment an individual rider had was often a key determinant of how they experienced the RDA. For parents of riders the RDA exposes them to parents with similar experiences and enables practical knowledge and information to be exchanged.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

There doesn´t exist yet a saddle which is mainly designed for therapeutic riding. What the therapist do nowadays is, that they use either normal saddles and add different devices with screws on, or they use a vaulting girth. Both of them are not the ideal solution and a saddle designed for therapeutic riding is needed. The goals were, to design a saddle where the child sits safer on the horse and the exercises can be done smooth, the therapist should have a stressfree job and the horse should feel comfortable through the entire therapy session.

The benefits of horse riding for people with disabilities have been recognised for centuries, however, there has been very little research that explores the significance and meaning of Riding for the Disabled (RDA) for riders and there are no studies of parents of riders. This thesis is based upon ethnography and interviews with riders and riders' parents at a Riding for the Disabled Centre in Sydney, Australia. It explores the perceptions and experiences of riders and also analyses the role of parents in influencing their child's experience of the RDA. It examines parents' experiences of the RDA and the impact that it has had on them and their family. This thesis is premised on three research questions. The three questions are; 'how do riders perceive and experience the RDA and how and why do these perceptions differ?', 'how do parents perceive the RDA and its impact on their child with an impairment' and 'how do parents perceive the RDA's impact on their family and themselves?' The study draws on a feminist framework and utilises the work of feminist theorists working in Disability Studies to 'broaden' the social model of disability. This framework facilitates the exploration of personal experiences of riding as it privileges the voice of the participants and also acknowledges the diversity of RDA experiences that exist amongst them. It also allows room for the physical, bodily experience of riding to be investigated. Furthermore, this research responds to Shakespeare's (2006) call for further research on the 'social relations of disability' - it investigates the relationships between volunteers who do not have an impairment, and the riders who have an impairment. The central argument that emerges is that Riding for the Disabled is a unique individual experience that holds varied meanings for riders. For some Riding for the Disabled is a central feature of their lives and has altered their world. For others, it is one activity among many and its impact is limited. The type of impairment an individual rider had was often a key determinant of how they experienced the RDA. For parents of riders the RDA exposes them to parents with similar experiences and enables practical knowledge and information to be exchanged.

As práticas equestres, em especial, o hipismo, estão relacionadas com a configuração do cenário sociocultural de Porto Alegre, bem como, do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. O cavalo, para a identidade do sul-rio-grandense, representa um de seus símbolos, uma vez que sempre se associaram, ao longo da história do Rio Grande do Sul. A parceria entre homem e animal está presente, também, nos momentos de lazer e diversão. Desde as primeiras manifestações do fenômeno do associativismo esportivo em Porto Alegre, por volta da segunda metade do século XIX, já ocorriam, na cidade, práticas esportivas que abarcavam a participação do cavalo, como as corridas de cavalos, conhecidas como “carreiras em cancha reta”, e o turfe, corridas de cavalos em pista circular/elíptica. Novas práticas equestres emergem nos quartéis no início do século XX: pólo equestre, caça à raposa, volteio e hipismo, onde o salto constitui a prática mais divulgada. O presente estudo tem por objetivo compreender como se sucedeu a esportivização das práticas equestres em Porto Alegre, em particular do salto do hipismo, nas décadas de 1920 a 1940. Para a realização desta pesquisa histórica, utilizaram-se fontes impressas, tais como atas de entidades do turfe e do hipismo, a Revista do Globo e os jornais “Correio do Povo”, “Diário de Notícias”, “A Federação” e “Gazeta de Porto Alegre”. As fontes revelaram que, no contexto predominantemente rural, em Porto Alegre, na segunda metade do século XIX, emergiram as primeiras práticas equestres com elementos de esportivização. Dentre estas, destacam-se o turfe e o hipismo como exemplos de práticas equestres que desenvolveram propriedades características de esporte moderno. Neste processo, as mulheres foram de espectadoras, no turfe, a praticantes, no salto. / Equestrian practices, in particular, horse riding, are related to Porto Alegre’s sociocultural context configuration, as well as Rio Grande do Sul’s. The horse is one of the symbols for Rio Grande do Sul’s identity, since they have always been associated throughout this state’s history. Thus, it would not be surprising that such a partnership between man and animal was also present in moments of leisure and fun. Therefore, since the earliest manifestations of the sportive association phenomenon in Porto Alegre, in the second half of the nineteenth century, there already were sportive practices which counted with horse’s participation such as horse races known as ‘straight line horse races’ and turf, circular/elliptical horse races. New equestrian practices emerged in the barracks in the early twentieth century: equestrian polo, fox hunting, vaulting and horse riding, where show jumping is the most widespread practice. Considering this background, this study aims to understand how sportivization process of equestrian practices happened in Porto Alegre, in particular of show jumping, in the decades from 1920 to 1940. In order to accomplish this historical research, documentary and printed sources have been used, such as turf and show jumping entities’ minutes, Revista do Globo magazine, and the newspapers “Correio do Povo”, “Diário de Notícias”, “A Federação”, and “Gazeta de Porto Alegre”. The sources have revealed that, in a predominantly rural context in Porto Alegre, in the second half of the nineteeth century, the first equestrian practices with sportivization elements have emerged. Among these, we highlight turf and show jumping as examples of equestrian practices which have developed all the characteristic properties of modern sport. In this process, from spectators in turf, women became practitioners in show jumping.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of various approaches to training equestrian skills. The purpose of Experiment 1 was to compare an instructional video(s), in combination with verbal instruction, to verbal instruction alone on the percentage of horseback riding and safety errors made among beginner trail riders. An analysis of the overall percentage of steps completed independently revealed significant differences between instructional conditions that favored the use of video. Experiment 2 involved more experienced riders and more sophisticated equitation skills. Specifically, it examined whether a training package would decrease the percentage of jumping equitation errors among riders training in the sport of eventing. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, a training package was evaluated which entailed written feedback and video footage of the lesson from the trainer's point of view in addition to standard instruction. The findings of this study are inconclusive. The overall performance of riders through a six jump course was highly variable from week to week, regardless of the type of instruction utilized during lessons. Although several jumping equitation skills were never problematic for riders, no other skills routinely improved. Limitations and future studies are discussed.

TESIS PARA OPTAR AL GRADO ACADÉMICO DE MAGÍSTER EN MARKETING / Cross-channel y free-riding corresponden a conductas cada vez más comunes en el mundo del retail. Mientras la conducta cross-channel se asocia al cambio de canales, la conducta free-riding se asocia al cambio de retailer durante el proceso de búsqueda de información y compra de un producto. Estos comportamientos, tienen efectos directos sobre los retailers, ya que deben adaptar sus estrategias con el fin de satisfacer las demandas de estos consumidores. El siguiente estudio tiene el objetivo de investigar la conducta cross-channel y la conducta free-riding en un contexto de retail multicanal, buscando entender si estos comportamientos se ven influidos por distintos tipos de producto (de distinta naturaleza y riesgo percibido). Mediante un cuestionario auto administrado, se obtuvo que los distintos tipos de productos no tienen incidencia en la conducta cross-channel, sin embargo, la interacción entre la naturaleza del producto y su riesgo, afecta a la conducta free-riding. Los hallazgos del estudio pueden ser utilizados en el marketing, con el fin de recomendar estrategias para la retención de clientes.

abstract: Designing a hazard intelligence platform enables public agencies to organize diversity and manage complexity in collaborative partnerships. To maintain the integrity of the platform while preserving the prosocial ethos, understanding the dynamics of “non-regulatory supplements” to central governance is crucial. In conceptualization, social responsiveness is shaped by communicative actions, in which coordination is attained through negotiated agreements by way of the evaluation of validity claims. The dynamic processes involve information processing and knowledge sharing. The access and the use of collaborative intelligence can be examined by notions of traceability and intelligence cohort. Empirical evidence indicates that social traceability is statistical significant and positively associated with the improvement of collaborative performance. Moreover, social traceability positively contributes to the efficacy of technical traceability, but not vice versa. Furthermore, technical traceability significantly contributes to both moderate and high performance improvement; while social traceability is only significant for moderate performance improvement. Therefore, the social effect is limited and contingent. The results further suggest strategic considerations. Social significance: social traceability is the fundamental consideration to high cohort performance. Cocktail therapy: high cohort performance involves an integrative strategy with high social traceability and high technical traceability. Servant leadership: public agencies should exercise limited authority and perform a supporting role in the provision of appropriate technical traceability, while actively promoting social traceability in the system. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2015

Equine Assisted Activities and Therapy (EAA/T) is a non-invasive treatment modality recommended by the medical and educational community for a subset of challenged children and adults. As its popularity increases, so too are the concerns among stakeholders and the medical and educational professions about its legitimacy as a treatment modality. The main concern being that EAA/T practitioners have not acquired the professional skills required and that the EAA/T treatment programmes are not evidence-based. The central question of this research focused on identifying Equine Assisted Activities and or Therapy (EAA/T) and creating an optimal learning curricula and more practical experience for future practitioners. In order to explore these issues an extensive multi-method research study was conducted to identify gaps in EAA/T curricula, which included a review of empirical data and different curriculum models. The Delphi Method (DM), a robust, qualitative, naturalistic, systematic and interactive research method was used to support the research. Part of the DM required an analysis of data, adaptation of issues and amendments to questions culminating in a collective consensus among EAA/T experts. The key research findings suggested that current training programmes use curricula with significant gaps resulting in poor professional knowledge formation, a lack of experiential learning, insufficient knowledge of equestrianism and an inability to use pedagogic paradigms. Other findings showed that curricula being used were not being built as an application of sound theoretical principles but rather, transmitted in a manner that does not motivate active and meaningful learning or promote the best practical experience. As a consequence, national organisations and academies dedicated to EAA/T training sidestep high standards and core values for the sake of membership and financial gain. This rigorous research study has highlighted gaps in current training practices and has made it possible to make recommendations for a future curriculum. Recommendations that suggest the future curriculum is built on sound theoretical principles developing foundation knowledge to operate EAA/T in all fields of practice. This could set new quality and performance benchmarks and provides EAA/T practitioners with adequate tools to connect best practices to people with real-life challenges.

As práticas equestres, em especial, o hipismo, estão relacionadas com a configuração do cenário sociocultural de Porto Alegre, bem como, do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. O cavalo, para a identidade do sul-rio-grandense, representa um de seus símbolos, uma vez que sempre se associaram, ao longo da história do Rio Grande do Sul. A parceria entre homem e animal está presente, também, nos momentos de lazer e diversão. Desde as primeiras manifestações do fenômeno do associativismo esportivo em Porto Alegre, por volta da segunda metade do século XIX, já ocorriam, na cidade, práticas esportivas que abarcavam a participação do cavalo, como as corridas de cavalos, conhecidas como “carreiras em cancha reta”, e o turfe, corridas de cavalos em pista circular/elíptica. Novas práticas equestres emergem nos quartéis no início do século XX: pólo equestre, caça à raposa, volteio e hipismo, onde o salto constitui a prática mais divulgada. O presente estudo tem por objetivo compreender como se sucedeu a esportivização das práticas equestres em Porto Alegre, em particular do salto do hipismo, nas décadas de 1920 a 1940. Para a realização desta pesquisa histórica, utilizaram-se fontes impressas, tais como atas de entidades do turfe e do hipismo, a Revista do Globo e os jornais “Correio do Povo”, “Diário de Notícias”, “A Federação” e “Gazeta de Porto Alegre”. As fontes revelaram que, no contexto predominantemente rural, em Porto Alegre, na segunda metade do século XIX, emergiram as primeiras práticas equestres com elementos de esportivização. Dentre estas, destacam-se o turfe e o hipismo como exemplos de práticas equestres que desenvolveram propriedades características de esporte moderno. Neste processo, as mulheres foram de espectadoras, no turfe, a praticantes, no salto. / Equestrian practices, in particular, horse riding, are related to Porto Alegre’s sociocultural context configuration, as well as Rio Grande do Sul’s. The horse is one of the symbols for Rio Grande do Sul’s identity, since they have always been associated throughout this state’s history. Thus, it would not be surprising that such a partnership between man and animal was also present in moments of leisure and fun. Therefore, since the earliest manifestations of the sportive association phenomenon in Porto Alegre, in the second half of the nineteenth century, there already were sportive practices which counted with horse’s participation such as horse races known as ‘straight line horse races’ and turf, circular/elliptical horse races. New equestrian practices emerged in the barracks in the early twentieth century: equestrian polo, fox hunting, vaulting and horse riding, where show jumping is the most widespread practice. Considering this background, this study aims to understand how sportivization process of equestrian practices happened in Porto Alegre, in particular of show jumping, in the decades from 1920 to 1940. In order to accomplish this historical research, documentary and printed sources have been used, such as turf and show jumping entities’ minutes, Revista do Globo magazine, and the newspapers “Correio do Povo”, “Diário de Notícias”, “A Federação”, and “Gazeta de Porto Alegre”. The sources have revealed that, in a predominantly rural context in Porto Alegre, in the second half of the nineteeth century, the first equestrian practices with sportivization elements have emerged. Among these, we highlight turf and show jumping as examples of equestrian practices which have developed all the characteristic properties of modern sport. In this process, from spectators in turf, women became practitioners in show jumping.