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Post by cg on Aug 15, 2014 9:36:37 GMT
Where do you all think the gaps are in equine research? Or what topic area could be researched more?
Potentially on a more scientific or experimental level...things such as saddle pressures ect?
I am just starting to research for my dissertation and just want to know what area everybody thinks needs more research, as I want to do something useful for the indsutry!
All answers greatly appreciated, comment or PM
Anything from nutrition to saddles and physiotherapy to genetics.....anything at all!
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Post by 5874julie on Aug 15, 2014 10:39:43 GMT
feeding for weight gain please! how quickly can you do it?! but seriously, there is such a huge range of feedstuffs out there these days, and all these compound feeds, it is like a minefield for horse owners - i think a lot of us go on the advertising hype without really understanding the ingredients. if you chose weight gain, or loss, and picked the key ingredients then got people to volunteer for trials and measured the results. maybe it has been done a hundred times but it is a thought.
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Post by bubbles1822 on Aug 15, 2014 11:47:35 GMT
Skin conditions and itching... Sweet itch causes and disorders
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Post by crimsoncloverep on Aug 15, 2014 16:42:43 GMT
skin disorders, sweet itch
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 16, 2014 5:05:49 GMT
The cause of sweetitich is very well understood - an allergy to midge bites!
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Post by hannahj on Aug 16, 2014 13:03:24 GMT
I think more research needs to be put into allergy testing. My boy had a bad case of hives last winter. We did the York test (sensi-test) which came up with ridiculous answers. Then we were referred to leahurst. I was told there that there have been no proper allergy tests developed for horses and they use the dog versions. They said that the drug companies fund these things and can't see the benefit of devising one for horses. However, I have heard SO many stories of skin conditions in the last few years.
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Post by cg on Aug 19, 2014 8:57:52 GMT
I agree with the allergy testing but i am unsure how i would go about basing a dissertation on it? Or how I would be able to carry it out in a suitable way to work with my dissertation? Any ideas? thanks!
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Post by madmum on Aug 20, 2014 7:17:18 GMT
Bitting.
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Post by bubbles1822 on Aug 21, 2014 0:19:17 GMT
The cause of sweetitich is very well understood - an allergy to midge bites! Treatment is still difficult though, someone on here mentioned the vet testing the skin and injecting the immune system... However on speaking to my vet they said it isn't 100% correct and the injections can put the pony into shock and kill them... It's not worth the risk or money apparently... Obviously the pony is rugged, bath, creamed but still it's difficult to keep her comfortable in this warm weather
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Post by puzzle on Aug 21, 2014 9:23:09 GMT
Exactly how long hay should be soaked for dust/weight benefits!
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Post by hannahj on Aug 21, 2014 9:44:18 GMT
Maybe it's worth trying to get a drugs company on side???
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Post by ashadow on Aug 23, 2014 9:38:43 GMT
Rider biomechanics, symmetry and fitness areas are starting to become more researched so that could be an idea, also the use of different therapeutic techniques and their effectiveness. Or equine biomechanics, symmetry maybe. I did weight and BCS of SP and SHP ponies for my dissertation and found that although societies say they are trying to combat obesity, ponies standing at the top end of the line were significantly higher on the BCS scale than those further down the line/unplaced. Hope this helps
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Post by fanfarefan on Aug 23, 2014 12:24:34 GMT
Cushings has been fairly well researched , however i do still feel that there is a gap in the research of reaction to day light hours , and its effect and mares hormones throughout the year with cushings,we have two cushings mares who react completely differently to the lengthening and shortening of daylight hours , ie, behaviour , laminitis,it would be interesting to have more info regarding this topic, and the whys and wherefores
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 24, 2014 15:19:53 GMT
bubbles1822 you did specifically mention the causes of sweetitch, but I agree with you treatment is difficult. It was me that explained somewhere the skin tests that had been done on mine to find out what they were allergic to (neither had sweetitch, I know what that looks like), which does give you the knowledge to try to manage the pony to avoid coming in contact with it the allergen in the first place. For example, one of them itched all through her first winter, and turned out to be allergic mainly to grain dust and mites so feeding a cereal-free diet would have been a first step in stopping her itching. When I have any with SI I normally stable them and turn them out between about 10am and 4pm as the midges only normally bite at dawn and dusk. My vet would have been very happy to use the vaccine to desensitise them, and I'm sure he wouldn't have been if it was that dangerous, although I do remember him saying how difficult it was to formulate a vaccine to cover midge saliva - can you imagine trying to collect it to research, never mind go any further! I think the injections were into the muscle, the immune system is not something you can inject directly.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 24, 2014 15:23:02 GMT
fff - that sounds interesting.
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Post by cg on Aug 26, 2014 8:54:12 GMT
These all sound so interesting! I will write up some thesis and post on here, let me know what you all think! I will need to do something to gain some results so either an experiment or questionnaire, or both!
FFF- I really like that idea i am going to look a little more into that!
ashadow- the effects of different therapeutic techniques is already on my list to do...something I am very keen on and interested in. However, I think it may be difficult to compare, or may be too much of a lengthy process?
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