Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Research priorities

> >Most of what the other horse disciplines use (diet,execise and
metabolics)
> >comes from the endurance sport, why can't they study our little sturdy
> >horses to inform the public about long term issues of lameness? They
> >consider it boring or not high profile enough?

As Charlotte pointed out, it's a funding thing.  Endurance horses aren't a
big share of the market, there (usually) aren't millions of dollars tied up
in who wins or loses.  Also, it's very difficult to collect decent research
out in the field where endurance horses are (voice of experience here).  It
takes A LOT of data points to overcome the statistical clutter provided by
different riders, different training and management protocols, different
horse ages, inherent conformational differences, etc.  It takes MUCH fewer
horses to get decent results if all the horses are kept at the same place,
fed the same ration, are the same breed (with similar bloodlines is even
better), exercised the same and can be tested repeatedly after having been
subjected to this treatment or that.  You can do that with an endurance
research herd, but keeping them in adequate shape is a very expensive
proposition.  That, along with the dearth of funding (mine all came from a
private source, none from the usual NIH sources) is why endurance horses are
rarely used as research models.

However, when good data from field endurance studies are published, they do
tend to get fairly serious attention in the research communty.  Often, more
than it gets from the endurance community itself.

Susan G



>
> Perhaps the sources of funding have some influence over what types of
> lameness are studied.
> I would imagine the Thoroughbred and Standardbred folks are more likely to
> give funding for studies with more immediate relvance to their sports.
>
> I'm sure if you approached an orthopedic researcher with grant money,
> s/he'd  be happy to study lamenesses in distance horses.
>                                           --CMNewell, DVM
>
>
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