Dissertation questionnaire- backing horses

[Jade248]

As pat of my degree course, I need to collect data on a topic to include as part of my dissertation. My project is on the effect of backing horses at a young age and how this affects their health and performance. Please could you fill out the questionnaire in the link below and help me out.
Thanks

https://www.allcounted.com/s?did=qld...tjz&lang=en_US

 

[Leo Walker]

Just tried to fill it in but the last one I backed and had from young was PTS age 6, the others I no longer own and my current one I only bought her at nearly 5. You are looking for a very particular sub set of people who have owned their horse from a foal and still have it now in adulthood. You might want to make that clear to stop people wasting their time.

In all honesty, even if you do find enough people to fill it in, its going to be a very poor piece of work based on that questionnaire, so you might want to pull it and get some help to rewrite it, or have a think about a better way to collect data, ie contact people with verified affiliated winnings and find out when their horses were broken and in work. My 6yr old had a 1st and 2nd placing. They were for handsomest gelding and best mane and tail, so not really accurate data for what you are looking at!

 

[Red-1]

I did not finish it, as it seems illogical to just ask about what is your highest placing in competition, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, other. I can't see that it would prove anything.

Someone getting a 1st in an unaffiliated Intro dressage test or an indoor trec, or best turned out at a local show is not comparable to a 6th at Novice eventing, 4th in a Foxhunter, 3rd in a team chase etc.

The survey seems to be geared towards seeing if backing/training age has a bearing on lameness/longevity and competition, but the competition question will tell you absolutely nothing with regards to that.

I have seen other surveys ask people what they consider their highest level of competition is, this may give you more information. For example, if someone has competed in Grand Prix dressage or advanced eventing you could make presumptions that the horse remained sound enough through the backing process to have a useful competitive life.

 

[Red-1]

As pat of my degree course, I need to collect data on a topic to include as part of my dissertation. My project is on the effect of backing horses at a young age and how this affects their health and performance. Please could you fill out the questionnaire in the link below and help me out.
Thanks

https://www.allcounted.com/s?did=qld...tjz&lang=en_US

Also, if this indeed for a DEGREE course, should there not be some legal blurb before people answer?

Did someone check the survey over before you published it?

 

[Jade248]

Also, if this indeed for a DEGREE course, should there not be some legal blurb before people answer?

Did someone check the survey over before you published it?

I don't begin my dissertation until next year, I'm doing this questionnaire a year early so that I have time to evaluate and amend the questions I am asking in my final copy. For this reason I've not had anyone to check over it, firstly because it isn't necessary at this stage in my degree, and secondly, because it isn't my final copy of the questionnaire.

 

[Tiddlypom]

So you bounce your ill thought out survey on us lot without bothering to get it checked over first? Please don't waste our time like this. Like others, I try and do the student surveys to help you lot out. In return, please do us the courtesy of making sure it is fit for purpose before releasing it.

 

[be positive]

Like the others have said not many people will be able to do the survey, I have one horse, now 26, that I know of his full history but I did not buy him until he had been backed so cannot honestly answer the first questions, you need to adjust it and make improvements if you are going to get anyone doing it.

 

[Jade248]

So you bounce your ill thought out survey on us lot without bothering to get it checked over first? Please don't waste our time like this. Like others, I try and do the student surveys to help you lot out. In return, please do us the courtesy of making sure it is fit for purpose before releasing it.

I don't have anyone to check it over yet, we don't officially do this project for another year and our lecturers will be different when it comes round to it. Also I am not back at uni yet and don't have access to my uni email until term starts agin. The results of this survey will be used, not as part of my results, but in the manufacturing stages of my final questionnaire.

 

[Jade248]

Like the others have said not many people will be able to do the survey, I have one horse, now 26, that I know of his full history but I did not buy him until he had been backed so cannot honestly answer the first questions, you need to adjust it and make improvements if you are going to get anyone doing it.

I need to ask the age the horse was backed as that is predominantly what my project is about. This is the best way of gathering this data I can think of as of yet.

 

[ihatework]

I don't have anyone to check it over yet, we don't officially do this project for another year and our lecturers will be different when it comes round to it. Also I am not back at uni yet and don't have access to my uni email until term starts agin. The results of this survey will be used, not as part of my results, but in the manufacturing stages of my final questionnaire.

Maybe take this initial response that the prototype is pretty rubbish.

Maybe take it down and go away and think about what you need to achieve from it further. Test it out on a few friends first.

 

[Jade248]

Maybe take this initial response that the prototype is pretty rubbish.

Maybe take it down and go away and think about what you need to achieve from it further. Test it out on a few friends first.

I would, but there is very few horsey people where I live, which is the reason I have posted it online.

 

[be positive]

I need to ask the age the horse was backed as that is predominantly what my project is about. This is the best way of gathering this data I can think of as of yet.

Well just start with what age was the horse backed and ridden away/ started work, no need for the rest about basic handling as that is usually done early, some people may spend months or even years faffing about before backing and riding away or they may sit on at a very young age and leave for another year or two before starting proper work, be clearer in the questions and you will get a clearer picture.

My now 26 year old 15 hand pba gelding was backed at 4, having been handled since birth, ridden lightly until 5 when I bought him from his breeder, started proper work then doing dressage to elem and showing to national level, no ligament or tendon injuries, 1 bout of laminitis, retired sound.

 

[DD]

done my horse was backed at 4 years but not ridden and schooled til this year he is 8 years now and just beginning light hacks out and some basic schooling.

 

[blitznbobs]

Yes the questions dont give you a lot of information. questions such as

First backed

First competed

First competed affiliated

Level horse has now acheived and age at which it is acheived

age injured/time to recover

mmay give you a start

 

[Jade248]

done my horse was backed at 4 years but not ridden and schooled til this year he is 8 years now and just beginning light hacks out and some basic schooling.

Thank you!!

 

[Snowfilly]

Sorry, this questionnaire, as others have said, is basically impossible. There's no way for me to give you useful information about the horses I've had; does 1st in an on hand showing class for best turnout equate to 1st in a 50 entry 1.10 showjumping class? Does tendon damage when there was a very clear cause of injury (hit by a car) count? What about the horse who was broke to ride at 2, and turned away to 6 without doing a stroke of work in between?

Please take this down, do a bit of research about capturing information and really focus on what your dissertation is about. Think on it until you can get it down to one single line question and work backwards to think what information will be relevant.

 

[Nari]

Also what about those horse that aren't competed, let alone affiliated? You really are aiming at an extremely small group of people, and when you look at high end competition horses who can tell if any injuries are due to the age backed or the demands of later work.

 

[Jade248]

T

Also what about those horse that aren't competed, let alone affiliated? You really are aiming at an extremely small group of people, and when you look at high end competition horses who can tell if any injuries are due to the age backed or the demands of later work.

I've put an option on there for people to select who don't compete

 

[Rowreach]

I don't have anyone to check it over yet, we don't officially do this project for another year and our lecturers will be different when it comes round to it. Also I am not back at uni yet and don't have access to my uni email until term starts agin. The results of this survey will be used, not as part of my results, but in the manufacturing stages of my final questionnaire.

The thing is you aren't taking on board any of the comments that people are making, you are just being defensive about a rather poorly thought out and written survey.

Come survey season, this forum is full of the most appalling student questionnaires, and with the best will in the world, forum members cannot fill them in, and if they do, the data that can be extracted from the responses is of dubious quality, to say the least.

It's great that you are trying to get a head start on your dissertation, but speaking as someone who has worked in survey design and implementation, and taught degree students, my advice is to use your time researching a bit about survey design (if that's how you think you can extrapolate some information), and researching the work already out there across the various disciplines regarding your topic.

 

[Jade248]

The thing is you aren't taking on board any of the comments that people are making, you are just being defensive about a rather poorly thought out and written survey.

Come survey season, this forum is full of the most appalling student questionnaires, and with the best will in the world, forum members cannot fill them in, and if they do, the data that can be extracted from the responses is of dubious quality, to say the least.

It's great that you are trying to get a head start on your dissertation, but speaking as someone who has worked in survey design and implementation, and taught degree students, my advice is to use your time researching a bit about survey design (if that's how you think you can extrapolate some information), and researching the work already out there across the various disciplines regarding your topic.

Thanks for the advice, I'm taking all these comments on board and am planning on using the next month or so to research and then create an improved version

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Daft questionnaire but I've filled it in, not that it will be much use as I haven't had my mare since birth so the groundwork question is useless.
Filled in for my other horse that was PTS for tendon injuries, but also useless as I obviously don't have her now.
Do people not check these things and is this really the standard of a survey from a university student? Seriously? 🤔

 

[Jade248]

Look I get this this might not be the best questionnaire, but what happened to constructive criticism instead of just completely bashing someone's work?

 

[Rosiejazzandpia]

Look I get this this might not be the best questionnaire, but what happened to constructive criticism instead of just completely bashing someone's work?

You were given constructive criticism above. I guess posters are just sick of seeing really rubbish surveys spamming the forum

 

[Jade248]

You were given constructive criticism above. I guess posters are just sick of seeing really rubbish surveys spamming the forum

'Really rubbish' thanks a lot, extremely helpful that is

 

[muddy_grey]

I have filled it in but had to put that I started handling at 3 as that is when I got her. Someone had obviously handled her before.
You don't seem to have put much thought into it. If you are only interested in people who have owned since birth/foal then you really limit your pool. If not then you need a question asking at what age the horse was purchased.
Also there are different types of tendon/ligament injuries. Traumatic injuries for example would be irrelevant to your study, but will still be counted.

 

[spookypony]

Oh no, not again. Here (to understand my credentials: I have 12 students currently writing dissertations at Honours and postgraduate levels) is my constructive criticism:

1. Listen to Rowreach and the others.
2. Do your research (both literature and methodology) before publishing a survey. Your pool of respondents is limited, they will be inundated with surveys from other students, and you are less likely to get responses to the "real" survey if you and others have spammed people with "prototypes".
3. A pilot to test your survey is not a bad plan, but you shouldn't run your pilot on everyone. Try finding a few classmates first to get some feedback. Before that, approach a lecturer for advice on resources to help you learn about survey design. No sensible lecturer will resent helping you out and checking out a draft design, even if you've not been assigned to them yet.
4. Being worded in a salty way doesn't make criticism non-constructive. Rosiejazzandpia was rather frank in calling your survey "daft" and "rubbish", but also offered two points about which questions she found problematic. The adjectives, borne of frustration that tonnes of surveys with similarly problematic design are about to inundate us on this forum, probably sting, but the criticism is valid. Instead of being defensive, let this thread drop quietly to the bottom so that everyone forgets about it soon, and go learn about how to fix the problems. No one was born knowing these things.