han.croy
New User
Hello. I am carrying out a study into altered gut function in crib-biting and weaving horses for my Masters degree dissertation at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.
Is there anyone in the Cirencester area (within about 10 miles) who has one or more crib biting or weaving horses who would be willing to take part in a non-invasive study this summer? Your participation would be required for 1 week. Your feed will be paid for for that week, and I will be hugely grateful for any help I receive.
The first part of the investigation is to monitor cribbing/weaving frequency half and hour before and half an hour after feeding. This would just involve me watching the horse from the sidelines and noting down how many times it performs the behaviour. This will be done 3 times, probably over 3 days. The second part of the investigation involves the horses being fed a diet of 70% forage 30% hard feed (a commercially available mix) split into two meals a day, for 1 week (concentrate feed would be supplied/ paid for by me). At the end of the week I will take faecal samples and the rest of the work will be completed in the laboratory
The results of this investigation should help further our understanding of the reasons for stereotypic behaviour (crib-biting and weaving). I am looking to see whether crib-biting and weaving are coping mechanisms in the horse brought on by pain or discomfort in the gut, thus explaining why the behaviour often increases straight after feeding. By analysing microbial populations and carrying out gas production tests on the samples of faeces (sounds so glamorous doesn't it!!?) I will be able to determine any abnormalities in gut function eg. increased acidity, that could cause the horse to adapt its behaviour to try and regulate its digestion. (This study will NOT induce any pain in horses, it is merely looking at how each horse is already functioning. It also does not reflect the quality of care the horse receives, well cared for and loved horses may still have delicate tummies). Hopefully the findings will make it easier for people to create management routines and formulate diets that will best benefit stereotypic horses.
Thankyou for taking the time to read this.
If you do have any potential candidates for this study and would like to take part or want more information, please either comment on this forum or contact me directly at han.croy@yahoo.co.uk
If you would like a reference for me, or to make sure this is all legitimate and above board, please don't hesitate to contact Andrew Hemmings, lecturer at the Royal Agricultural College at andrew.hemmings@rac.ac.uk
Hannah
Is there anyone in the Cirencester area (within about 10 miles) who has one or more crib biting or weaving horses who would be willing to take part in a non-invasive study this summer? Your participation would be required for 1 week. Your feed will be paid for for that week, and I will be hugely grateful for any help I receive.
The first part of the investigation is to monitor cribbing/weaving frequency half and hour before and half an hour after feeding. This would just involve me watching the horse from the sidelines and noting down how many times it performs the behaviour. This will be done 3 times, probably over 3 days. The second part of the investigation involves the horses being fed a diet of 70% forage 30% hard feed (a commercially available mix) split into two meals a day, for 1 week (concentrate feed would be supplied/ paid for by me). At the end of the week I will take faecal samples and the rest of the work will be completed in the laboratory
The results of this investigation should help further our understanding of the reasons for stereotypic behaviour (crib-biting and weaving). I am looking to see whether crib-biting and weaving are coping mechanisms in the horse brought on by pain or discomfort in the gut, thus explaining why the behaviour often increases straight after feeding. By analysing microbial populations and carrying out gas production tests on the samples of faeces (sounds so glamorous doesn't it!!?) I will be able to determine any abnormalities in gut function eg. increased acidity, that could cause the horse to adapt its behaviour to try and regulate its digestion. (This study will NOT induce any pain in horses, it is merely looking at how each horse is already functioning. It also does not reflect the quality of care the horse receives, well cared for and loved horses may still have delicate tummies). Hopefully the findings will make it easier for people to create management routines and formulate diets that will best benefit stereotypic horses.
Thankyou for taking the time to read this.
If you do have any potential candidates for this study and would like to take part or want more information, please either comment on this forum or contact me directly at han.croy@yahoo.co.uk
If you would like a reference for me, or to make sure this is all legitimate and above board, please don't hesitate to contact Andrew Hemmings, lecturer at the Royal Agricultural College at andrew.hemmings@rac.ac.uk
Hannah