Essential book for all owners!

[sbloom]

Equine research is fraught with challenges, no less than, if we reduce the variables to one measurable one, then the work almost has no value, and yet that is the nature of truly scientific work. We need to keep a scientific mindset, but science has told us that so much of what we've done with horses over the years (eg top level dressage over the last 30 years) is fine, when to many of us it's often clearly not fine, that it's a really tricky area, and I like to keep an open mind on new developments from non-scientists. Collection of data, in a strictly non-scientific way, can be SO valuable that anything developed from that has to be of interest. What is "fluffy" now so often becomes mainstream science given time, money and attention.

I have met Sue, spent a (very) little time with her, and nothing about her makes you think that she has anything other than the horse's best interests at heart. She collaborates and listens.

 

[GypsGal1718]

I really like sue and what she does, I was under the impression she did something much worse than the forged signature! Yes it was wrong but she did it to help horses and I do believe she thinks of them first.

 

[hock]

I’m honestly stunned about people’s attitude to Sue Dyson. And frustrated. It makes me cringe when I hear people pontificate and judge.

Thank god that study exists. Whilst it’s ended her professional career the information is still out there still on the record and tough to the people who find her findings uncomfortable.

 

[ycbm]

It's not mandatory to publish your research in one particular peer-reviewed journal. One can generally try another journal or publish in open sources.

It's just my opinion but often when I read about studies on horses behaviour in the press they seem of poor quality. Low number of horses are used and lots of the conditions seem to be able to vary (time of day, handler, number of times the horse has done the exercise, fit of equipment, place etc...). Apparently in laboratory mouses the biological sex of the handler can affect the response of the mouse in certain studies (https://www.kentscientific.com/blog...searchers-and-mice-can-skew-research-results/), the biological sex of the mouse can also affect the results. Not saying it is necessarily the same for horses but my experience tells me that horses are fairly sensitive to their handlers.
Also, for a scientific study you usually need a control group, this is not always respected. The results need to be statistically significant, data should have error bars, and this can be difficult to calculate but it should be calculated.

I completely agree. And if the peer reviewed had refused it on the grounds that keeping the same saddle for a larger rider it did not fit was an ethical problem I would have wholeheartedly agreed with him.

Studies published and then pointed to as "evidence" with tiny numbers of horses over very short time scales and no control groups bug the hell of of me. But that's where we've got to with the proliferation of degree and higher courses demanding a dissertation from each participant.
.

 

[Goldenstar]

I’m honestly stunned about people’s attitude to Sue Dyson. And frustrated. It makes me cringe when I hear people pontificate and judge.

Thank god that study exists. Whilst it’s ended her professional career the information is still out there still on the record and tough to the people who find her findings uncomfortable.

It’s not that that I find her findings uncomfortable it’s that episode completely made me lose trust in her .
That and the riders weight research that did allow for the fact the saddles did not fit the bigger riders which devalued the work in my eyes .

 

[hock]

It’s not that that I find her findings uncomfortable it’s that episode completely made me lose trust in her .
That and the riders weight research that did allow for the fact the saddles did not fit the bigger riders which devalued the work in my eyes .

I hope she’ll still sleep soundly knowing that half a dozen pet pony owners on HHO have lost trust in her.

 

[Goldenstar]

I hope she’ll still sleep soundly knowing that half a dozen pet pony owners on HHO have lost trust in her.

I really don’t understand why you feel the need to be dismissive and rude .It’s not compulsory to agree and to dismiss those whose don‘t dismiss the idiocy that got SD struck off as unimportant as doing so because the finding make them uncomfortable is wrong .
I am not in the least uncomfortable .
I don’t know if she sleeps well after ruining her career and her reputation it’s not really something I would give a second thought.

 

[hock]

I really don’t understand why you feel the need to be dismissive and rude .It’s not compulsory to agree and to dismiss those whose don‘t dismiss the idiocy that got SD struck off as unimportant as doing so because the finding make them uncomfortable is wrong .
I am not in the least uncomfortable .
I don’t know if she sleeps well after ruining her career and her reputation it’s not really something I would give a second thought.

 

[blitznbobs]

The problem I have is if people get caught doing unethical behaviour it
Means that they are willing to break the rules … it is a really really stupid thing to do. If it was a one off she is the unluckiest person in the world but people rarely get caught on the first offence . So that makes me think what else does she think it is ok to cheat the system on… is falsifying results ‘for the good of the horse’ also ok? Once someone’s integrity is called into question in the scientific field it is a big problem and devalues all science. It is a huge responsibility and so it should be … and she should have known that, so she should not have done it. If she doesn’t understand that then yes all her research is called into question - which is very sad if it is good research but entirely her own fault.

 

[tristars]

having seen how some of those horses were ridden in the research, i was very uncomfortable with the actual riding, not surprised some horses looked lame or unhappy, or just sissed off?

it is a vast and complicated subject, evaluating why and if a horse is lame or unsound, and the way a lot are ridden and trained its not surprising some may appear to be not right, unhappy etc,

how they got to that state is a whole area of its own the veterinary aspect is only part of a very large and complicated picture

vets come into it at the end game part, the part that needs more research is cause and effect of how horses are using themselves when ridden and working
i am am sure many horses would use themselves very differently if trained sympathetically and recover from many `issues` as a result of proper and appropriate ridden work/