Conversations in Equine Science

Feb 03 2025 197 ep. 26 mins 34

Conversations in Equine Science Podcast artwork

Kate Acton (from Ireland) and Nancy McLean (from the USA) discuss equine research projects and studies to help bridge the gap between the scientific community and the general community of horse owners, trainers and enthusiasts.

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Horseshoe effects on equine gait.

Feb 03 2025 35 mins

This episode Kate and Nancy discuss a scoping review of 46 research papers on the effects of horseshoe type on equine gait. Open Access Research Reference/Link: Aoun, R., Takawira, C., & Lopez, M. J. (2025). Horseshoe effects on equine gait-A systematic scoping review. Veterinary surgery : VS, 54(1), 31–51. https://doi.org/10.1111/vsu.14162

Equestrian Back pain and Stirrup Length Associations

Dec 22 2024 31 mins

This week Kate and Nancy discuss rider back pain and it's association with 3 different stirrup lengths and 2 rider positions. Research Reference: Keener, Michaela M.1; Critchley, Meghan L.1; Layer, Jacob S.1; Johnson, Evan C.1; Barrett, Steven F.2; Dai, Boyi1. The Effect of Stirrup Length on Impact Attenuation and Its Association With Muscle Strength. Journal of Strength and Cond

Horses and the science of harmony.

Nov 11 2024 26 mins

This week Nancy and Kate discuss the new movie produced by Sue Dyson. Watch the movie at the link below. https://youtu.be/3ulkLHqHZ3g?si=Xla9VAal6ilL85sm

Craniosacral Therapy for Horses

Oct 15 2024 32 mins

Nancy and Kate discuss a research paper on adjusting human craniosacral therapy to horses. Reference: Kanik, W.; Augustyn, J.; Tombarkiewicz, B. Adapting Craniosacral Therapy to Treat Horses. Acta Vet. Brno 2017, 86, 75–84. https://actavet.vfu.cz/media/pdf/actavet_2017086010075.pdf Article Link: https://www.equinecraniosacral.com/articles/hands-on-light-touch.pdf

The Benefits of Human Habits on Equine Welfare

Sep 19 2024 21 mins

This week Kate and Nancy discuss the habit loop of cue-routine-reward and the benefits that horses derive from its formation. Research Reference/Link: White, J.; Sims, R. Improving Equine Welfare through Human Habit Formation. Animals 2021, 11, 2156. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082156

Can horses think ahead and plan strategically?

Aug 27 2024 21 mins

This week Nancy and Kate discuss a just published research paper on the complex cognitive abilities of horses. Research Reference: Louise Evans, Heather Cameron-Whytock, Carrie Ijichi, Whoa, No-Go: Evidence consistent with model-based strategy use in horses during an inhibitory task, Applied Animal Behaviour Science, Volume 277, 106339, SSN 0168-1591, Link: https://www.sciencedire

Can ponies distinguish human facial expressions?

Aug 14 2024 25 mins

This week Nancy and Kate discuss this 2022 paper that demonstrates ponies are able to distinguish between facial expressions presented by a live human. Research Reference/Link: Merkies, Katrina, Yuliia Sudarenko, and Abigail J. Hodder. 2022. "Can Ponies (Equus Caballus) Distinguish Human Facial Expressions?" Animals 12, no. 18: 2331. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/12/18/

The effects of cortisol on equine bone health.

Aug 03 2024 27 mins

In this episode Kater and Nancy discuss a recently published paper correlating consistent high cortisol levels in horses with lower osteocalcinin levels. Research Reference/Link: Ayodele BA, Pagel CN, Mackie EJ, Armour F, Yamada S, Zahra P, et al. Differences in bone turnover markers and injury risks between local and international horses: A Victorian Spring Racing Carnival study.

A review of 30 years of equine bone research and what we now know about making bones stronger..

Jul 25 2024 28 mins

This week Kate and Nancy review past research on Equine bone management. Research Reference/Link: Nielsen, Brian D. 2023. "A Review of Three Decades of Research Dedicated to Making Equine Bones Stronger: Implications for Horses and Humans" Animals 13, no. 5: 789. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/5/789

The science and benefits of training young horses.

Jul 13 2024 29 mins

This episode we are joined by Nikki, a listener with a research request. Nikki owns a 2 year old filly that she wants to work with now, in lieu, of waiting until her 4th/5th year. Nancy and Kate found some evidence based research that hopefully will help Nikki in her training decisions. Research Reference/Link: Logan, Alyssa A., and Brian D. Nielsen. 2021. "Training Young Hor