A World Without Horses?

Horses have been walking planet Earth for more than 50 million years; it is obvious that their presence throughout the world proved to be extremely beneficial then and now. The horse has become such a significant figure in today's society and they cannot be ignored.
Starting out as merely modes of transportation to early people to battling alongside soldiers in wars before the introduction of heavy machinery such as tanks, the horse has always been there to help mankind. They provide physical and emotional help through therapy to those who are in need and are a part of our police forces assisting mounted officers everyday. Horses are also an amazing form of recreation for those who truly love the animal. From jumping to barrel racing to just plain pleasure riding, people all over the world value the horse as part of their family.
With over 300 breeds across the globe and an ever-changing range of colors and markings, every horse is unique in their own special way. Unfortunately there are those who see horses only as meat to be sold, causing horse slaughter to be a common problem in foreign countries. Thankfully, horse slaughter houses that had been operating on US soil have been shut down but everyday horses are exported to Canada and Mexico to be sold for meat. Efforts are continually being put into effect to end this horrible occurrence and are, slowly but surely, working.
Taking a step back and truly analyzing the horse and it's contribution to the world's society makes me wonder, what would the wold be without horses?
Sponenberg "The Proliferation of Horse Breeds" Horses Through Time pp. 156–57

Americans Against Horse Slaughter

The difference small groups of people can make are astonishing. Americans Against Horse Slaughter is one of these groups. Their main goal is to spread the word about horse slaughter to raise awareness in the hopes that more people will want to put in their effort to make a difference too.
Co-founders Shelley Abrams and Debra Lopez joined forces after meeting through a website inspired by Barbaro to put an end to something they felt was ethically and morally wrong. Shelley first introduced a program called Horses Helping Horses, which donates a percentage of any winning purse from a horse race to rescue a horse from slaughter. Debra launched her own charity, Animal Fairy Charities, which best explains itself as the "United Way for Animals". Helping those who help animals is the main mission of Animal Fairy Charities.
Abrams and Lopez have been successful in gaining followers and have held many events to raise more awareness in their local communities. They have created a petition against slaughter that states:

"We, the undersigned, AMERICANS AGAINST HORSE SLAUGHTER,
urge Congress to pass the American Horse Slaughter
Prevention Act to end the horrific practice of
transporting and slaughtering horses for human
consumption abroad. No horse should face such a cruel
and brutal end.

In America, no horse is bred for food. He is bred for
sport, industry and agriculture. Many are companions
just like our dogs and cats. Our country was built on
the back of horses who still serve our country to this
day. Horses protect our borders as well as helping
police protect our cities. They provide programs that
help those with disabilities.

When you ask people about the practice of horse
slaughter, the vast majority find this practice
shocking and indefensible. Horse slaughter is NOT
euthanasia but it is the painful butchering of these
American icons. Most of these horses are young,
healthy and well suited for placement in loving homes.

Recent court rulings have shut down the three
slaughter plants in the U.S. but foreign companies are
still able to export American horses to slaughter
houses in Mexico and Canada. Without a federal ban,
they will continue to transport horses across our
borders for slaughter. Without a federal ban, we
stand the chance of a new slaughter facility opening
within our country.

We appeal to Congress to end this cruel and inhumane
practice once and for all by passing HR503/S31."

Despite their hard work, the amount of horses deported from the US to be slaughtered in foreign countries is still one that is quite substantial. But hundreds of people and organizations across the United States are striving to raise awareness of this awful occurrence because it is something that they so strongly believe in. Without this love and passion for horses, what would become of them? Why are horses such a beneficial part of today's society?
Americans Against Horse Slaughter. (2008). Horse slaughter: It's not american. its not our culture. . Retrieved from http://www.americansagainsthorseslaughter.com/

Horse Slaughter Prevention Acts

The issue of horse slaughter has become one that is increasingly prominent in today's society. Thankfully, many people recognize this and are putting forth efforts to prevent the spreading of horse slaughter throughout the US.
One of these efforts is the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, introduced by the Animal Welfare Institute. On June 9th, 2011,  LA Senator Mary Landrieu and South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham proposed that the act "will end the slaughter of American horses here and, most urgently, will stop these horses from being exported abroad for slaughter"(Graham, Landrieu, 2011). On September 19th, 2011, Indiana Representative Dan Burton and Illinois Representative Jan Schakowsky reintroduced a House version of the bill, H.R. 2966.
A new version of this bill, H.R. 503 was reintroduced on January 17th, 2012. It was overwhelmingly passed by the House of Representatives last year but died in the Senate at the end of the 109th Congress. It would prohibit permanently the slaughter of horses for human consumption as well as the exportation of live horses intended for the same purpose, making sure that no American horse is slaughtered in the US nor shipped to be slaughtered abroad. This bill has since been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Agriculture.
Although larger bills like these have not yet been passed, smaller acts have been put into action all over the US. Most of these are from small groups of people involved with horses in the own hometowns and want to put an end to horse slaughter. What are some ways in which these groups are raising awareness of horse slaughter?
Animal Welfare Institute. (2012). American horse slaughter prevention act. Retrieved from http://awionline.org/content/american-horse-slaughter-prevention-act

The Ugly Truth- Horse Slaughter

Despite the fact that horses have proven to be one of the most beneficial creatures throughout the world to man, there are far too many people that view them as something else: meat to be sold for money. Horse slaughter has become an overwhelmingly increasing conflict between people across the globe.
The issue is growing within the United States. Despite what slaughter supporters believe and portray, there is nothing ethical about the slaughter of horses for their meat. The horses that end up in slaughterhouses are typically bought though auctions or are stolen and are in perfect health. In fact, 92% of all horses sent to houses are healthy. Most of the United States believes that slaughter is 100% wrong, yet it is still occurring everyday. Polls say that in New York, 64% of people polled believed that slaughtering horses for meat was illegal, while in Indiana, 91% believe that horse slaughter should be banned. In Texas, 89% of voters are unaware that horse slaughter was then going on in their own state. While efforts are being made, the largest has been the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, which was designed to stop the slaughter of American horses for human consumption.
Like mentioned before, there is not one aspect of horse slaughter that is ethical. Several myths surround the matter but all have been proven false. Some of these myths include the statement that the way in which the horses are killed is humane. The most prominent way in killing the horse is by prodding a rod with electric pulses around the body and the head, causing a slow and painful death. Not a singe part of the process is humane. The horses are kept in tight, filthy quarters, often pressed into a small box stall or corral with 30-50 other horses. The fact of the matter is, those involved with any aspect of horse slaughter are heartless.
Everyday, more and more people are becoming aware of the disgusting issue and are putting forth all efforts to do something about it. What are some ways in which people are attempting to do so?



californiabarbaro. (Producer) (2007). Exposing the lies: The truth about horse slaughter [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXQVmE-yP10

Therapeutic Riding- Hippotherapy

The horse has evolved over time and become one of the most beneficial additions to modern lives. They not only provide loving members of families and an outlet for many entertainment purposes, but also one of the most effective forms of therapy for those in need.
As an individualized program of restorative and enjoyable activities, therapeutic riding provides where riders can learn skills that convert to improved balance, strength and flexibility for the rider. Research studies have shown that therapeutic riding can foster self-confidence and communication skills for both children and adults with emotional and psychological disabilities. It also serves as an alternative form of treatment for those with life-threatening illnesses, rather than medical treatment that can lead to pain and depression. Hippotherapy is best defined as physical, occupational and speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement. The main purpose of such therapy is to improve motor skills as well as cognitive abilities.
Many wounded soldiers also find beneficial experiences through therapeutic riding. Natasha McKinnon lost part of her left leg during battle in 2005 in Iraq. She has been a part of the therapeutic riding program for over a year and says that the muscle strength she has developed has helped her mobility greatly. Once she gets out of the army, Natasha wants to become a veterinarian so being around horses and other animals fosters her devotion.
Horses have definitely proven their worth to humans over time but unfortunately, not all see it that way.
Horse slaughter has become a growing problem in today's society and what horse-lovers worldwide want to know is, why?
Jane, A. (2008). Therapeutic riding: How horses help and inspire people. Retrieved from http://amyjane.hubpages.com/hub/Therapeutic-Riding-How-Horses-Help-and-Inspire-People

Horses and the Handicapped

We know that horses provide some of the greatest companionships animals can give to humans, but what alot of people don't realize is that horses also provide some of the best therapeutic help to those who are handicapped.
The Magic Horse Therapeutic Riding Program in Lakeside, California knows this very well. Founder Robin Pawl started the program for children with disabilities in 2004. The goal of her program is to provide life-altering experiences for disabled people and their families through the magic and power of the horse. Avery is a 10-year-old boy with cerebral palsy, brain damage and learning disabilities. When he first came to Magic Horse he was unable to sit on his Quarter Horse partner Iggy, but now he can sit forwards, backwards, and sideways on his own. Pawl says that the motions of the horse beneath him simulate pelvic movement, helping Avery to improve his coordination skills, strengthen his back muscles and improve his sense of balance. Like many disabled children, Avery missed key developmental stages. "If the brain doesn't develop, we try to develop new pathways," said Pawl, a therapeutic riding instructor certified through NAHRA, the North American Riding for the Handicapped Association, which provides referrals to therapeutic riding programs worldwide. Her riding program has been so beneficial and important to the lives of these kids including 13-year-old Laurel and 9-year-old Lauren. "It's a positive experience," concluded Pawl, who takes pride in helping children at The Magic Horse. "They have fun, and a lot of times they surprise you. My job is to stay one step ahead of them."
Other than providing therapeutic assistance to children with disabilities, are there other ways in which the horse provides mental and physical help to those in need?
Raftery, M. (2008, September). People powers- magic horse miracles: Therapeutic riding program benefits disabled kids. East County Magazine, Retrieved from http://eastcountymagazine.org/magichorse

Horses and Humans- The Western Riding World

We've looked at the equestrian sports found under the English category, but there is a whole other side of riding that millions of people enjoy. Western riding has evolved from ranching and warfare traditions into over 15 different sports. These different sports all come together to create the Rodeo.
The first rodeo-style events took place in the 1820's and 1830's and became a form of public entertainment between 1890 and 1910. Rodeo events include roping, steer-wrestling, bull and Bronco riding, and barrel racing.
Roping is based on the same tasks that early working cowboys had to do everyday in the Old West. The three categories of roping include Calf Roping, Breakaway Roping, and Team Roping. Each event is timed and consists of the use of calves, and either an individual horse and rider pair or a team of two to three pairs.
In the event of Steer Wrestling, a steer is released at the same time as the cowboy and his horse. Once the pair gets close enough to the bull, the rider jumps from the saddle to the horns of the steer, pulling him to the ground where the hooves are then restrained as quickly as possible. This is considered one of the most dangerous rodeo sports because the rider could fall head first onto the ground and miss the steer completely, or land directly on one of the immense horns.
Perhaps the most well-known rodeo events is Bronco/Bull riding. In these events, cowboys ride on either a mustang or a full-size bull, holding only onto a small rope tied around the horse's breast. Each rider has to stay on the animal for at least 7 seconds to qualify.
Barrel Racing is one of the most popular western sports found in the United States. In a barrel racing event, the horse and rider will gallop around a set of three barrels in a clover-leaf pattern as fast as they can, without knocking over any barrels. It is an exclusively women's sport, although a few men and young boys do it for there own recreational purposes.
The extent to which the horse and human interact today is incredible. But, the horse also provides an extremely important role in physical and mental therapy for handicapped children and adults. But what are the ways in which the horse can do so?
Interactive Marketing Technologies. (2005). About the rodeo. Retrieved from http://www.friendsofrodeo.com/aboutrodeo.html

Reflection

Since I began this research project, I have learned so much about something that I am so passionate about. This blog has opened my eyes to so many distinct aspects to horses' lives that I now have a much deeper understanding about these amazing creatures than I previously did. As I continue my research, I hope to develop an understanding of horses that I have not yet been able to accomplish.

Equine Evolution

Based on my findings throughout this blog, I have established a solid base for my future research. The evolution of the horse's interaction with humans is one that is not only interesting, but beneficial. Starting out as manual laborers for their strength and stamina, to their outstanding assistance and performance alongside soldiers in wars, to becoming a part of one of the most indispensable bonds between human and animal, horses are just simply something that we, as success hungry humans, could not do without.
For the second part of my research, I have created a website that incorporates all of the information I have collected thus far, as well as more information to help me become increasingly closer to finding the answer to my essential question: how has human interaction with horse evolved?
http://www.sites.google.com/site/equineevolutioncom/

Horses and Humans- The English Riding World

Over centuries, human interaction with horses has drastically changed. In the beginning, horses were used as laborers because of their strength. But over time, humans began to fall in love with horses and see their futures not as workers, but also companions.
Perhaps the earliest known use of horses for entertainment is racing. With origins tracing back to the nomadic tribesmen of Central Asia in 4500 B.C., racing has become one of the most common equestrian sports. For thousands of years, horse racing flourished as the sport of kings and the nobility. Now, horse racing is popular as it provides legal venues for gambling. But, there are those who see horse racing for what it really is: a competitive, rigorous lifestyle. The Superbowl of horse racing is the Triple Crown. Consisting of three races, the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes, winning this title is considered the greatest accomplishment of Thoroughbred racing. Only 11 horses have ever succeeded in winning all three races. The most well recognized horse is Secretariat who won in 1973.
A second sport found throughout the English riding world, and my favorite, is jumping. Show Jumping is fairly new to the equestrian world as it was introduced in England in the 18th century. Under the show jumping category there are two forms of riding: hunter and jumper. In a hunters competition, riders are judged on manners, way of going, and conformation. In a jumpers competition, riders are judged by how quickly a horse can complete a course of jumps with the fewest faults. Jumping requires immense stamina and an incredibly strong relationship between the horse and rider. The pinnacle of show jumping is the Grand Prix.
Dressage is another sport within the English world. Its fundamental purpose is to develop, through standardized progressive training methods, a horse's natural athletic ability and willingness to perform. This form of riding consists of several gymnastics moves performed by the horse after given unnoticeable cues from the rider. The rider will be relaxed and appear effort-free while the horse willingly performs the requested movement.
I've just barely scratched the surface of the equestrian sports found within the English riding world, but what about the Western spectrum?
SSoftballProduction. (2008, November 15). Equestrian commercial. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fqz12jHAdFU&feature=related

Domestication: Why and Who?

The earliest phase of  horse keeping may have begun as early as 4800 BCE. Dating back to 1350 BC, horses were used by ancient Romans in chariot races and for jousting during the Renaissance.
As American migrants moved westward, cow herders found a need to control their herds and their lead cows. Based on their knowledge of herds of wild horses, they knew that this role would be best filled by lead mares. This would quickly have produced the earliest domesticated horses.
But before settlers moved across the land, Native Americans populated it first.They shared this uncharted land with the mustangs and eventually tamed them. The two became an image in history that went hand-in-hand. Wherever an Indian was, his horse was not far behind him. The Plains Indians were the first to domesticate wild horses in North America, and did so around 1540.
As time progressed, the demand for domesticated horses increased. Those in the West were still used as cattle-herders and transportation. In large cities, they were also used as transportation, but also for manual labor. Perhaps the most notable use of the domesticated horse was in warfare. Beginning by 360 BC, horses were used in the Greek Cavalry. In the Americas, the use of horses and development of mounted warfare tactics were learned by several tribes of indigenous people and in turn, highly mobile horse regiments were critical in the American Civil War. Their use in wars began to die out during World War I as tanks were introduced to battle. By World War II, they were scarcely used in battle, but were still heavily used for the transport of both supplies and troops.
Today the most common uses for horses include police mounts, cattle-drivers and search and rescue teams. Horses are also used for entertainment purposes and are commonly owned as pets world-wide.
After their use in wars died out, what was it that sparked people's interest in keeping horses for personal reasons?

Anthony, David., W. (2007). The horse, the wheel, and language. (p. 568). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. Retrieved from http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/math-and-science/9781400831104

Domestication: When?

Recently, archaeologist Alan K. Outram of England has made discoveries that indicate an earlier than known domestication of the wild horse. He wrote of uncovering ample horse bones and artifacts from which they derived “three independent lines of evidence demonstrating domestication” of horses by the semi-sedentary Botai culture, which, beginning around 3600 B.C., occupied sites in northern Kazakhstan for six centuries. The skeletons from four sites were analyzed for their size and shape and then compared with bones of wild horses in the region from the same time period, with domestic horses from centuries later in the Bronze Age, and with the Mongolian domestic horses. Their physical features were surprisingly different which made them more useful to the people as meat, sources of milk and beasts of burden and locomotion.
The second form of evidence were the indentations  on the horses’ teeth and damage to skeletal tissue in the mouths. Archaeologists said that this was caused by the wearing of bits, mouthpieces inserted for harnessing with a bridle or similar restraint to control working animals. Similar discoveries have been made at other sites but have been disputed as support for domestication.
The exact time and location of the beginning of the domestication of the horse has eluded archaeologists. In 2007, David W. Anthony, an archaeologist at Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y., said that some of the best evidence put the beginning of horse domestication in the region around 2500 B.C. The question of roughly when domestication began has been answered, but what about the reason why? Who was the first to attempt to do so?
Wilford, John, N. (2009, March 06). Earlier date suggested for horse domestication. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/science/06horses.html?ref=horses

The Beginning- Przewalski's Horse

For hundreds of years the land was roamed and owned by the horse. There are still wild horses roaming free today but are not nearly as much as there used to be. Today we know them as Mustangs, but the earliest known wild horses went by the names of the Tarpan and the Przewalski's Horse.
After being discovered in the 15th century by Russsian colonel, explorer, and naturalist, Nikolai Przevalsky in 1881 in Asia, the Przewalski's Horse roamed the land until the 20th century. In 1967, the last herd was spotted and in 1969, the last individual. After failed location expeditions, the Przewalski's Horse was pronounced extinct in the wild with only two captive populations in Munich and Prague. Only 12 indivudauls of this breed remained in the world by the late 1950's.  In 1977, the Foundation for the Preservation and Protection of the Przewalski's Horse was founded in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, by Jan and Inge Bouman in order to bring back this species. Since then, the status of the Przewalski's Horse has gone from "extinct in the wild", to "critically endangered", and finally to, "endangered".
Although such efforts have been introduced, the Przewalski's Horse is still considered endangered today. For this reason I would like to ask why this is so. Does it have to do anything with the domestication of the wild horse? How was domestication sparked and why?

Marin, Lucian, E. (2011, December 14). Neigh: Journal retracts brief endangered horse paper for mysterious reasons. Retrieved from http://retractionwatch.wordpress.com/2011/12/14/neigh-journal-retracts-brief-endangered-horse-paper-for-mysterious-reasons/

I Love Horses

Ever since I was a little girl I have been in love with horses. Making a living with them sounds like an amazing way to spend my life. But in order for me to succeed in accomplishing this, I want to do a little research to truly learn about these unique animals. So I have to ask, how has human interaction with horses evolved?