Bioresource and Agricultural Engineering Commons^™

The Characterization, Assessment, And Shear Strength Of Turfgrass Soil In North American Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Schmitt

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Minimizing catastrophic injuries to racehorses, which also protects the riders, is critical for the future of the Thoroughbred racing industry. While the causes of catastrophic injuries are multifactorial, the condition of the racing surface is one of only a few factors that affects all horses in competition. Horse racing surfaces must retain enough shear strength to support the hoof of a Thoroughbred at a gallop. Turfgrass racing surfaces also require healthy turf to reinforce the footing while also achieving a high infiltration rate to allow races to run on the turf soon after or even during rain. This research is …

Characterization Of Indoor Arenas Through An Anonymous Survey, Staci Mcgill, Morgan D. Hayes, Kimberly I. Tumlin, Robert Coleman

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Equine farms are building both stables for the horses to live in and additional facilities to train and work horses (Kidd et al., 1997). For many of these farms, an outdoor arena that has an all-weather footing is the first working facility built. During inclement weather the ability to train in the outdoor arenas is inhibited, which in turn means the trainers, riders, and farms lose income as money is only made when horses are working, training, and competing. Indoor arenas allow for horses to continue to be worked no matter the weather conditions. The equine industry contributes a total …

An Experimental Comparison Of Simple Measurements Used For The Characterization Of Sand Equestrian Surfaces, María Alejandra Blanco, Raúl Hourquebie, Kaleb Dempsey, Peter Schmitt, Michael L. Peterson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Quantitative measurements of performance parameters have the potential to increase consistency and enhance performance of the surfaces as well as to contribute to the safety of horses and riders. This study investigates how factors known to influence the performance of the surface, incorporation of a drainage package, control of the moisture control, and introduction of a geotextile reinforcement, affect quantitative measurements of arena materials. The measurements are made by using affordable lightweight testing tools which are readily available or easily constructed. Sixteen boxes with arena materials at a consistent depth were tested with the Going Stick (GS), both penetration resistance …

Evaluation Of Air Movement In Equestrian Facilities And On Equine Athletes, Staci Elaine Mcgill

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Ventilation and air movement are important aspects of animal agriculture and is frequently neglected in equine facilities. This paper discusses three different studies that examine different components of ventilation and air movement. One is a fan orientation study which examines how fans impact the stall environment, the second is a cooling study questioning whether forced air speed across a horse increases the rate of cool out after intense exercise, and the last is a survey examining ventilation, air quality, and health concerns in indoor arenas.

The stall fan study took place over two summers with the goal of determining how …