Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
- Keyword
Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Noseband Use In Equestrian Sports ± An International Study, Orla Doherty, Vincent Casey, Paul Mcgreevy, Sean Arkins
Noseband Use In Equestrian Sports ± An International Study, Orla Doherty, Vincent Casey, Paul Mcgreevy, Sean Arkins
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Nosebands are used by riders to prevent the horse from opening its mouth, to increase control and, in some cases, to comply with the competition rules. While equestrian texts traditionally recommend that two adult human fingers should be able to fit under a fastened noseband, noseband tightness levels are not, in general, regulated in competition. Possible detrimental consequences for the horse, of excessively tight nosebands, include discomfort, pain or tissue damage. The current study investigated noseband usage in equestrian competition. Data regarding noseband type, position, width and tightness were collected from 750 horses in eventing (n = 354), dressage (n …
Flogging Tired Horses: Who Wants Whipping And Who Would Walk Away If Whipping Horses Were Withheld?, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Mark D. Griffiths, Frank R. Ascione, Bethany Wilson
Flogging Tired Horses: Who Wants Whipping And Who Would Walk Away If Whipping Horses Were Withheld?, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Mark D. Griffiths, Frank R. Ascione, Bethany Wilson
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Recent studies have cast doubt on the effectiveness of whipping horses during races and this has led to questions concerning its continuing justification. Furthermore, it has been argued that whipping tired horses in racing is the most televised form of violence to animals. The present study used de-identified data from a recent independent Australian poll (n = 1,533) to characterise the 26% of respondents (113 females and 271 males) who support the whipping of racehorses and the 10% of racing enthusiasts in the sample (44 females and 63 males) who would stop watching races and betting on them if whipping …
Longitudinal Trends In The Frequency Of Medium And Fast Race Winning Times In Australian Harness Racing: Relationships With Rules Moderating Whip Use, Bethany Wilson, Bidda Jones, Paul Mcgreevy
Longitudinal Trends In The Frequency Of Medium And Fast Race Winning Times In Australian Harness Racing: Relationships With Rules Moderating Whip Use, Bethany Wilson, Bidda Jones, Paul Mcgreevy
Paul McGreevy, PhD
The use of whips in racing is subject to current debate, not least because the prospect that fatigued horses cannot respond renders the practice futile and inhumane. The racing industries maintain whip use is a form of encouragement and that the rules of racing that govern whip use safeguard horse welfare. The current study examined longitudinal trends in the frequency of medium and fast race winning times in Australian harness racing between September 2007 and August 2016 to explore relationships with a series of changes that moderated whip use. The first change, introduced January 2010, moderated whip action so that …
The Laterality Of The Gallop Gait In Thoroughbred Racehorses, Paulette Cully, Brian Nielsen, Bryony Lancaster, Jessica Martin, Paul Mcgreevy
The Laterality Of The Gallop Gait In Thoroughbred Racehorses, Paulette Cully, Brian Nielsen, Bryony Lancaster, Jessica Martin, Paul Mcgreevy
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Laterality can be observed as side biases in locomotory behaviour which, in the horse, manifest inter alia as forelimb preferences, most notably in the gallop. The current study investigated possible leading-leg preferences at the population and individual level in Thoroughbred racehorses (n = 2095) making halt-to-gallop transitions. Videos of flat races in the UK (n = 350) were studied to record, for each horse, the lead-leg preference of the initial stride into gallop from the starting stalls. Races from clockwise (C) and anti-clockwise (AC) tracks were chosen alternately at random to ensure equal representation. Course direction, horse age and sex, …
Battle Of The Sexes In Best Of Breed: Sex Influences Dogs’ Success In The Show Ring, Bethany J. Wilson, Alicia J. Kasbarian, Navneet Dhand, Paul D. Mcgreevy
Battle Of The Sexes In Best Of Breed: Sex Influences Dogs’ Success In The Show Ring, Bethany J. Wilson, Alicia J. Kasbarian, Navneet Dhand, Paul D. Mcgreevy
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Much of the research on pedigree dog breeding has been directed towards understanding the implications of reduced genetic diversity and the prevalence of inherited disorders. An example is the potential role of the popular sire effect in perpetuating genetic defects. If male dogs are more likely than bitches to be identified as examples of members of a breed that align with breed standard, they may be selected for breeding earlier. This may contribute to the influence of individual males and contribute to popular sire effect. Conversely, if breed standards are written in a sex-neutral fashion, and if dogs are entered, …
Whip Use By Jockeys In A Sample Of Australian Thoroughbred Races—An Observational Study, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Robert A. Corken, Hannah Salvin, Celeste M. Black
Whip Use By Jockeys In A Sample Of Australian Thoroughbred Races—An Observational Study, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Robert A. Corken, Hannah Salvin, Celeste M. Black
Paul McGreevy, PhD
The use of whips by jockeys is an issue. The current study viewed opportunistic high-speed footage of 15 race finishes frame-by-frame to examine the outcomes of arm and wrist actions (n = 350) on 40 horses viewed from the left of the field. Any actions fully or partially obscured by infrastructure or other horses were removed from the database, leaving a total of 104 non-contact sweeps and 134 strikes. For all instances of arm actions that resulted in fully visible whip strikes behind the saddle (n = 109), the outcomes noted were area struck, percentage of unpadded section making contact, …
Environmental Factors Associated With Success Rates Of Australian Stock Herding Dogs, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Jonathan B. Early, Claire M. Wade, Paul D. Mcgreevy
Environmental Factors Associated With Success Rates Of Australian Stock Herding Dogs, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Jonathan B. Early, Claire M. Wade, Paul D. Mcgreevy
Paul McGreevy, PhD
This study investigated the current management practices associated with stock herding dogs on Australian farms. A parallel goal was to determine whether these practices and the characteristics of the dog handlers were associated with success rates. Success rate refers to the proportion of dogs acquired by the farmer that were retained as working dogs. Data on a total of 4,027 dogs were obtained through The Farm Dog Survey which gathered information from 812 herding dog owners around Australia. Using logistic regression, significant associations were identified between success rate and seven variables: dog breed, housing method, trial participation, age of the …
Strong Selection For Behavioural Resilience In Australian Stock Working Dogs Identified By Selective Sweep Analysis, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Lincoln Peek, Jonathan B. Early, Annie Y. H. Pan, Bianca Haase, Tracy Chew, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Claire M. Wade
Strong Selection For Behavioural Resilience In Australian Stock Working Dogs Identified By Selective Sweep Analysis, Elizabeth R. Arnott, Lincoln Peek, Jonathan B. Early, Annie Y. H. Pan, Bianca Haase, Tracy Chew, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Claire M. Wade
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Background: Working dog handlers and breeders have strong opinions on characteristics that are desirable in the breeds that they use to handle stock. Most of these characteristics are related to conformation or behaviour. This study explored whether the genetics underlying desirable working behaviour traits might be identified by selective sweep analysis; a method that identifies long regions of strong homozygosity combined with allelic divergence from a comparison group. For this analysis, we compared genomic haplotype architecture in two breeds derived from common founder stock but subjected to divergent selective pressures. The breeds studied were the Australian Kelpie, which is registered …
The Effect Of Noseband Tightening On Horses’ Behavior, Eye Temperature, And Cardiac Responses, Kate Fenner, Samuel Yoon, Peter White, Melissa Starling, Paul Mcgreevy
The Effect Of Noseband Tightening On Horses’ Behavior, Eye Temperature, And Cardiac Responses, Kate Fenner, Samuel Yoon, Peter White, Melissa Starling, Paul Mcgreevy
Paul McGreevy, PhD
Restrictive nosebands are common in equestrian sport. This is concerning, as recent evidence suggests that very tight nosebands can cause a physiological stress response, and may compromise welfare. The objective of the current study was to investigate relationships that noseband tightness has with oral behavior and with physiological changes that indicate a stress response, such as increases in eye temperature (measured with infrared thermography) and heart rate and decreases in heart rate variability (HRV). Horses (n = 12) wearing a double bridle and crank noseband, as is common in dressage at elite levels, were randomly assigned to four treatments: unfastened …