Hello everyone,
I hope you all had a great Easter.
I finally received enough samples to continue my research. I am truly sorry for all of the confusion. I have been studying for midterms, and now that they are through, I will be commenting on everyone’s questions.
I am sorry that there hasn’t been enough information, but hopefully I can resolve the issues.
Thank you for your patience
bump after moving to Off Course
What do you mean by horses that don’t jump? Horses that aren’t physically sound enough to jump? Horses that happen not to jump because they are owned by riders who don’t like to jump? Horses from breeds that don’t traditionally jump? Horses that don’t like to jump? Horses that are so bad at jumping that people don’t want to jump them?
^ And what does lack of jumping ability have to do with the mane hair samples?
It’s an interesting survey, but I’m having a hard time picturing what it is you’re researching here, OP.
I assume they are trying to DNA test to predict jumping ability? Maybe?
Maybe. But isn’t nonspecific DNA testing on animals considered a bit of a crap shoot?
Don’t get me wrong; I’d love to know the Scientific Reason why my bred-to-be-a-jumper horsie is such a hopeless klutz, but still - the OP really ought to spell out the general parameters of the study if she wants an enthusiastic response.
My mare can free jump 4’…only I won’t jump her that high with me on her back! She will jump over anything I ask when we are trail riding. My gelding is not a jumper - has no desire and I have to work at getting him to jump logs on the trails. Clarify would be nice as I might have one of each for you…
…good jump questions.
But nobody balked at pulling a one - inch wide gap of hair from their horse’s mane? I can’t imagine that’s what’s needed exactly, but that is how it’s worded.
^ And then there’s that.
:lol:
Perhaps the real lesson here is in mastering basic data gathering skillz.
It would be helpful OP if you stated what your hypothesis is and what test you are going to perform on mane samples. I would want to know more before I sent you a 1 inch chunk of mane…
[QUOTE=Aly.Maxian;8581215]
** If you have nothing nice to say, please don’t say it at all. If you are assuming something, please message me before writing on this post **
I am doing a research project at Binghamton University and I need mane samples of horses that jump AND don’t jump (can be any horse). This opportunity will help me to get into Veterinary School and hopefully help trainers/owners/equestrians in the future.
Unfortunately, I can’t give more information unless you message me on COTH, facebook, or through email.
If you are interested please fill out this survey:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C227RJ3
AND:
Please PULL hair from your horses’ mane. I need the follicles from the mane, so enough to be see these follicles (probably 10-12 pieces)
Put it in a plastic bag
With your name and your horses’ name
Then message me for more details on where to send it
For more information:
Email me at: HorseJumpResearch@gmail.com
Like my facebook page: www.facebook.com/HorseJumpResearch
Results of Research:
If you want your horses’ results, I can supply that information on my facebook page, so please contact me.
Or if you don’t have facebook, I can email you.
Need Samples by:
Mid-April[/QUOTE]
[QUOTE=Sansena;8587430]
But nobody balked at pulling a one - inch wide gap of hair from their horse’s mane? I can’t imagine that’s what’s needed exactly, but that is how it’s worded.[/QUOTE]
I think the OP needs to give a better description of how much mane they want. A one inch section on my gelding would be like six hairs. A one inch section on my haflinger would be a very full bag.
Clearly the OP needs a certain amount of hairs, with the roots. It might be best to say how much hair is needed.
OP, for this to get you in to vet school, you need to offer potential participants a hypothesis, alittle backround research (even anecdotal) that justifies your study, a statement of your scientific method and how you define a horse and how you define a horse that jumps, an estimate of how many mane samples you are collecting from jumpers and from non-jumpers, an acknowledgment of risks, an acknowledgement of the study’s limitations, and a statement saying what exactly you will do with the information (more specific than “help people”) and how the testing will be paid for – assuming you are doing some sort of testing. It doesn’t have to be a dissertation; a paragraph that includes all the above information will do. Also, the survey questions don’t necessary help us take this study seriously. Why do you need the farm name? Your descriptions of how the horse jumps are extremely subjective – what if a horse is able to jump anything but his legs are all over the place — is that not a jumper? Is a horse who jumps 18" with stunning form, but can go no higher, a jumper? If this is a gene-based study, why ask about trainers? How are you determining quality of the trainer? I would encourage you to find a strong mentor with a research background who can help you with this study.
After going to the OP’s FB page to see if there were more information, I am of the opinion that this study is a tongue-in-cheek joke after a day of silly mare games.
Hi Aly, long-time lurker here. As someone who is involved in equine genetics, I think it’s great that you’re looking into furthering the research that’s out there!
I do think that horse owners should consider these types of projects very carefully. Your horse’s DNA is really his genetic fingerprint - it doesn’t change throughout his life. By giving away this information, it’s important that you know how it will be used. That’s why a consent form and ethical approval/consideration is so vital. Confidentiality is a huge aspect of genetic testing - horses and humans. A consent form and ethical approval from a research body ensures that your horse’s information is dealt with in a way that you approve of, now and in the future. If information naming individuals is published in magazines, papers etc, it might not matter to you now, but in the future, when more information is known about the implications of different genes, it will have an impact.
That said, I believe OP stated she is working with someone established in equine genetics. They should be able to advise you on how this work should be carried out to avoid ill feelings or even lawsuits. But OP, if you need any help or advice, feel free to PM me.
A one-inch is section is about what I’ve always pulled from foals for their registration- that’s pretty normal. Think about an inch of hair laid side-by-side, nothing abnormal or noticeable.
[QUOTE=tabula rashah;8587473]
Think about an inch of hair laid side-by-side, nothing abnormal or noticeable.[/QUOTE]
Oh, that makes more sense. Not one inch worth of horse and whatever mane happens to be in that inch but hair equal to an inch when laid out.
Thank you for clarifying.
Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for all of your messages. I am working with a doctor who is the owner of two businesses, races horses, and teaches a science class. We discussed the details but I can’t write out too much information as we don’t want people to steal the information. Also, since he is a very busy man he gave me the reins to this research project so I am figuring it out as I go. Any advice would be much appreciated 
But …what does the completely subjective question about the horse doing good with a good trainer and bad with a bad trainer or asking for the owners opinion of the horses form over fences have to do with a data based scientific study?
Not to mention there is no such thing as “Olympic form” even in Olympic Jumpers who are quite individual form wise. Don’t get liking you on FB as part of serious research either
[QUOTE=Aly.Maxian;8590297]
Hello everyone,
Thank you so much for all of your messages. I am working with a doctor who is the owner of two businesses, races horses, and teaches a science class. We discussed the details but I can’t write out too much information as we don’t want people to steal the information. Also, since he is a very busy man he gave me the reins to this research project so I am figuring it out as I go. Any advice would be much appreciated
I will get consents (thank you) by people first filling out the survey, then liking my facebook page, and finally by messaging me. By doing this I will be able to contact you with what we find out about your horse(s). I will also ask for your consent.
Regarding the questions: I just need as much information as possible about one’s horse(s) and the barn name is to help us group people together if they are from the same barn. If I wasn’t in college currently, I would want to go out to the farms and possibly ride the horses to get my own opinion, however, that is impossible with my class schedule.
The only reason it is 1 inch of mane, is, some people will give less and I want to make sure there are follicles at the end of the mane.[/QUOTE]
If it wasn’t for your college class schedule preventing you from going out to the farms and riding the horses submitting samples, what would your riding them contribute to the presumably genetic research project??? Why would you need the farm name and information on the farm and why would it matter in a genetics study if they lived close to each other or not?
Proper consent forms are vital to any research project. In human studies, if you don’t have a plan to execute proper consent, your project can’t get funded. In using animals it’s a bit different, but an actual consent for detailing what was being done with the project would go a long way in adding credibility to the project.
Anytime I worked with animals in either undergrad or graduate school, it had to be approved through IACUC. Even when we took the undergrads to milk cows one day, we needed IACUC approval.
The questions in the survey are very subjective, and very difficult to get accurate answers. I wouldn’t want to give my name, my horse’s name, and definitely not my trainer or farm name. And certainly not without any guarantee of privacy.
There are tweaks you can make to this project to lend a lot more credibility to it. (I’ve worked on multiple research projects, written many grant proposals, and have had my work published, so I’m coming from a place of some knowledge.)
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