# research paper



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

If your paper is on equine slaughter, how come you are writing about pasture feeding? 
And as far as the grass, do you mean how it is risky to turn out a horse on too lush of grass? (usually in the spring) 
I didnt know that had a specific name...hmm


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## bumble2010 (Feb 24, 2009)

Well it's covering horse neglect. Everything from abondoning horses, abuse and stuff. It's a broad paper. I had to pick a few different topics to cover the minimum page length.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

Well first off I think that you need to figure out what you definition of neglect is. If someone leaves their horse simply on pasture, and only pasture, but still provides water and shelter, this is not neglect. If they were to leave their horses for weeks without checking on them and no access to water, that would be grounds for neglect. 

As far as feeding habits, horses can develop what is called founder if they are left on grass that is too lush or rich. Is that what you were getting at? Otherwise I am not sure as to what you are asking? There are less nutrients in the grass when it goes dead, but that is kind of common knowledge. 

Have you tried googling horse rescues in NC? I did and came up with hope for horses in western NC. Http://www.hopeforhorses.org is the website that came up. I am sure there are others I did not look very hard at all. If your paper is broad then perhaps creating an outline will be of help to you in gathering you thoughts and points.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

I wrote a 12 page paper in college just on horse slaughter, lol. You sure you need to go into that much depth? ;-)


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I would say don't even worry about pointing that out. It's not important. 
There is A LOT of information to cover just on slaughter/neglect alone in the really extreme cases. I don't think you will have a problem getting enough information but still keeping it concise. 
You don't want to be all over the place.


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## Lori1983 (Jan 9, 2009)

I have to agree with luvs2ride...I'm an English major (junior year in college), and for a research paper, you _really _want to narrow it down very specifically, or you'll be all over the place. Does that make sense? 

Anyhow, on that note...I have a great article on equine slaughter...once I find the URL I'll link it to you.

(Oh, and NewHeart makes an excellent point...very clearly define objective words like "neglect." For instance, do you mean your idea of neglect, or the state of Montana's legal definition, blah blah blah...lol, boring, I know...but it makes your paper easier to write in the long run.)


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

There is no scientific evidence to support any of those claims. If so, there will be incredible simple science, and probably no tests. You will find that other than simple anatomy & biology, there is not much in depth research done on the horse.

Horse slaughter and neglect are incredibly liberal topics, a person could ramble forever.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

shmurmer4 said:


> There is no scientific evidence to support any of those claims. If so, there will be incredible simple science, and probably no tests. You will find that other than simple anatomy & biology, there is not much in depth research done on the horse.


Which claims?


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

Does anyone know a site where I can find the health risks of pasture feeding? By this I mean when a horse is stuck out in a pasture with no grains, vitamins, anything. Just grass.

It was something about the grass changes with the season, and it makes the horse sort of sick. 

Those two.^

If you find hard scientific evidence that is in depth, so I would be shocked.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Well I think she was talking about horses becoming sick from too rich of a diet (ie founder) which can happen in the spring?


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

Yes, I am saying you can google that stuff all day long and you wont find it in in depth research and statistics and complete explanations, etc...

I honestly would take it as an insult that the scientific community feels that absolutely must dumb down everything for horse owners.


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## alsiola (Apr 8, 2008)

shmurmer4 said:


> Yes, I am saying you can google that stuff all day long and you wont find it in in depth research and statistics and complete explanations, etc...
> 
> I honestly would take it as an insult that the scientific community feels that absolutely must dumb down everything for horse owners.


There is a lot of research out there on laminitis, the role of feeding, and possible theories as to how it develops, and a lot of it is very in depth. The problem is that most of it is published in journals that are difficult to access. I would suggest searching a site like pubmed, and you will find more research than any person could hope to digest. If you can't get the journals then send me a PM and I can email copies to you - I have access through my university to most journals.



bumble2010 said:


> Hey everyone. =]
> I know I'm a fresh member, but I joined in hopes of getting help with my junior paper in high school. I picked a horse subject of course, but now I'm having a hard time finding information. I have just a few questions.
> 
> Does anyone know a site where I can find the health risks of pasture feeding? By this I mean when a horse is stuck out in a pasture with no grains, vitamins, anything. Just grass.


Does a wild horse get grains and vitamins, or does it just get grass?


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

A good web site for health questions and answers is The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care you will have to sign up but its not a spammy site and the information available is vast. 
Good luck on your paper and remember its best to stick with facts.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Safer Grass - A Resource for Equine Forage Nutrition also has some good information on pasture feeding and hay types.

Wild horses get much more than grass. They have hundreds or even thousands of acres of land to roam, munching on everything from grass, to trees, to bushes, plants, etc. Wild horses also don't grow as tall as domestic horses, or are subjected to the rigors of training and competition ;-).

For a pasture puff though, I agree, grass pasture and/or hay is probably going to be fine. It's when the grass runs out that the horse can have problems... Some people don't realize you have to feed hay in the winter, or they run out of money and think the horse will do okay...


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't really think things are dumbed down. There is plenty of scientific information on nutrition.


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

6th grade level biology max.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

You seem quite scorned. 
I'm sorry, I just don't see it. *Shrug*


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## shmurmer4 (Dec 27, 2008)

alsiola said:


> There is a lot of research out there on laminitis, the role of feeding, and possible theories as to how it develops, and a lot of it is very in depth. The problem is that most of it is published in journals that are difficult to access. I would suggest searching a site like pubmed, and you will find more research than any person could hope to digest. If you can't get the journals then send me a PM and I can email copies to you - I have access through my university to most journals.
> 
> 
> 
> Does a wild horse get grains and vitamins, or does it just get grass?


yes i'm studying off of sciencedirect right now


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

Shmurmer, why are you so negative? Did someone pee in your wheeties recently?


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

Well personally I am glad that Schmurmer is able to grace us with the presence of a true intellect. Thank goodness the OP has you here with all your constructive help. Where would she be with you?


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## MN Tigerstripes (Feb 20, 2009)

I'm taking a course on equine nutrition right now at the U... let me see if I can find some online articles for you to check out. You could check out this website also The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care They have a lot of info about nutrition (not all completely dumbed down either) and other health issues. Another place to check would be the colleges the specialize in equine nutrition research. I think Kentucky has a good program. I'll let you know. I did some looking into this last semester, just need to find my notes.


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## bumble2010 (Feb 24, 2009)

I seemed to cause a stir about all this. I probably should've mentioned that our teacher wanted us to cover as many causes and effects of our subject as possible so that we can go through and pick out the necessary and unnecessary. We are supposed to gather a couple things to highlight, cover the major cases and light cases. By the pasture feeding and stuff I brought this up under the 'neglect' case as owners are uneducated. Does anyone understand this? I have heard a lot about people purchasing a horse then realizing there is more to know than just "can I see Sally's ribs?" 

I'll point this out again, I was asked to cover many subjects. All types of neglect, what neglect leads to, how to fix this problem, what owners do when they realize they aren't taking care of their horse, etc. 

My teacher actually owns a horse. She mentioned a few of these points. I wanted to stick mainly to horse slaughter and the alternatives (ex. horse rescues). So once I get this paper typed up, I'll tell her I want to focus on horse slaughter and alternatives. 

I know I sounded pretty broad and unsure about my paper. I was in a major rush when I posted my first couple questions. At that point I was really frustrated with how much I had progressed. Right now I need to find someone to interview. Since I'm focusing on horse slaughter and horse rescue, I tried to think of a good person to interview. Who would I interview about horse slaughter? I figured it would be easier to interview a horse rescue center. But I've tried to find one around my area and none have surfaced. 

Does anyone else have any advice?

Also, I'm sure I didn't sound like a very horse-y person, but I honestly am. I'm not the best, but I've been around them for most of my life. I've just never owned one and learned about the full responsibilities of caring for one. I get everything I know from lessons and taking care of my boyfriend's miniature donkey, and the couple years I was in 4-H when I was younger. Not to mention I was completely obsessed with horses growing up. I was reading advanced horse medical, history, and general information books starting when I was about eight. 

Seriously, I was a major horse nerd. I'm still a horse nerd. I even told my teacher about Comanche, the only survivor on the American side at the battle of Little Big Horn. She told my class that the entire American troop was killed. Remember, I'm a junior in high school. I had to raise my hand and correct her. Ohhhh the looks I got at that moment. It was priceless.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

I don't know if you read it or not, but I posted earlier on this thread a link to Hope For Horses - Western North Carolina located in western NC. I don't know where you are located in NC, but I am sure there are others if that one is too far. All I did was google horse rescue in NC and that is what came up. I am sure if you dig in a little bit you should be able to find something. Do you need to visit the rescue personally, or can it be a phone interview?


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## bumble2010 (Feb 24, 2009)

I'll check it out, but I'm located about an hour away from Charlotte (so I'm in the western part of the state). A phone interview is fine, but our teacher asked us to try to find local since we will need mentors for next year. There was some private stable ran by an older woman once on the news in Charlotte. She took in horses that the owners could not afford due to the economy. But I've searched for it everywhere and can't find it. I thought about contacting the news station.


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