Search Results (42)

The physiological capabilities of horses begin to decline after they reach 15 years of age. However, some exceptionally talented horses can continue their sports careers beyond this age, raising concerns about their welfare. This study investigated animal welfare by observing resting heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) metrics in geriatric horses participating in similar training or physical activities compared to younger adult horses over 30 min periods. Forty-six horses of varying ages and activity levels were divided into four groups, including horses under 15 years practising structured training for dressage (AL-1; N = 13) and school riding (AL-2; N = 13) and horses aged between 15 and 20 years participating in AL-1 (N = 10) and AL-2 (N = 10). In adult horses, the HR decreased in those performing AL-1, which was observed alongside an increased RR interval compared to those participating in AL-2 (p < 0.05 for both). Meanwhile, HRV increased in adult horses (measured by pNN50) but decreased in geriatric horses (measured by SDANN, SDNNI, DC, and SD2) participating in AL-1 when compared to their counterparts in AL-2 (p < 0.05 for all). Adult horses exhibited better autonomic regulation while engaged in structured dressage training than geriatric horses. These findings underscore the necessity for the careful management of physical activities to ensure the well-being of all horses, particularly older ones. Full article

Animal-assisted interventions (AAIs) have become increasingly popular, with horses being one of the most commonly used species. While the effects of equine-assisted interventions (EAIs) have been widely studied in humans, research focusing on animals involved in such work is limited. Understanding how animals perceive their world is ethically important because their perception reflects the valence of their underlying mood. We investigated the cognitive judgement bias (pessimistic vs. optimistic) and perception of humans (negative vs. positive) in horses from three different facilities, divided into two groups: horses involved only in riding school lessons (RS, N = 14) and horses participating in both riding school and EAI lessons (EAI-RS, N = 16). We hypothesised that horses engaged in both types of work would be more negatively impacted than RS horses because the two activities may be demanding. No significant effects of work on pessimistic bias and negative perception of humans were found. However, a modulating effect was found in the interaction between work type and facility management. These findings highlight the impact of both the type of work and facility management on the cognition and underlying affective states of EAI-RS horses. Full article

This paper highlights and summarizes the experiences and perceptions of European equestrian educational experts from a workshop held at the French National Riding School in Saumur. The workshop, which brought together fifty leading experts, aimed to address challenges in equestrian education, identify common ground, and share best practices. Using ‘The World Café’ method, the participants were divided into groups to discuss four key topics: the relationship between horses and humans, diversity of perspectives versus common ground, training philosophy, and social acceptability. A follow-up online focus group was conducted six months later, and the discussions were transcribed and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The results revealed the need for a universal cultural shift towards an evidence-based approach to riding and training horses, with equine welfare at its core. Key challenges, such as anthropomorphism, varying standards across disciplines and countries, and the evolving horse–human relationship, pose risks to the social license to operate. The findings suggest that educational institutions, with their shared values, are well-positioned to lead this change, although further research is needed to address pedagogical challenges. The study also emphasizes the importance of communicating ’good news stories’ to promote evidence-based practices in training and competition. Full article

Allées used to be the essential artistic tools and indispensable parts of the strictly architectural, formal Baroque gardens. Beyond the practical purposes of edging paths and garden ways for walking, hunting, or horse and carriage riding, allées played a vital role in marking visual and landscape connections and thus the spatial projection of the noble estate, its wealth, and social rank. In Historical Hungary, Baroque architecture and garden art appeared in German-Austrian and French examples in the 18th century. The Széchenyi Linden Allée is an outstanding linear garden space of Baroque Garden art at Nagycenk, West Hungary. The generous composition, created by the prominent Count Széchenyi family in the mid-18th century, has remained a magnificent entity in the landscape ever since. Despite barely two hundred years of detected or unknown environmental or habitat changes, as early as 1942, the allée received a nature conservation nomination. More than a half-century later, in 2002, the allée became a historical and landscape aesthetical heritage within the Fertő-Hanság Cultural Landscape World Heritage site. Unfortunately, the once magnificent tree lines have severely eroded in recent decades due to mature trees’ subsequent death, inadequate replacement, lack of regular maintenance and tree care, and effects of climate change. In recent years (2011, 2018), landscape and horticultural analyses and visual and instrumental tree assessments were performed to help the conservation and rebirth of the allée, maintain the mature trees, and restore the landscape within a long-term renewal plan. Along with the 2018 survey and plan, the short-term maintenance works were completed in 2019–2020. This study, based on site surveys in 2022 and 2024, aims to identify the results of the primary management, analyses the vitality of mature trees after crown reductions, and then proposes a resilient and sustainable regeneration method with the habitat, cultural, natural, and genetic heritage, and the feasible maintenance contexts in focus. As proposed in the 2018 plan, the reproduction of mature trees started in 2020 and resulted in well-developing grafts for a later allée restoration. Due to the challenges of climate change, the regeneration project requires a special, long-term restoration management plan with a special focus on the still vital and possible remaining mature trees, the well-growing individuals from previous replanting, and the nursery school seedlings conserving the genetic heritage of the Széchenyi lime trees with long-viability capacity. Full article

Hoof trimming and shoeing determine the horse’s hoof shape and balance. Hoof conformation plays a crucial role in limb biomechanics and can consequently prevent or predispose to injury. This study investigated the relationship between the morphometric characteristics of the horse’s hoof, specifically, the dorsal hoof wall angle (DHWA), the coronet band circumference (CBC), and lameness in 73 horses categorised as undertaking either show jumping, dressage, or riding school activities. Results from logistic regression indicated that horses with either a combination of acute DHWA with large CBC, or more upright feet with larger DHWA and smaller CBC have higher probabilities of lameness. Show jumping and dressage horses showed a higher prevalence of lameness. Hoof morphometry should be monitored, and podiatric interventions should be regularly scheduled for the maintenance of correct hoof conformation to prevent injury. This study suggests that an aligned hoof–pastern axis managed by a DHWA of around 50 degrees may prevent lameness, with special emphasis on horses in dressage and show jumping activities. On the other hand, we can also speculate that the disturbed axis alignment of DHWA may be a cause of lameness. Full article

In this study, we examine and assess the potential impact of diesel engine age on the levels of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) in school buses. The concentration of air pollutants is influenced by several factors, including the technical characteristics of the bus and its engine, the type of fuel used, the length of the commute, the weather conditions, and the ambient air pollution. The behavior of the bus on the road, during the commute to and from school, is also important. This includes its position in traffic, the number of bus stops, boarding procedures, as well as the opening of doors and windows. Data were collected by accompanying a student during their commute to and from school, with bus commutes serving as the sampling unit. A semi-parametric regression was applied to assess the link between the PM_2.5 concentration and the bus engine age. It was demonstrated that the bus engine age has a statistically significant positive correlation with the PM_2.5 concentration inside the bus. The fine particulate matter concentrations during boarding at the school also depend on the engine age, indicating that bus idling affects the PM_2.5 concentration. In the first two minutes before boarding in front of the school and the first two minutes inside the bus, the PM_2.5 concentrations were 26.3 and 40.3 μg/m³, respectively. The findings of this study highlight the impact of bus engine age on the PM_2.5 concentration, showing that the PM_2.5 concentration increases with the engine age. However, the effect becomes less visible as the duration of the bus ride increases. Full article

Equitation in the French tradition is a school of riding that emphasizes harmonious relations between humans and horses. The best-known community is the Cadre Noir of Saumur, whose specialty is the air above the ground (AAG). No study has yet looked at the horse–rider interaction in this specific context. The purpose of this study was to identify and quantify indicators of AAGs based on the empirical perception of the écuyers expressed by a method of self-confrontation interviews. Fourteen training sessions were the subject of phenomenological and biomechanical approaches. Contact, balance, and hoof-beat, decisive for performance quality, were characterized for 49 AAGs, performed by five horses trained by two expert écuyers, with rein tension meters integrated in their double bridle (curb and snaffle reins) and six inertial measurement units fixed on the limbs, sternum, and croup. Their action was characterized by a peak of 65 ± 39 N on the inside curb rein. They considered that their horse was in balance (forehand inclined 13 ± 7° and −12 ± 9° for the hind hand). After the peak, during the 3.3 ± 2 s the horse’s trunk was stable and the écuyers released the contact until the AAG was perceived as satisfactory by the écuyer. The mixed approach allowed a pattern of action to be envisaged for the écuyer based on contact, balance, and hoof-beat in the execution of AAGs. The quantification of rein tension, trunk movements, and acceleration of the four limbs objectified the expert écuyers’ feeling of developing aptitudes for their actions in the human–horse interactions for improved transmission to young écuyers. The mixed approach used in this study has given rise to new training methods that are transferable to other equestrian activities. Full article

The primary objective of this study is to investigate the influence of personality traits such as anxiety, sensation seeking, altruism, anger, and normlessness on young powered two-wheeler riders’ risky riding behavior. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) is extended to include personality traits forming an extended TPB (ETPB). The ETPB model is used to examine how personality traits directly influence risky riding behavior and indirectly influence risky riding behavior through latent mediating factors. The secondary objective is to examine the differences in interactions between personality traits, mediating factors, and risky riding behaviors of those who have been and have not been involved in traffic accidents. The study sample included 535 high school students in Phu Yen, Vietnam. The results showed that personality traits, directly and indirectly, influence risky riding behaviors through the mediating construct. Young riders with sensation-seeking, anger, and normlessness have a higher frequency of risky riding behavior than those with anxiety and altruistic personality traits. Sensation seeking, anger, and normlessness indirectly influence risky riding behavior through risk perception and subjective norms. In addition, the results also show a clear difference in the relationship between the personality and behavior of people who have been involved in traffic accidents and those who have never been involved in accidents. Full article

Aimed at the riding safety issue of food delivery riders in China who mainly travel by electric bikes, a naturalistic cycling study was conducted by collecting the naturalistic cycling data of dozens of food delivery riders in Changsha, China, to identify their riding characteristics. It was found that the participating food delivery riders are mainly undereducated young male adults, and the primary reason for them to take the job is the flexible working hours. Furthermore, they frequently work overtime and admit to often committing risky riding behaviors to deliver food on time. The analysis of their riding trajectories indicates that they delivered orders all day long, rather than just at mealtimes. They mainly work within 3 km of the delivery station, and the average riding radius was 2.39 km. Male riders, riders working less than one year, and riders with high school education had a relatively fast riding speed. These findings provide valuable new insights for agencies to understand the riding characteristics of food delivery riders and to formulate the appropriate countermeasures to improve their occupational safety. Full article

Horses are transported in the United States more than any other livestock species and co-mingle at various events; therefore, they are considered to be at an increased risk for infectious disease transmission. The fragmented movement of horses combined with numerous sites of co-mingling makes tracing the potential spread of a disease outbreak a necessary part of an infection control plan, both locally and nationally. The cross-movement of personnel with horses and the persistence of endemic diseases make biosecurity implementation an ongoing challenge. Although many of the risks for infection are known, there is limited documentation about the usefulness of prospective control measures. The objective of this survey was to determine horse owners’ understanding and knowledge of biosecurity practices for preventing infectious diseases in the United States. Questions covered owner demographic information, including horse use which was divided into 10 categories as follows: Pleasure/Trail Riding, Lessons/School, Western Show, English Show, Breeding, Farm/Ranch, Retired, Racing, Driving and Other. The survey was distributed by sending requests to a list of horse owner organizations, which then sent emails to their members. The email request described the survey and provided a website link to start the survey. A total of 2413 responses were collected. Analysis of the results included cross-tabulation to identify significant differences in biosecurity knowledge and awareness by horse use. Significant differences by horse use were identified for vaccination, biosecurity planning, use of isolation, disease risk, monitoring for diseases, co-mingling of horses, sanitation, medical decision making and health record requirements for horse events. In summary, the results suggest that most owners are not highly concerned about the risk of disease or the use of biosecurity. There are several biosecurity applications and techniques which can be increased and will benefit horse health and welfare. These include reliance on temperature monitoring, isolation of new horses at facilities, risks of horse mingling, entry requirements such as vaccination and health certificates at events, and an emphasis on having biosecurity plans for facilities and events where horses co-mingle. The information from this study will be used to create tools and information that horse owners and veterinarians can use to implement appropriate biosecurity practices for different types of horse uses and events. Full article

The population of children in Japan has steadily declined, and the percentage of the population aged 14 years or younger is smaller than in other countries. Therefore, it is important to protect children by preventing their involvement in traffic accidents. Recent trends associated with elementary school students show that 90% of accidents occur while walking or riding bicycles. This study aims to clarify the road structures in which traffic accidents involving walking or bicycle-riding children occur. For this purpose, we analyzed the trends based on the age of children and road structures involved using statistical data provided by the Ishikawa Prefectural Police Headquarters. The results showed that the accident rate among students of elementary school age and younger while walking or riding bicycles was mainly high on one-lane roads, roads with no division, and roads with a speed limit of 30 km/h or less. We conclude that to reduce pedestrian and bicycle accidents for students of elementary school age or younger, raising traffic safety awareness among automobile drivers who use community roads is important. Full article

The concept of controlling vehicle comfort is a common problem that is faced in most under- and postgraduate courses in Engineering Schools. The aim of this study is to provide a simplified approach for the feedback control design and simulation of active suspension systems, which are applied in vehicles. Firstly, the mathematical model of an active suspension system (a quarter model of a car) which consists of a passive spring, a passive damper and an actuator is provided. In this study, we chose to design and compare the following controllers: (a) conventional P, PI and PID controllers that were tuned through two conventional methodologies (Ziegler–Nichols and Tyreus–Luyben); (b) an optimal PID controller that was tuned with a genetic algorithm (GA) optimization framework in terms of the minimization of certain performance criteria and (c) an internal model controller (IMC) based on the process transfer function. The controllers’ performance was assessed in a series of realistic scenarios that included set-point tracking with and without disturbances. In all cases, the IMC controller and the optimal PID showed superior performance. On the other hand, the P and PI controllers showed a rather insufficient behavior that involved persistent errors, overshoots and eventually, uncomfortable ride oscillations. Clearly, a step-by-step approach such as this, that includes modeling, control design and simulation scenarios can be applied to numerous other engineering examples, which we envisage to lead more students into the area of automatic control. Full article

Injuries to racehorses and their jockeys are not limited to the racetrack and high-speed work. To optimise racehorse-jockey dyads’ health, well-being, and safety, it is important to understand their kinematics under the various exercise conditions they are exposed to. This includes trot work on roads, turf and artificial surfaces when accessing gallop tracks and warming up. This study quantified the forelimb hoof kinematics of racehorses trotting over tarmac, turf and artificial surfaces as their jockey adopted rising and two-point seat positions. A convenience sample of six horses was recruited from the British Racing School, Newmarket, and the horses were all ridden by the same jockey. Inertial measurement units (HoofBeat) were secured to the forelimb hooves of the horses and enabled landing, mid-stance, breakover, swing and stride durations, plus stride length, to be quantified via an in-built algorithm. Data were collected at a frequency of 1140 Hz. Linear Mixed Models were used to test for significant differences in the timing of these stride phases and stride length amongst the different surface and jockey positions. Speed was included as a covariate. Significance was set at p < 0.05. Hoof landing and mid-stance durations were negatively correlated, with approximately a 0.5 ms decrease in mid-stance duration for every 1 ms increase in landing duration (r² = 0.5, p < 0.001). Hoof landing duration was significantly affected by surface (p < 0.001) and an interaction between jockey position and surface (p = 0.035). Landing duration was approximately 4.4 times shorter on tarmac compared to grass and artificial surfaces. Mid-stance duration was significantly affected by jockey position (p < 0.001) and surface (p = 0.001), speed (p < 0.001) and jockey position*speed (p < 0.001). Mean values for mid-stance increased by 13 ms with the jockey in the two-point seat position, and mid-stance was 19 ms longer on the tarmac than on the artificial surface. There was no significant difference in the breakover duration amongst surfaces or jockey positions (p ≥ 0.076) for the ridden dataset. However, the mean breakover duration on tarmac in the presence of a rider decreased by 21 ms compared to the in-hand dataset. Swing was significantly affected by surface (p = 0.039) and speed (p = 0.001), with a mean swing phase 20 ms longer on turf than on the artificial surface. Total stride duration was affected by surface only (p = 0.011). Tarmac was associated with a mean stride time that was significantly reduced, by 49 ms, compared to the turf, and this effect may be related to the shorter landing times on turf. Mean stride length was 14 cm shorter on tarmac than on grass, and stride length showed a strong positive correlation with speed, with a 71 cm increase in stride length for every 1 m s⁻¹ increase in speed (r² = 0.8, p < 0.001). In summary, this study demonstrated that the durations of the different stride cycle phases and stride length can be sensitive to surface type and jockey riding position. Further work is required to establish links between altered stride time variables and the risk of musculoskeletal injury. Full article

The Huayan sutras are important historical references for the Chinese worship of the Rocana Buddha; however, these Huayan sutras provide little help in understanding the worship for the larger Rocana triad (i.e., Rocana Buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas) in niche no. 5 at the Feilai Feng complex. The Rocana triad images are primarily linked to the Buddhist texts written by Chinese monks which established the principle for teaching the Huayan ritual during the Tang period. With regard to the iconographic characteristics of the two bodhisattvas of the triad in niche no. 5, the bodhisattva Samantabhadra rides an elephant, while the bodhisattva Manjusri rides a lion. They are associated with Buddhist texts and artistic productions beyond the Huayan school and are possibly related to esoteric Buddhism. Similarly, the crowned Rocana seen in niche no. 5 is likely derived from an older tradition dating to the Tang and Five Dynasties periods. Similar descriptions can be found in esoteric Buddhist texts and images. Nevertheless, niche no. 5 is the earliest extant example of such a Rocana triad, wherein the triad is represented by a central crowned Buddha with a special hand gesture or mudra, who is flanked by two bodhisattvas riding animals. From niche no. 5, one can see the development of the Huayan Rocana triad within the tenth century. The combination of elements seen in this niche also indicates that Buddhist artists were not limited by the boundaries of different schools or teachings when they created a new form of iconography. The specific iconography of niche no. 5 can be linked to the Han-style Buddhist artistic traditions from previous periods, such as the Tang, Five Dynasties/Wuyue Kingdom. Ultimately, the contemporary Northern Song capital, Kaifeng, was likely the most direct influence. The Rocana Buddhist triad at niche no. 5 is reflected in the iconography of the same triad installed at the Huiyin monastery at a later time during the Northern Song Dynasty. In turn, the similarities between the images in niche no. 5 and those from other regions, such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Korea and Japan, reveal the connection between the Huiyin monastery and these other sites. Full article

Cycling has always been popular in China, especially during the years when the government encouraged green travel. Many people participate in rides to ease traffic congestion and increase transfer convenience. Due to the disorganized and tidal nature of cycling, cyclists create many conflicts with other groups. Adolescents are vulnerable road users with a strong curiosity and risk-taking mindset. Identifying the factors influencing adolescents’ aggressive riding behavior can assist in developing strategies to prevent this behavior. An online questionnaire was used to collect data on bicycling among students in a middle school in Guangzhou, China. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) and prototype willingness model (PWM) have been applied to study travel behavior and adolescent risk behavior. To investigate the impact of psychological variables on adolescent aggressive behavior, we used TPB, PWM, TPB + PWM, and an integrated model. Behavioral intentions are greatly influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Both descriptive and moral norms played a role in behavioral willingness. The integrated model explained 18.3% more behavioral variance than the TPB model. The social reactive pathway explained more variance in behavior than the rational path. Full article