Inbreeding has become a problem in some horse breeds. Studies show that it may lead to inbreeding depression which affects e.g. reproduction traits. In the wild there are mechanisms that make horses avoid mating with close relatives. When selection is done by humans this mechanism is removed and intensive breeding for a few traits, for example good racing results, can become a problem.

Dressage schooling is not a subject that rests on science, it is a matter of dependable experience. So far there hasn?t been so much research about it, but more and more is done. Especially the interaction between rider and horse is a nearly uninvestigated field. Riding skills is much about having the right position, and having the horses head and neck in different positions, but there are no research done that support or deny that this old ?knowledge? is for the best for the horse. This study was performed to evaluate if the head and neck position of the horse, and the velocity, has any influence on the position of the rider.

This study describes and reviews horse stable equipment from companies who builds and sells the equipment. In the study the companies various equipment was compared with regulations in the law of prevention of cruelty to animals. The purpose with this study was to find out if the companies stable equipment are approved according to the regulations within this area. The study used at five randomly picked companies.This study showed that three of the five examined companies refered, in one way or another, to the law of prevention of cruelty to animals on their website. Unfortunately not any of the companies referred to todays existing law of prevention of cruelty to animals.

Vole populations in northern Scandinavia vary in cycles with peaks every third or fourth year as described by the National Environmental Monitoring Programme of small mammals (NEMP). Some vole species have declined in population numbers since the NEMP started in 1971, especially the grey-sided vole (Myodes rufocanus) which is nearly extinct in the forested region. Since small mammals are an important food source for several avian and mammalian predators, the decline in vole numbers is expected to have consequences for the whole food chain, especially if other vole species start to decline in numbers. This study tried to test the hypothesis that presence and abundance of M. rufocanus (a specialist species) and Myodes glareolus (a generalist species) can be predicted by patch size and connectivity of forest patches >60 years old with a minimum of 15% pine >100years old.

The horses? natural behaviour is easier to satisfy in a loose-housing system than housed in a traditional box. Law?s and science suggest that we should house horses in loose-housing, which improve the horse possibility to perform natural behaviours, to interact socially with other horses and to have more possibility to movement. It?s more timesaving in a working population aspect and a economic gain in materials. We noticed that it?s different opinions about what people in the horse society thinks about having youngsters housed in a loose-housing system.

Västergarn is one of the smallest parishes on the island of Gotland. It?s a place of rich history and has been subject to numerous excavations throughout the years. The University of Gotland has conducted seminar excavations at Västergarn between the years of 2005-2012. During these excavations a lot of horse related finds have been found.

This work is about euthanasia and how to use it on horses, dogs and cats. A description for each animal is done, about when it is time, why, which methods can be used and who is allowed to use them, how and where it shall be done. The methods we have concentrated on are: - Chemical destruction and the most common drugs for euthanatize horses, dogs and cats. - Physical disruption of the brain activity by a captive bolt, only for horses. The captive bolt only makes the horse unconscious and must always be followed by cutting off the vena jugularis. Then the horse dies because of loss of blood. No matter which method used for euthanizing, the animal must be declared to be dead by the operator before other measures. The testing criteria for death: muscle relaxation and cyanosis, cessation of reflex activity and pupillary dilatation, cessation of respiratory activity and cessation of all cardiac activity.

SUMMARYThe riding school horse is the base for the riding school. Riding schools are looking for a suitable horse that meets their demands for exterior, age, education, temperament, price and sustainability. Many different aspects may define the sustainability of the riding school horse; of them is how long life the riding school horse has in riding school activity. Previous studies have shown that the riding schools requirements are 8-12 years life span in the riding school.The purpose of this study was to describe the Swedish riding school horse life span in riding schools and at what age the riding school horses were recruited, disposed and the reasons for disposal. Information about the riding school horse life span in riding schools and reasons for disposal can provide important understanding regarding the importance of health for the riding school horse, riding school economy and profitability in the riding school.

Horses are grazers with a digestive system that is adapted for a high fiber diet. Forage is a fiber rich feed that includes grass and legumes. A deficiency of forage and an excess of grains may cause gut disturbances and stereotypic behavior. The aim of this literature study was to summarize information on the horse?s capacity to consume forage-only diets with focus on the horse?s need of energy and protein.

Glycogen is the storage form of glucose and is used by the skeletal musculature as energy both for intense and endurance events. The glycogen content in the horse?s middle gluteal muscle is more than 600 mmol/kg dry weight, and almost 400 mmol/kg dry weight in the human?s Vastus lateralis. In some special occasions, for example in competitions with several moments on following days, there is a need of a fast muscle glycogen resynthesis. The feed intake is of importance for the velocity of the resynthesis.

To establish good horse welfare there are several factors that need to be considered. One important factor is the environment in which the horses are kept. In Sweden horses are stabled during long periods of time in the cold season and consequently the stable environment is even more important. The most essential environmental factors in a horse stable are ambient temperature, relative humidity (RH) and concentrations of contaminants in the stable air. The air in a horse stable contains dust, noxious gases, moulds and microorganisms which all can contribute to developing respiratory diseases in horses.

During an endurance riding competition the onset of metabolic disorders leading up to elimination from the race are common. As many as 8,7 % of the horses participating in international endurance riding competitions are eliminated due to metabolic causes such as tachycardia, absence of borborygmi, hyperthermia and dehydration. To prevent the onset of metabolic disorders in the horse the rider must be able to determine the physiological and physical status of his or her horse. This requires good knowledge in nutrition, physiology and performance training. The risk of developing metabolic problems is reduced through the right feeding management and training.

Syftet med denna studie är att skapa en ökad förståelse för hur Kinas aktiemarknad ser ut, genom att i huvudsak analysera landets största börs Shanghai Stock Exchange. En analys av marknaden har gjorts där vi studerat asymmetrisk information på Kinas aktiemarknad och studerat ifall det påverkar marknadseffektiviteten..

Today we keep our horses in a way that is easy for us humans but may not always be the most optimal way for the horse. Often the housing of the horse prevents the horse from performing behaviours that they have natural needs to perform. It is not unusual that animals that can not adapt to their environment develop abnormal behaviours. Many of our stabled horses therefore develop some kind of stereotypic behaviour. This study was made in purpose of comparing the behaviour of a weaving horse to two non-weaving horses under similar conditions, where one of the horses was stabled next to the weaving horse and the other horse was stabled further away in the same stable. Seven weaving horses were included in the study.

The last years trends of increasing globalisation and the decreasing importance of the nationstate has led to rising flows of travellers and information throughout the globe. This has affected the competition between destinations; they are now competing in a global market. The importance of placemarketing and representing a place identity, is today essential to attract customers from around the world. The purpose of this essay was to examine how Iceland as a place is represented through the photographs in horse tourism. The research questions asked were: How is the Icelandic landscape represented in photographs? How is people and horses represented in the landscape? And how can the horse be analysed as a part of the Icelandic landscape? The method used for research was image-analysis, a qualitative approach where horse tourism-websites and photographs on these websites were strategically selected.