Why Do Research?

In my last post I discussed The Importance of Conducting Research. So let us look at the history of research in the equine industry and where it could be used in the care of our horses.

The equine we see today is a lot different from where it started its evolution 60 million years ago (Eohippus – the Dawn Horse). It has had to develop and condition itself while the body adapts to changing conditions.

Then, some 6000 years ago, humans began domesticating the equine, and the equine had to adapt to more changes and stress. So, you can see the equine has taken many years to become the equine we have today.

With the domestication of the horse, humans started to wonder how it worked and how we could use it to our benefit; then, after a while, came scientific research. Research is a very important part of understanding and learning about the changes the equine undergoes every day, and it provides us with the knowledge to maintain a healthy animal.

But every day I come across people who put down this research, say that this is the way we have done it for years, and that the research is wrong, or that we do not want to listen to what is being put forward. Just like in the debate about climate change, we have people saying that the earth is warming and that it is the fault of us humans, but there are a few people who want to keep researching and see if this is the truth or if they (scientific researchers) find that, in time, they are proven wrong.

I am saying the same about the research into the equine (in my case, the hoof). Let's not close our minds and stop looking or assume that anyone who puts forward a different thought is wrong and should not be listened to. Because in the world of science, if we do this, we stop learning, and the equine will be the loser along with us.

It will only be in the long term that the arguments will be settled, and the secrets of the equine will be unlocked. I, for one, would not like to stop looking and accept today's common beliefs, only to find out later that we were wrong and have to start playing catch-up. In research, it is all about putting forward ideas and seeing where they take you or exploring the science and seeing what it tells you. Because if we do sit back and accept the thoughts of today, the equine will be the loser health-wise, and we, the humans, will be the losers financially.

I believe we should all keep an open mind, look at any research being carried out, and monitor the outcomes, because closed minds go nowhere. Only time will allow us to monitor the pathological changes we see in the structures and tissues, and only then will we have the results of any research.

It is for these reasons that I try to keep an open mind and look at other research being done worldwide, rather than focusing on what I am doing in my research. We must not scare people off from doing this type of work, but we should look at and try to understand the line of thought they are taking and why it is being put forward.

I, for one, am committed to keep researching and learning better ways to improve the health of the equine, and I hope people will allow me to do this and think outside the box and not just write it off as mad old farrier talk.