Equestrianism

Original watercolor painting of Siraj Ibn Mishaal LDA and Nasheet LDA by artist Steve Puttrich, retired Business Development Director, Parsons Transportation Group http://www.steveputtrich.com/

WELCOME!
IPATH is excited to launch the IPATH Committee on Equestrianism, Horses: The Forgotten Mode of Transport. This new and distinctive committee will investigate the impacts of the horse on transport and human health. The specific aims of this committee will be to:

demonstrate the connection between horses, transport and health
encourage the inclusion of horses as part of the transport design and planning process in applicable geographies
develop a policy statement, a chapter in the IPATH Transport & Health Performance Metric Guidebook and establish equine partnerships across North America
adopt a philanthropic mission of equine rescue and fundraising

*In the interest of full disclosure, this webpage is admittedly a little breed biased due to the Chair having a passion for the Arabian horse.

Economic Impact of the United States Horse Industry

In 2017 (2023 update in process), the American Horse Council evaluated the economic impact of the US horse industry. Direct contributions from the horse industry amounted to $50 billion including 988,000 jobs. The total economic impact of the horse industry in the US is $122 billion and 1.7 million jobs. These data clearly indicate that the US horse industry positively impacts the entire US economy.

While 30.5 percent of U.S. households have a horse enthusiast, only 1.3 percent own a horse. The other 29 percent includes individuals that either participate in horse activities or are spectators at horse events. Horses are most commonly used for organized equestrian sport and recreational trail riding, although horses are still used in other countries (e.g., Cairo, Egypt) for transport and a work partner. These activities influence spending on horse care (veterinary and hoof), registration fees, barn maintenance supplies, riding equipment and apparel.

Organized competition adds to the culture and economy requiring a financial and personal investment. This may include professional horse training and riding lessons, upgrades in show quality equipment, equine dietary supplements and feed, heavy equipment purchases such as a truck and horse trailer or leasing a transporter, barn facilities, and show clothes. Hence, spending is dependent on the chosen discipline, age of the rider and level of competition.

Some key industry statistics and economic indicators:

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF HORSES IN THE UNITED STATES
7.2 million

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF HORSES BY ACTIVITY
Recreation- 3,141,449
Showing- 1,227,986
Racing- 1,224,482
Working- 537,261

ESTIMATED NUMBER OF HORSES PER STATE
#1- Texas, approximately 767,100 horses
#2- California, approximately 534,500 horses
#3- Florida, approximately 387,100 horses

LAND USE BY THE EQUINE INDUSTRY
32 million acres of land owned
49 million acres of land leased for horse-related uses

Source: Economics - American Horse Council

NOW that we have your attention...

Historical Perspective
Understanding how horses have shaped society is not complete without a historical perspective. Horses have played a monumental role in the development of the modern world by:

Revolutionizing agriculture
Helping to develop cities
Improving transportation
Improving communication
Facilitating imperialism, nation-building and revolutionizing warfare
Contributing to medical breakthroughs (e.g., diphtheria vaccine)
Serving as cultural icons

Please take a little time to listen to the YouTube Videos provided below to learn more about the impact of the horse on human civilizations and culture.

Current Equine Research & Focus

Road Safety & Injury Prevention
There has been limited research conducted linking transport and health, except as it relates to equestrian roadway safety with most of this work undertaken in the United Kingdom. Below are a few selected articles from the scientific literature.

Human Health & Horses
"Before we all had cars to drive in, people used horses to get around, and almost everyone was taught to care and ride a horse. Today, our dependence on these large mammals is non-existent, and horseback riding has become recreational. There are many obvious health benefits to riding, including strong core and legs, but there are also many less obvious benefits, such as boost in confidence and meditation. Horses are even used in therapy for mentally disabled children, which further proves how wonderful they are! Here is the top list of health benefits of horseback riding from Health Fitness Revolution and author of the book ReSYNC Your Life Samir Becic:
Body Awareness: Horseback riding works the core muscles that stabilize the trunk: the abdominal, back, and pelvic muscles. However, it’s not just about the strength of the core but the coordination and stability of it as well. The more you ride, the more the body learns to move with the horse.
Quick Thinking: Riding a large, powerful animal with a mind and agenda of its own is a full-body workout that will force you to engage muscles you didn’t know existed and constantly adjust to the animal’s form.
Coordination: Many movements need to happen simultaneously while riding for the horse to be properly guided, exactly what coordination is.
Core Strength: Horseback riding is an isometric exercise, which means it uses specific muscles to stay in certain positions, in this case, keeping balanced on the horse. Because of this, postural strength is crucial when riding, and the riders’ posture improves even in daily activities.
Muscle Tone and Flexibility: Along with the core muscles, the inner thighs and pelvic muscles get the biggest workout as riders position themselves. Riders often have to maintain a squatting position while they ride, constantly adjusting to the cadence of the horse. This exercise helps with good overall muscle tone and flexibility.
Stable Strength: Riding is not the only way this activity gives the body a workout. Working in a barn and taking care of a horse strengthens muscles and increases cardiovascular capacity
Mental Exercise: There are so many mental benefits to horseback riding. Not only do you learn about yourself as you experience time on a horse, but it can also have a meditative effect. The time spent on a horse requires focus on riding and staying on the horse. The real benefit of a horse-human interaction is the emotional connection with the animal and the peace of mind that comes with every ride."

Selected articles taken from the literature:

Leadership Development
Horses are the perfect tool to teach professionals how to be a leader and team player through practical application. Students learn the meaning of responsibility, determination, sacrifice and an intuit sense of purpose. Many of us learn to our hide feelings and filter our reactions in the workplace, especially leaders. A horse, however, will hold up a mirror to your leadership style in ways you simply won’t get from your team or your peers. In the workplace and even in our personal lives, there is often miscommunication, frustration and a lot of effort put into the final project deliverable (or relationship). It's the same scenario between a horse and handler/rider. Imagine this working partnership as a trans-disciplinary/multi-sector team. The difference is that horses understand what people often forget: every interaction is a conversation.

Horses respond to our emotional honesty, our trustworthiness, and our ability to create a connection.
Horses are nonverbal experts and pick up all of our ‘whole body’ communication. It’s not what you say, but how you say, and do it that makes a difference.
Horses respond to leaders who demonstrate confidence, provide clear direction, and act authentically.
Horses don’t have hidden agendas. They don’t play politics. And they could really care less about your title or where you got your MBA or PhD.

Reference: Horse Leadership Training | Equine Assisted Leadership Training (roamconsultingllc.com)

Transport Design & Planning
Recreational horse riders often traverse along the soft shoulders of unregulated mix use rural roadways. This presents a potential safety issue when drivers of motorized vehicles refuse to slow down and fail to move a distance from the horse and rider. As a flight animal, a spooked horse is unpredictable. But it's not just cars. Horses also share the road with bicyclist, joggers and walkers. A lack of attention and respect for a 1000lb.+ animal can result in serious injury and even death.

In Amish/Mennonite communities across the United States, horses are still used as a primary form of mobility. The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) incorporated transport infrastructure and safety considerations in the Geauga County Amish Strategic Safety Plan. Below is an excerpt from an abstract submitted for consideration and presented at the International Conference on Transport & Health (ICTH) 2018 - Mackinac Island, Michigan.

Background: Geauga County is the second largest Amish settlement in Ohio and the fourth largest in the country. Based on the 2010 census, Geauga County has a population of 93,300 of which more than 12,000 belong to the Amish community. Within Geauga County, Amish population is centered near the villages of Burton and Middlefield, and the six adjacent townships.
Study: The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) was contacted by local officials in Geauga County to improve safety for Amish highway users. Amish use horse-driven buggy vehicles rather than motor vehicles for their travel, and they are significant pedestrian users of the roadway network. Potential safety concerns exist when horse-drawn vehicles, which move at a speed of 5-8 miles per hour, share roadways with motor vehicles traveling at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. Rural roadways are often narrower than urban roadways, resulting in very little room to maneuver around horse-drawn Amish buggies. Also, minimal crash protection for occupants in Amish buggies and potentially erratic horse reactions to traffic add to the safety concerns. The purpose of this planning study was to develop a multi-agency strategic plan to improve the safety of Amish road users, including pedestrians in Geauga County.

Based on these data and information, WHY has the horse gone unnoticed by the transport and health professional community? The IPATH Committee on Equestrianism will investigate this question.

IPATH Committee on Equestrianism & Philanthropy
Sponsored by: Marrickar Arabians, LLC
Home of Misfit Arabians

The IPATH Committee on Equestrianism will advocate for policy reform locally and at the national level by signing petitions, writing letters or calling representatives to prosecute horse abusers and those accused of neglect. However, our most important goals will be to assist horse rescues across North America with their mission. This commitment involves a financial investment to pull horses from the slaughter pipeline and assist in rehoming of these horses. In addition to providing support to horse owners who may be experiencing temporary financial hardship.

If you would like to make a difference in your community, please consider volunteering your time at a local horse rescue. It doesn't matter if you have little or no experience with horses. There is always something to do around the barn that will contribute to the care of the horses. Once you have experienced the majestic nature of a horse's soul, your life is forever changed.

If you're interested in learning about horses, consider joining The War Horse Initiative Facebook group. This educational group was created for nonhorse and horse people. It was created and is administered by the IPATH Equestrianism Committee Chair, Karyn M. Warsow.

Help us by making a one-time or monthly donation to cover the cost of veterinary, farrier (hoof) care, feed, rehabilitation and transport. There are also options to become a monthly sponsor of a rescue horse. Cash donation can be made directly to the IPATH Charitable Giving Fund, with a note identifying your rescue of choice. This is the preferred method since many of the horse rescues have the same type of account set up through PayPal, making transactions immediate and FREE. This method also allows IPATH to keep track of donations. Monthly payments will be made to a horse rescue based on the donations received. Below is a preliminary list of horse rescues. IPATH is also available to help you identify a rescue in your area. Email us at [email protected]

The YouTube video above documents the rescue journey of Siraj Ibn Mishaal LDA. Photos of Xceptshanhal Marwan compare arrival to three months with proper nutrition and care. Both horses are pure bred Arabians who now have a permanent home with the Committee Chair and three other Arabian horses (photo below)

Karyn M. Warsow, DrPH(c), MSc., MPH
IPATH Founder/Interim President
Owner, Marrickar Arabians, LLC

Karyn is a transdisciplinary professional with over 15 years of experience, in the area of trauma and critical care medicine; specifically traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries as a result of motor vehicle crashes and interpersonal violence. With this experience, she successfully crossed over to the field of transportation after advocating for policy change in her local community. Karyn brings to the field of transportation, a unique perspective that merges best practices and lessons learned from multiple disciplines to devise innovative solutions. Over the years, she has developed an exceptional network of high-level national and international multimodal transportation, urban planning and public health contacts. Karyn is a strong results-based leader. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Transportation Public Health Link (TPH Link), which administers the International Professional Association for Transport & Health (IPATH) and the International Conference on Transport & Health (ICTH).

Karyn on her favorite horse from Kelso's Riding Stable

Why is it that we seldom share our personal passion at work, when it's this part of us that drives motivation, defines who we are as a person and as an employee. As far back as my memories go, I have been obsessed with horses. Maybe it's part of my DNA. Maybe it's destiny. Maybe it's just who we are meant to be.

I should clarify that no one in my family has ever had a horse. And it's not just horses, but one majestic breed of horse in particular; the Arabian. I own three Straight Egyptian Arabians from a small breeder in Texas, who has also become a very good friend, Louise DeRusseau of LD Arabians. I have also adopted two Arabian horse rescues that had been neglected and/or abused. This herd of five has not only brought joy to my life, but as an equestrian and a steward of the most noble breed of horse on earth, it's a relationship that has made me the person, I am today.

Join me as a member of the IPATH Committee on Equestrianism to investigate the health and transport benefits of the horse. Along the way, we might just save a few souls through our rescue initiative.

Contact the IPATH Committee Chair

Click to be directed to the IPATH Membership Page

NOW that we have your attention...

If we have captured your interest, join us and help make the connection between horses, transport and health