Abstract: With a growing importance of equestrian sports and horse breeding, there is an increasing need for well-trained professionals in the equine sector. While well-established vocational training programmes exist in Germany, they do neither provide qualifications for leading positions nor train for scientific work on the horse. The need for specific equine university programmes has been questioned occasionally, however, neither university programmes in equine veterinary medicine (focussing on diseased horses) nor animal science (focussing on food-producing farm animals) meet the broad requirements of today`s equine industry.
The first academic programme in equine science and management in the German-speaking countries was established in 2003 by the Universities of Veterinary Sciences and Agricultural Sciences in Vienna, Austria. The 3-year bachelor programme (180 ECTS points) includes sciences, anatomy, physiology, genetics, nutrition, ethology, economics, marketing, management, legislation, reproduction, healtcare, equitation science and organisation of breeding and equestrian sports. Courses are provided by the partner universities and by lecturers from practise and equestrian organisations including the German and Austrian equestrian federations. Lectures and seminars are complemented by a scientific thesis and placements in the equine industry.
Out of 100-150 applicants each year, 50 students are selected on the basis of their previous activities, a written test and interviews. Students are coming from Austria (40%), Germany (50%) and other countries (10%) ensuring a truly European programme. The majority of students enter the programme directly after leaving secondary school, but approx. 20% have undergone previous vocational training (e.g. Pferdewirt).
About 40% of the graduates enter into subsequent MSc programmes in animal science or agribusiness. Others are studying for an MBA or a degree in veterinary medicine, journalism, law and other disciplines. Graduates from the 2003 class finish their MSc in agriculture this year at universities in Austria, Germany and the United Kingdom and some of them will continue with a doctorate. Students not entering graduate programmes after obtaining their BSc do work as stud managers or management assistants in Germany and English-speaking countries or are employed by equestrian organisations such as the German and Austrian national federation, equestrian journals, equine nutrition companies, non-university research and consulting institutions, the Ministry of Agriculture and in a variety of other fields. The success of the Vienna equine programme has also encouraged activities at other universities and programmes with near-similar curricula have recently been established in Germany and Switzerland.
In conclusion, graduates of the Vienna equine science programme follow a wide-range of professional and academic activities within the equine industry. This spectrum is by far more extensive than the sector covered by professionals from traditional vocational training. With practical experience obtained on the job, adaequately qualified graduates will more and more obtain leading positions. In addition, the programme is a first step in the training of future researchers and teachers. By promoting and conducting research on the horse, equine science programmes do also secure the leading role of the European equine industry for the future.

Abstract: previous termSocial cognition,next term in particular the derivation of previous termsocialnext term information from observation of interactions between members of a previous termsocialnext term group, has been widely investigated in primates, but it has received little attention in other previous termsocialnext term mammals, although it has been anecdotally reported in the previous termdomestic dog,next term Canis familiaris. We recorded the behaviour of previous termdogsnext term (“spectators”) that had observed controlled interactions between a human and a previous termdognext term (the “demonstrator”) competing for an object, and that were subsequently allowed to interact freely with both participants. When the competitions were playful, as indicated by signals performed by the human, the spectator was more likely to approach the winner first and/or more rapidly, suggesting that winners of games are perceived as desirable previous termsocialnext term partners. When the human did not perform play signals, changing the previous termsocialnext term context from play to contest over a resource, spectators were slower to approach either of the participants, suggesting that participants in contests were less desirable as previous termsocialnext term partners than participants in games. If the previous termdognext term was prevented from seeing the game, it still reacted differently to the winner and the loser, but its behaviour was not the same as after games that it had seen. We conclude that spectator previous termdogsnext term gain information from the players' subsequent behaviour as well as from direct observation of the game.

Abstract: High carbohydrate diets can affect the health and behaviour of foals, but the mechanisms are not always fully understood. The objective of this study was to compare the effects of feeding a starch and sugar (SS), or a fat (oil) and fibre (FF) rich diet to two groups of eight foals. Diets were fed from 4 to 42 weeks of age, alongside ad libitum forage. Faecal pH levels did not differ significantly between groups and endoscopic examination showed that the gastric mucosa was healthy in both groups at 25 and 42 weeks of age. At 40 weeks of age, SS foals had significantly higher total blood glucose and lower total blood gastrin than FF foals during the 6h period following ingestion of their respective diets, but insulin levels did not differ significantly. The ratio between serum tryptophan and other large neutral amino acids showed a trend towards an interaction between diet and sampling time. The results provide preliminary information about the effects of diet on the physiology of young horses.

Abstract: Although an early and influential review led to the often-cited conclusion that color discrimination is rare among mammals, more recent findings suggest that it is actually widespread. According to jacobes, all non-nocturnal mammalian species that have adequately exmined show some color vision capacity. Data on the presence and characteristics and the influence of sex and age on color vision in the horse, remain spares and non in Caspian pony. Eight Caspian ponies were presented with a series of two-choice color vs. grey discrimination problems. One mare pony was eliminated due to traumatic injury to her eye. Experiments were performed in a box of 3 * 3 meter containing a wall with two translucent panels that were illuminated from behind by light projected through color or grey filters to provide the discriminative stimuli. Ponies were first adopted to the stall (box) with two panels in it and then learned to push one of the panels in order to receive the food rewards behind positive stimuli in an achromatic light-dark discrimination task. The ponies were then tested on their abilities to discriminate between grey and four individual colors; red; 617nm, yellow; 581nm, green; 538nm and blue 470 nm. The answer to the question \“do the ponies see color\” was yes but sex and age had no influence on the color discrimination of the ponies .

Abstract: The University of Applied Science and Technology (UAST) was founded in 1992, with the objective to promote the technical as well as the scientific knowledge of the job holders, mainly those who are working as low-skilled or semi-skilled laborers in different sectors of the economy. With a growing importance of the equestrian sports and horse husbandry, there is an increasing need for well-trained professionals in the equine sector. The need for specific equine university programs has been questioned occasionally; however, neither university programs in the equine veterinary medicine (focusing on diseased horses) nor animal science (focusing on food-producing farm animals) meet the broad requirements of today's equine industry. So far four programs in the equine sector has been approved in the UAST; an associate diploma program in the horse husbandry, an associate diploma program in the equine coaching, a bachelor program (2 + 2 years course) in the horse husbandry and a post graduate program in the horse physiotherapy and massage at master level (Msc. program). The main specifications of the applied science programs are ; the abilities of the applicants and their attainable jobs are pre-planned before starting the program ( each applicant will be aware of what abilities he/she would earn and what jobs he/she would attain after graduating from such scientific and applied programs). The first academic program in the equine science and management in Iran was established in 1998 by the UAST. The 2 year associate diploma program (74 credit points) includes sciences, anatomy, physiology, genetics, nutrition, horse behavior, economics, marketing, management, horse disease and disorders, basics of shoeing and basics of ridding. In 2004 when more than 200 students were graduated in this program a two years course (a 2 + 2 bachelor program) was established. In this program almost all subject taught at the previous program were taught, but at advance level. Courses are provided by the partner higher education centers affiliated to the UAST and approved by the Iranian Equestrian Federation and by the lecturers from practice and ridding clubs. Lectures and seminars are complemented by a scientific thesis and placements in the equine industry. Out of 400-500 applicants each year, 60 students are selected (to study in two higher education centers) on the basis of their previous activities, a written test and interviews. The majority of the students enter the program with previous experience of working with the horses and about 35% of the students enter the program directly after leaving secondary school. More than 50% of the graduates enter into the subsequent BSc. program in horse husbandry. Other 50% graduates (almost those with previous experience) return to the horse husbandry business and works as stud managers or management assistants in ridding clubs. In conclusion, graduates of the University of Applied Science and Technology programs follow a wide-range of professional and academic activities within the equine industry as well as equine medicine (graduates of the UAST's master program in the horse physiotherapy). This spectrum is by far more extensive than the sector covered by merely academic training. With practical experience obtained on the job, adequately qualified graduates will more and more obtain leading positions. KW -