Hay everyone!
The fall semester is in full swing here at Rutgers! For everyone at the ESC, that means we’re going to have a lot of student help for our studies. Doing research on the farm takes a lot of extra hands (and hooves). It’s also really great for when we run our equine treadmill to show the general public the kind of work that we do. I’m sure you guys have heard about that in a lot of my previous blogs, but I wanted to take the time today to describe what it “looks” like!
Every year, our two biggest demo events are on Rutgers Day and at the Summer Showcase. You might have read about them earlier this year, and I hope you get to attend next year too. People of all ages are welcome; there’s something for everyone to learn! We got really lucky with the weather this past April for Rutgers Day and had a great turnout. All of the ESC undergraduate students had their hands full answering questions, talking about our research herd, and helping some of our horses pose for pictures.
I should probably get back on track (no pun intended) with my topic today. Even though all of the horses in our research herd love to run, Jolee is usually the star of the show. She was Dr. Malinowski’s horse, and even though she lives full-time at the farm now, she’s still really quick! Dr. M is always happy to share stories about their time together.
Before Jolee gets to run, we have to do some preparations. She’ll get her usual grooming and time to relax with water and hay when she first gets in the barn. Then, about 15 minutes before the demonstration, she gets into some special safety gear. On her feet, she wears “boots” that look like wide rubber rings that cover her back hooves to protect them when she’s running. She also has on a “surcingle,” a horse-sized belt that wraps around her belly and has a metal loop at the top. We want to make sure this isn’t too tight so she can fully expand her lungs while she’s running.
Now that Jolee is all ready, she is led onto the treadmill by one of our experienced research team members. The loop on top of the surcingle gets clipped onto a safety mechanism above the treadmill, so if Jolee trips or falls, the treadmill will be stopped to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. There’s also two of our team members with lead ropes attached to her harness to help her stay safe while she runs. Once everyone is in place, off she goes!
I hope y’all enjoyed hearing a little bit about our treadmill, but nothing compares to seeing it in action! We host lots of events that feature a treadmill demonstration, so be sure to keep up to date with reading my posts!
Until next time.
Your friend,
Lord Nelson