The Australian Brumby Research Unit
	Opening Statement- March, 2008. Welcome to the public information web site of the University of Queensland, School of Veterinary Science's, Australian Brumby Research Unit

The Unit is managed by Professor Chris Pollitt and coordinated by his Ph D student Brian Hampson.
	The Unit is attached to the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit and was established with the aim of investigating the feral horse and applying research to improve the foot health of the domestic horse. The research team has established this site to keep interested people informed of this exciting research during the next 4 years . Although at completion of each stage of the research it will be presented at academic conferences and published in journals. This web site's will function to communicate the information to anyone in the general community who is interested and who easily doesn't usually access the academic conferences and journals.
The first conference presentation will be at the International Conference on Equine Locomotion in France in June, 2008. The topics will be:-
	GPS Analysis of the Movement Patterns of Domestic Mares and Foals"; and The Effects of Various Size Paddocks on Distance Travelled". We will publish this information on the web site in July, 2008. By this time we will also be ready to release some information on Brumby travel.
	So if you are keen on this topic of "Wild horse research" check the web site every month or so to see what is new or Register now to recieve information by email as it become available. Feel free also to contact direct either Professor Pollitt by email or Brian Hampson by email at the University of Queensland, if you have questions or suggestions. However, please understand that we are busy people and although we would like to answer all your enquiries, occasionally time may not permit this.

THE WILD HORSE RESEARCH TEAM
		The team is headed by world renowned equine foot researcher Professor Chris Pollitt of the Australian Equine Laminitis Research Unit. Prof Pollitt BVSc PhD will make a 25% time commitment to this project in 2008-10. Pollitt is an honorary Professor of equine medicine in the School of Veterinary Science at The University of Queensland and is the Director of the Australian Laminitis Research Unit, which is internationally competitive in the field of laminitis and foot disease research. Prof Pollitt has 75 publications in international peer-reviewed journals and has published regularly in the top specialist journals and textbooks in the field of laminitis.
	Brian Hampson coordinates the day to day functioning of the research team including data collection, processing and presentation. Brian has a broad range of skills and qualifications starting with a Bachelor of Human Movement Studies (University of Queensland), Bachelor of Applied Science in Physiotherapy (University of Sydney) and a Masters of Animal Studies (Animal Physiotherapy) at the University of Queensland. Brian is currently a Ph D candidate under Professor Pollitt's supervision working on the project "Improving the foot health of the domestic horse". Brian is an experienced horseman and a keen competitor in the cattle working horse events and enjoys the challenge and experience of handling and starting horses to saddle.
	The research is supported by:- Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation; and Animal Health Foundation; and School of Veterinary Science, University of Queensland, and by Private sponsorship.
	Industry contributions also play an important role in supporting this research which will give the equine world a much greater understanding of the form and function of the feral horse foot and will ultimately lead to a better deal for the domestic horse.

SCOPE OF THE RESEARCH
	The aim of the project is to improve the foot health of the domestic horse. This will be achieved by the detailed study of the feral horse foot and comparisons to the form and function of the domestic horse foot. Each individual study will be revealed in time but a basic plan of attack follows: We are studying 50 feral horses from each of 5 remote locations in Australia and New Zealand. The study includes but is not confined to:
		*GPS tracking of distance, speed and habitat. *Sentinel image capture technology *Photo and x-ray analysis of hoof measurements. *Measurement of hoof capsule growth rate. *Pressure and force plate analysis of foot biomechanics. *Analysis of terrain, soil types and vegetation in habitat. *Nutritional analysis of diet and determination of plant selection. *DNA analysis of breed type and parentage
	All study areas are nearing completion in design and several are well under way. Other areas of study will be added as time goes on. The ability of the research to attract sponsorship, particularly from private individuals and syndicates will impact greatly on the quantity of research performed and the impact it will have on the equine industry. Please read the following section on to learn how individuals may contribute and become part of the research team.

WILD HORSE (Brumby) TRACKING
		This is perhaps the most exciting phase of the Brumby research. The research team is tracking the movement of Brumbies with GPS tracking systems to determine the habitat and distance travelled by horses in an unrestricted environment. Paddock size inhabited by the horses depends on the location but ranges from 10,000 acres to 2,000,000 acres. The country ranges from sandy desert to hard rocky footing. Horses are monitored every 5 seconds for 6 days, every 30 seconds for 3 months and every 5 minutes for 12 months. Horses are darted with a tranquiliser from hidden positions and are collared and released within 3 minutes, totally unaware of the GPS collaring process.
	It has taken 12 months to find ideal hide locations on natural water points to construct hides and trap yards and desensitise horses to the changed environment. The above photograph shows a typical yard and hide design at the entrance to a natural spring. Horses walk through small yards every day beneath the raised hidden hides and are unaware of the presence of the research team at time of darting, tracking and filming.
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	GPS UNIT DESIGN GPS units consist of a single collar around the horses neck mounted with the GPS and battery unit. The collars appear to be accepted well by the horses and do not affect the behaviour of the horse or family band. The GPS unit used for wild horse tracking is slightly larger than the domestic horse tracking units as they require longer battery life. Pictured is a domestic horse with GPS unit during a paddock design trial. This unit will take the position of the horse at 5 second intervals for 1 week before requiring download and recharging. You can see in the adjacent picture the path of a domestic horse overlayed on a satellite photograph during a paddock trial using a zigzag laneway design to determine the effect on distance travelled.
	PADDOCK DESIGN RESEARCH The team has been experimenting with the effect of changing paddock design and size on the movement of domestic horses. GPS tracking units are used to monitor the horse’s position every 5 seconds to determine distance and speed travelled for 1 week periods in various paddock sizes and internal fencing designs. It is believed that increasing movement will have a positive effect on general health and on the health of the foot. This research has produced some interesting results and will be published later in 2008. The adjacent diagram shows a satellite photograph overlayed with the GPS track of the experimental horse during a paddock design trial. The majority of this work is complete but will be ongoing in a variety of applications
	WILD HORSE (Brumby) COUNTRY The effect of terrain on the morphology and health of the foot is being studied. Wild horses are being studied in New Zealand, Central and North Queensland and the Northern Territory areas in Australia. Each location has a different terrain ranging from dry sandy desert to wet soft swampland. Location appears to have an effect on the shape and structure of the foot and this effect is being documented. Water holes in this country are typically 50-60km apart and horses travel considerable distances between water and feed.
	Typical North Queensland dry rocky Gulf country is displayed in the photographs above.
	CONCLUDING STATEMENT We hope that you have enjoyed visiting our web site and have learnt about some of the interesting and exciting work we are doing. We will endeavour to update the site as work is completed and new information is discovered. We hope that individuals will feel free to prompt us by email if they think we are remiss in neglecting to offer available information. Please understand that the Australian Brumby Research Unit is a group of scientists with the sole purpose of improving the well being of the horse. We certainly have no vested interest in any commercial application of the work and are approaching the research from a neutral position. We do not intend to enter into the argument of bare foot trimming versus shoeing or one trimming method as apposed to another. We will describe objectively what we find and use well structured scientific analysis to draw conclusions from our research. We look forward to sharing our work with the community over the next few years and hope that people will offer constructive feedback to assist the direction of the research. Please understand that we need individuals to contribute both ideas and sponsorship to this research so that the equine community can have some ownership of this exciting endeavour. Regards, The Australian Brumby Research Team.
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