· Frictionless
Riding an Animal
Facts
· Animals have been used for transport for 1000’s of years and include horse and camel riding, horse drawn carriages, dog sleds and elephants.
· Horses and horse drawn vehicles (carriages and carts) were the main form of transport in the UK, the only reason the car took over with such audacity was because it solved the problem of what to do with the sheer amount of poo
· (QI book, hope it has the amount of poo fact)
· Elephants are still used for transport in many parts of India and Africa and were used as a natural tank in combat
· Hannibal’s victory over Rome was down to many factors, one of which was being able to cross the Alpine mountains using elephants
Opinions
Horse and Rider- The Art of Rolkur, Yay or Neigh?
Lady Sylvia Loch
'Dressage should be about lightness, freedom of movement and a partnership between horse and rider.
Rollkur is so, so cruel. The horse can only see its own feet, so it is reliant on the rider for balance which is simply psychological torture. (when commenting on Rollkur, a form of dressage where the horse curves it’s neck until it’s head almost touches its chest.'
But supporters of rollkur say it is a 'valuable training method' to improve the suppleness of a horse.
Roly Owers, of the World Horse Welfare charity, said: 'There are many people in the equestrian world who view rollkur as a valuable training method although clearly there are many people who take the contrary view.
The FEI called a meeting of trainers, riders and vets in Lausanne in February of 2006 to discuss the issues arising from the allegations made by the press. The meeting concluded that although potentially damaging in inexperienced hands these methods were acceptable in the hands of experts.
"I personally used it on a gelding I own who had EPM. After the disease the horse didnt use his neck correctly and this technique is what helped to re-teach him what the illness took away from him. It was a long slow process but I got great results and I don't think it hurt my horse at all"
"It seems today lavish gaits,tricks and precision are what is rewarded in competition rather than the quality of the training, or the willingness of the horse. "
"To me the beauty of dressage is seeing horse in rider in true harmony. The definition of dressage is returning the freedom to the horse while under a rider. Extreme restraint and force to achieve this seems to be the opposite of this definition..."
rollkur is to help lift the abdominal muscles and encourage the horse to work correctly over it’s back.
It is argued, therefore, that the use of rollkur can help female riders activate the backs of their enormous mounts and of course, an underlying aim of dressage is to encourage the horse to round over it’s back correctly (a rounded back being the safest way for a horse to carry a rider without causing physical injury to itself. So for the longterm physiology of the animal, a rounded back is a necessity)
continued and longterm use of rollkur shortens the muscles that connects the base of the skull to the horse’s forearm (the braciocephalic muscle.) Ultimately, this will create a quite extravagent front leg action where the leg is lifted rather high (a trait that appears popular in the competitive world).
By bending the neck down, the back is bent up, and by tightening the abdominal muscles the back arches like a bow. This raises the back, relaxes the back muscles and the back starts to 'work'.
To a certain extent this is the truth, at least in a laboratory environment, experimented on the carcasses of dead horses where rubber bands have replaced the muscles' traction.
The Carriage Horses of New York City
There are no restrictions as to when horse carriages can travel to and from the park. Unlike Local Law 89, which expired in 1993, carriages may travel during rush hour.
There are 68 carriage horse medallions or licenses -- one per cab.
There are over 200 horses – according to an October 2005 list from the Department of Health.
There are approximately 350 carriage drivers in the industry – according to the NY Post – January 2006
In 1982 there were 141 carriage drivers. In 1993, there were 296 … Peggy Parker testimony before City Council committee – 11/29/93
Most of the stables house horses on different levels, accessed by steep ramps.
Most of the stables do not have adequate fire protection and are not required to have sprinkler systems.
Most of the stables have stalls too small for a horse to turn around comfortably or to lie down.
The average working life for a NYC carriage horse is 4 years – compared to 14-15 years for a NYC police horse – according to research by the Carriage Horse Action Committee.
According to current legislation - Horses may not be worked when the temperature is 90 degrees or more, nor when it is 18 or below. There is no consideration for humidity index or wind chill factor.
The law requires the ASPCA Humane Law Enforcement Officers to order the drivers to return to their stables when the above temperatures are reached. The drivers do not have to return on their own volition since it is the ASPCA officers who have access to the thermometer.
“Manhattan asphalt [street] temperatures reach - well over 200 degrees – hot enough to melt asphalt.” NYTimes 7/29/89 – quote by then Commissioner of Department of Transportation.
When the sum of ambient temperature (Fahrenheit) and relative humidity exceeds 150 (especially if humidity contributes more than half the sum) the evaporative cooling mechanism by sweating is severely compromised. (published in Equine Exercise Physiology - 9/22/82
According to current legislation - Each horse can work up to nine hours in any 24 hour period. A horse can be worked every day according to the law.
Horses are kept standing for extended periods of time on hot asphalt without shade. There is no shade on Central Park South on the hack line. Boredom is just one of the feelings these horses experience.
Only weeks after being transferred to New York City from an Amish farm, a horse named Charlie collapsed and died while pulling a carriage from the stable to Central Park. An autopsy revealed that he had been suffering from stomach ulcers and a cracked tooth.(1) A 12-year-old mare named Smoothie panicked when she heard loud drumming in New York City’s Central Park and galloped onto a sidewalk. As she darted between two poles, the carriage she was harnessed to became lodged. She struggled in vain to keep running, and she eventually collapsed and died. Another horse startled by the same noise bolted into the street and collided with a car.(2)
Words
· Equestrian
· Rolkur
· Dominance
· Power
· Harmony
Walking
Facts
· The art of putting one foot in front of the other with a continuous pace
· Main four are, climbing, trekking, alpinism and regular
· Climbing requires heavy, incredibly stiff boot- used with crampons, more for vertical than horizontal, dealing with ice weather.
· Trekking needs a good durable boot, reinforced for support and comfy to minimise blisters and rubbing. Water proofed and long lasting, work well for most forms of walking
· Alpinism takes place in the spring and summer in the Alps, due to warm weather and set out trails the shoes required for this type of walking are more trainers like than the others. They needs to allow the hiker’s feet to breath and don’t need to worry about keeping water out. Lighter and more flexible too.
Statistics
http://www.ramblers.org.uk/what-we-do/making-the-case-for-walking/participation-in-walking.aspx
Walking for fun:
According to Britan’s most comprehensive survey of sport and recreation participation, 9.1million adults in England, or 22% of the population, walk recreationally for at least 30 minutes in four weeks. This is almost twice the number that swim (5.6million, 13.4%), more than twice the number that go to the gym (4.5million, 10.7%) and nearly three times the number that cycle (3.5million, 8.5%).
In Scotland, 30% of adults walk recreationally at least 3km/2 miles in four weeks. 16% swim and 10% cycle.
Almost a third of adults in Wales (31.6%) walk recreationally for at least 3km/2 miles in four weeks. 12.3% swim and 5.4% cycle.
Walking is the joint most popular activity (along with eating out) for people taking days out in England, and the most important reason for 18% of the 3.6billion trips per year. It is the main activity on 36% of countryside and 33% of seaside visits and the most popular activity for UK visitors to Scotland and Wales.
A third of adults in Britain say walking for more than 10 minutes is their only form of exercise in a typical month.
Walking as transport:
Nearly all journeys involve walking, often to connect with other transport modes. 23% of all journeys in Great Britain are made entirely on foot and 75% of journeys under 1 mile/1.6km are on foot. The average person travels 315km/197 miles a year on foot, or 3% of total distance travelled.
The most popular reason for walking is to go shopping (21%), followed by education (including escort education) (20%), and leisure or social purposes (20%). 17% of walk trips are ‘just to walk’ including dog walking.
In addition to journeys entirely on foot, the average British adult makes 78 journeys per year combining walking with public transport. 25% of British households do not have access to a car.
Whose doing it?
Almost everyone is capable of walking. Only 4% of people either need help when walking outside the home or are unable to walk on their own at all.
Leisure walking is enjoyed almost equally by both men and women. Fractionally more men walk than women: in England, 22.7% of men walk for at least 30 minutes in four weeks but only 21.2% of women. These figures should be compared with overall participation rates in sport in England: around 20% for men but under 13% for women.
When all walking is taken into account, British women make 15% more walking trips than men, and on average walk 14.5km/9 miles more per year: 321.5km compared with 307km.
More people aged between 25-55 walk recreationally than those in other age groups. Walking is more likely to be maintained later in life than sport – sports participation drops from 16% in the 35-54 age group to 7.6% in over 55s.
White people are more likely to walk: 23% of white people walk for at least 30 minutes in four weeks but only 13.5% of non-white people. Participation in sports is roughly equal for white and non-white people at around 16.5%.
People in professional jobs are more likely to walk for recreation than those in lower paid work. Around 28% of professionals walk for at least 30 minutes in four weeks compared to only 14% of those in routine manual jobs. Those who have never worked and the long-term unemployed are slightly more likely to walk at 14.5%. Overall, however, people living in low income households are more likely to make walking trips than those in higher income households.
Walking trends
The popularity of leisure walking appears to be rising. The number of English adults walking recreationally for at least 30 minutes every month increased by 954,700 (around 10%) between 2006 and 2008.
Walking overall has declined but may be stabilising. Between 1986 and 2005, the average proportion of journeys on foot fell from 34% to 23%, a decrease of 32%. Total distance walked per person per year fell from 390km/244 miles in 1986 to around 320km/200 miles in 1995 and seems to have stabilised, with the average trip length going up slightly.
The proportion of trips between 1.6km/1 mile and 3.2km/2 miles has increased from 25% to 31% in the past ten years, suggesting people walk less often but take slightly longer journeys on foot.
Only 49% of primary school children and 44% of secondary school children regularly walk to school, though two thirds of children are now walking to school at least once a week.
In 1976 only 15% of children were driven to school, rising to to 41% in 2006.
At its peak around 08:45 on schooldays, the school run accounts for nearly two in ten (18%) car trips by residents of urban areas.
Opinions
· Finn- prefers Alpinism as a form of walking, due to fresh air, good trails, nice weather and being surrounded by nature
· Finn- Best place to walk in the world Austria, locally- Ilkley, Hebton Bridge
· Express leeds recommends the Yorkshire sculpture park.
· Walking Englishmen suggests golden acre park leeds for beginners as it’s only 5 miles with gorgeous surroundings suitable for everyone, and for the more advanced skipton moor due to it being underwalked and unappricated
· Me- East Keswick, river. Secluded, peaceful, surrounded by nature (saw a king fisher) and felt like the cast from Lord of the Rings would come past in boats like in that one scene.
Words
· Alpinism
· Trekking
· Tread
· Grip
· Outdoors
Photos
