Title: Alfred University Senior Emma Suplicki Advocates for Equine Rights Through Research on Horse Protection Laws

Alfred University senior Emma Suplicki has a lifelong love for horses. The political science major from East Concord, NY, began riding at 5 years old and is a member of Alfred’s Western equestrian team, serving the last three years as a team captain.

Emma was one of more than 100 students who participated in Alfred University’s Undergraduate Research Forum, held Thursday, April 24, in the Joyce-Walton Center. The annual event provides a unique educational opportunity for aspiring researchers to present their work to fellow students, faculty, staff, and outside visitors.

It’s not a surprise that Emma’s project reflects her desire to be an advocate for fair and humane treatment of the equine population. Her research project, “Legalities and Protections in the Equine Industry: The Thoroughbred V. The Quarter Horse,” studied the rules, laws, and regulations protecting Thoroughbred horses in the horseracing industry and Quarter Horses in the horse showing industry.

Emma aspires to pursue a law degree and go into practice specializing in animal rights and freedoms. Her research revealed that both breeds of horses can be subject to varying degrees of inhumane treatment. She compared the laws and regulations that are in place to guard against poor treatment of the horses to determine which breed was better protected against abuse.

As Emma’s research progressed, she predicted that Quarter Horses were better protected than Thoroughbreds, in part because laws protecting the former are more centralized and uniform. She explained that Quarter Horses are regulated by national laws while those protecting Thoroughbreds are largely state-by-state. “Quarter Horses are more regulated than Thoroughbreds,” she said, attributing the discrepancy to the popularity of racing. “I think money may be a big factor.”

To fix the problem, Emma said she would propose creating a partnership between government regulators and members of the equine industry, which would work toward creating uniform laws that provide equal protection for horses, regardless of breed. “It could set a basic standard of care for all horses,” Emma said.

She conceded the effort—which could include implementing a system in which inspectors would provide oversight at races and shows—will have its challenges. “The problem is opinions vary on how horses are ridden and trained,” she said. Owners of horses that show and race and advocates for the safe treatment of both breeds would need to collaborate on creating effective and reasonable standards.

Emma said she is considering pursuing her MBA after graduation in May, after which she hopes to enroll in law school. She said the Undergraduate Research Forum experience will help her in her career pursuits. “I’ve really enjoyed it. Taking steps to look at legislation protecting these animals was super interesting,” she said. “Plus, this reflects what I want to do.”