University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School October 2018 Understanding Long-Standing Belief Systems in Business: A Qualitative Study of the Equine Industry Robyn Lord University of South Florida, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Business Administration, Management, and Operations Commons Scholar Commons Citation Lord, Robyn, "Understanding Long-Standing Belief Systems in Business: A Qualitative Study of the Equine Industry" (2018). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7544 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Overcoming Long-Standing Belief Systems in Business: A Qualitative Study of the Equine Industry by Robyn Lord A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Business Administration Muma College of Business University of South Florida Co-Major Professor: T. Grandon Gill, DBA Co-Major Professor: Robert Tiller, DBA Chris Pantzalis, Ph.D. Dahlia Robinson, Ph.D. Shivendu Shivendu, Ph.D. Date of Approval: October 12, 2018 Keywords: Equine, Horses, Hoof Care, Natural Horsemanship, Farrier, Shod, Barefoot, Change, Status Quo, Qualitative Data Analysis, NVivo, Change Management, Grounded Theory, Resistance to Change, Organizational Change Copyright © 2018, Robyn Lord DEDICATION I would like to dedicate my work to all those who showed up and were part of this process. Horses cannot necessarily speak yet they have so much to say. I applaud those who listen closely and admire from afar. May you always have a wild horse in your heart and an open mind to know its value. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The road to a dissertation is long and extremely challenging. There are many people that have assisted in the process that I would like to take the time to thank. I anticipated the challenge but did not anticipate the transformative process that has occurred. My advisors can attest to the battle of wills that were faced throughout this process. The barriers seemed insurmountable at times, but through it all, I was able to rise above the foreboding reasons. I would like to thank my dissertation committee without whom I would not be at this stage of the process. Most importantly, I would like to thank my principle instructor Dr. T. Grandon Gill and Dr. Robert Tiller. I thank Dr. Gill for always listening to my academic protocol, however lengthy it may have seemed. Dr. Gill is the reason I joined the program at USF and continues to inspire everyone he administers to. I would like to thank Dr. Robert Tiller for always having encouragement and guidance above and beyond what was expected. I would also like to thank my other committee members: Dr. Chris Pantzalis, Dr. Dahlia Robinson, and Dr. Shivendu Shivendu. Without this expert team of academic advisors, I would not have pushed myself to my highest potential. I would like to thank my niece, Bianca Long, for going through this doctoral process with me. You are my anchor in the storm. You inspire me to be a better person every day. I would also like to thank my business partner, KC La Pierre for his patience and perseverance through this process. His understanding and support were greatly appreciated. I would like to thank my cohort members who were available at a moment’s notice, at all hours of the night, as the academic pressures rose. I would also like to thank Dr. Joann Farrell Quinn for her qualitative coding guidance and belief in the grounded theory method. She is a wonderful role model and an expert in the qualitative data synthesis. Lastly, I would like to thank the leaders and members of the equine industry who took part in this research, appreciated the rigor of this unique data, and saw the value of the industry study for a business purpose. My research experience and gratitude for their professionalism are immeasurable. I am humbled by their vision, industry pride and commitment to the health and welfare of the horse. TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................ vii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ix Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... x Chapter One: The Equine Industry: a Comprehensive Analysis of the Current Landscape .......... 1 Tagline ................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 2 The Industry ........................................................................................................................ 3 Research Findings ............................................................................................................... 5 Horse Owners...................................................................................................................... 6 Industry Regulation ............................................................................................................. 9 Industry Outlook ............................................................................................................... 11 Areas of Competing Philosophies ..................................................................................... 12 Hoof Care .......................................................................................................................... 13 Existing Research Findings................................................................................... 13 The Farrier Industry .............................................................................................. 14 Farrier Regulatory Bodies ..................................................................................... 17 National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) .......................................................... 19 Farrier Exemption Changes .................................................................................. 20 The Barefoot Movement ....................................................................................... 21 Horsemanship ................................................................................................................... 23 Existing Research Findings................................................................................... 23 Traditional Horsemanship ..................................................................................... 26 Natural Horsemanship .......................................................................................... 28 Horse–Human Relationship .................................................................................. 30 Niche Businesses .................................................................................................. 30 Discussion ......................................................................................................................... 31 Traditional Belief Systems: Hoof care and Horsemanship ................................... 31 Natural Belief Systems: Hoof care and Horsemanship ......................................... 34 Analysis................................................................................................................. 35 Broader Implications ......................................................................................................... 37 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 40 The IA Protocol................................................................................................................. 42 Investigator’s Background ................................................................................................ 44 Institute of Applied Equine Podiatry .................................................................... 44 Steps in the Research Protocol .............................................................................. 44 v Permissions ....................................................................................................................... 47 Chapter Two: A Qualitative Approach to Understanding Adoption or Resistance of Long- Standing Belief Systems within the Equine Industry ................................................................... 48 Tagline .............................................................................................................................. 48 Executive Summary .......................................................................................................... 48 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 49 Review of Research .........................................................................................................