Assessment of ridden horse behavior

Assessments of the behavior of ridden horses form the basis of performance evaluation. The purpose of any performance being evaluated will determine the factors considered important, those indicative of 'poor' performance and what makes a successful equine athlete. Currently there is no consistent objective means of assessing ridden horse behavior and inevitably, given the different equestrian disciplines, the likelihood of a universal standard of good and bad performance is remote. Nevertheless, in order to protect the welfare of the ridden horse regardless of its specific role, we should strive for consensus on an objective means of identifying behavioral signs indicative of mental state. Current technological developments enable objective evaluation of movement patterns, but many aspects of the assessment of ridden behavior still rely on subjective judgement. The development of a list of behaviors exhibited by ridden horses, a ridden horse ethogram, will facilitate recording of observable behavioral events. However, without objective evidence of the relevance of these behavioral events, such a resource has limited value

Interaction between rider, horse and equestrian trainer : a challenging puzzle

This thesis examines the complex and challenging relationships between rider, horse and equestrian trainer in the context of teaching horse riding. What strategies and methods do equestrian trainers use to support the riders’ understanding of, and performance with, their horses? What role is the horse assigned in this form of interaction? Operating at the intersection between practical knowledge and human-animal studies, the thesis adopts an ethnographic approach, and seeks to develop theories of practical knowledge in the practice of teaching riding. Horse riding relies on embodied and “tacit” knowledge, which is achieved through practical experience, and is personal as well as context dependent. Since this kind of knowledge is (in most cases) difficult to completely express in words, it is also difficult to convey. “Equestrian feel” is a part of tacit knowledge and is considered as the most rewarding aspect of equestrian communication. Although horse riding has been taught for hundreds of years, knowledge about the learning situation during riding lessons, is sorely lacking. The results show that, as a subject and as an active participant in rider-horse communication, the horse is not directly addressed in the current education of rider-horse combinations. It is concluded that new teaching strategies are required, so that greater emphasis is placed on “equestrian feel” and on how riders experience their own as well as their horses’ bodies and minds. Furthermore, equestrian trainers need to improve their skills to make explicit to the rider why they choose to give certain instructions, thus contributing to the further development of a rider’s practical wisdom (phronesis). Equestrian cultures are in transition, and traditional systems of training rider-horse combinations are being challenged. The use of horses for sport raises ethical questions and it may be time for sport riders to seriously re-examine and re-evaluate the relation with their horses and how this affects the horse as a conscious and sensitive animal. This thesis is expected to contribute to improved teaching strategies and methods and thus to promote better welfare for both horse and rider.I den här avhandlingen undersöks det komplexa och mångfacetterade samspelet mellan ryttare, häst och tränare i en ridundervisningskontext. Vilka strategier och metoder använder tränare för att stödja ryttarens förståelse och prestation tillsammans med hästen? Studiens utgångspunkt är att ridning är en form av praktisk kunskap vilket definieras som kunskap som demonstreras genom handling. Avhandlingens inramning är en kombination av den praktiska kunskapens teori och det multidisciplinära forskningsområdet human-animal studies. Syftet är också att bidra till att förstärka hippologins humanistiska forskningsperspektiv genom att utveckla den praktiska kunskapens teori och metoder på ridundervisningens område. Ridning består till stor del av tyst eller underförstådd (tacit) kommunikation mellan människa och häst som ryttaren uppnår främst genom praktisk erfarenhet, och som är kroppslig, personlig och kontextberoende. Eftersom den här typen av kunskap inte helt och hållet kan uttryckas i ord, är den även svår att lära ut. Ryttarkänsla är en del av denna underförstådda kunskap och anses som den mest givande aspekten av kommunikation mellan ryttare och häst under ridning. Trots att ridundervisning har förekommit under flera århundraden, saknas djupare kunskap om inlärningen under ridlektioner, och om den praktiska kunskap som skickliga ridlärare och tränare använder. Resultaten visar att ett erkännande av hästen som en kännande och tänkande individ inte verkar vara varken tydliggjord eller inbyggd i det nuvarande ridutbildningssystemet. Slutsatsen är att det behövs nya undervisningsmetoder där mer fokus läggs på att utveckla ryttarens känsla och på hur ryttare uppfattar sin egen och sin hästs kropp under träningspasset. Tränarna behöver bli bättre på att förklara varför de väljer att ge vissa instruktioner och därmed bidra till att utveckla ryttares fronetiska kompetens. Kulturerna inom ridsporten är under omformning och traditionellt rotade träningssystem utmanas av nya idéer, men de starka, militära normerna spelar fortfarande en viktig roll. Att använda hästar för sport medför etiska överväganden, och därför borde ryttare inom ridsporten reflektera över hur deltagande i sport påverkar hästen som kännande och tänkande varelse. Studien förväntas bidra till förbättrade undervisningsstrategier och metoder och därmed en bättre välfärd för både ryttare och hästar

Riders Perceptions of Equestrian Communication in Sports Dressage

The aim of this study is to enhance the understanding of how sport dressage riders describe rider-horse communication when riding, and to relate these descriptions to current research on human-horse communication. Interviews with 15 amateur dressage riders were analyzed using a qualitative approach. The study shows that the interviewed riders describe the communication with the horses partly in a behavioristic way, applying concepts based on learning theory, which deviate from the description of riders as lacking understanding of these concepts put forth by some researchers. The riders connect the timing of their aids to equestrian feel, which they describe as the most difficult yet the most awarding aspect of the interspecies communication that riding is. Simultaneously, they acknowledge that horses are fully capable of choosing to listen to and cooperate with their requests.Funding Agencies|Swedish-Norwegian Fund for Equine Research; Linkoping University, Sweden</p

Responses of horses in behavioural tests correlate with temperament assessed by riders.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Behavioural tests as well as observers' ratings have been used to study horses' temperament. However, the relationship between the ratings and the responses in behavioural tests has not yet been studied in detail. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to examine this relationship between ratings and responses. METHODS: Eighteen mature Swedish Warmblood horses were subjected to 2 behavioural tests, one relating to novelty (novel object test) and one to handling (handling test). Subsequently, 16 of these horses were ridden by 16 equally experienced students, having no former experience with the horses. Immediately after each ride, the students scored the horse for 10 temperamental traits using a line rating method. RESULTS: It was shown that for each temperamental trait all 16 riders agreed on the ranking of the horses (0.21