Development of the Human-Equine Attachment Scale.
Authors: Corrigan Richard H, Pierard Marc, Davies Emma, Marlin David, Evans Stephanie, Williams Jane M
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Human-Equine Attachment Scale: A New Tool for Understanding Owner Motivations Whilst the emotional bonds between horses and their owners clearly influence decisions about management and veterinary care, standardised measurement instruments have been conspicuously absent from equine research and practice. Corrigan and colleagues developed the Human-Equine Attachment Scale (HEAS) by synthesising attachment research from human and animal psychology, then refining a preliminary 25-item questionnaire through principal components analysis of 3,611 UK respondents (92.9% female). The resulting 22-item scale identified six dimensions of attachment—Companionship (19% of variance), Personal Wellbeing (9.8%), Dependence (8.9%), Status (8.5%), Growth (7.5%), and notably, Sacrifice (6.3%)—with good internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.77). The emergence of Sacrifice as a distinct factor is particularly telling, reflecting the genuine financial and personal costs inherent to horse ownership in ways that previous frameworks had not captured. For equine professionals, this psychometrically sound tool offers potential to better understand why owners make specific welfare and management decisions, whether they seek veterinary intervention, and how attachment quality might inform targeted education and dialogue around horse health and performance; however, further validation across different equestrian populations and international contexts will be needed before the scale can be confidently applied beyond UK settings.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Understanding the six dimensions of owner attachment (Companionship, Wellbeing, Dependence, Status, Growth, Sacrifice) can help equine professionals better predict and support owner decision-making regarding horse management and veterinary care
- •Recognition that owners view their horses through multiple attachment lenses—not just companionship—may explain variation in compliance with recommendations and investment in health/welfare interventions
- •This tool could identify owners at risk of poor welfare decisions or financial overextension, enabling targeted support and education strategies
Key Findings
- •A six-factor model better explains human-horse attachment than the initially hypothesised five factors, with Companionship accounting for 19% of variance and Sacrifice emerging as a distinct sixth factor (6.3%)
- •The 22-item Human-Equine Attachment Scale demonstrated good internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.77) and explained 60% of total variance across six dimensions
- •The scale reveals that horse owners' attachment encompasses financial and personal investment considerations, distinguishing equine bonds from other human-animal relationships
- •Sample was predominantly female (92.9%) and UK-only, limiting generalisability across cultural contexts and equestrian populations