Responses of horses in behavioural tests correlate with temperament assessed by riders.
Authors: Visser E K, Van Reenen C G, Rundgren M, Zetterqvist M, Morgan K, Blokhuis H J
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Assessing equine temperament reliably has long challenged professionals across disciplines, with debate centring on whether subjective rider assessments align with objective behavioural measures. Visser and colleagues investigated this question by subjecting 18 Swedish Warmblood horses to standardised behavioural tests—a novel object test and a handling test—then having 16 inexperienced riders independently rate each horse's temperament on 10 traits immediately after ridden work. The findings were striking: inter-rater agreement was highly significant across all temperamental traits (Kendall's W ranging 0.212–0.505, P < 0.001), and heart rate variables from the behavioural tests—particularly mean heart rate and heart rate variability—correlated substantially with the riders' ratings, as did the underlying components of the handling test identified through principal component analysis. This work validates the use of panel-based rider assessment as a reliable method of temperament evaluation and demonstrates that physiological responses during standardised handling and novel object exposure provide objective correlates to subjective perceptions of rideability, suggesting that behavioural testing protocols could usefully complement subjective assessment in training, selection and clinical evaluations where temperament matters.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Multiple experienced handlers can reliably assess and agree upon a horse's temperament through standardized rating methods, suggesting consistent behavioral phenotypes
- •Heart rate response during handling tests may serve as an objective physiological indicator of a horse's temperament and handling suitability
- •Behavioral assessment during handling provides more reliable temperament indicators than exposure to novel objects alone, informing selection and management strategies
Key Findings
- •16 experienced riders showed significant agreement (W: 0.212-0.505, P<0.001) when rating 10 temperamental traits in horses they had no prior experience with
- •Heart rate variables (mean heart rate and heart rate variability) from behavioral tests correlated significantly with riders' temperament ratings
- •Horses showing high locomotion and restlessness exhibited elevated mean heart rate and reduced heart rate variability during behavioral tests
- •Principal component analysis of the handling test correlated with riders' ratings, while the novel object test components did not