equine behaviour dissertation ideas

• Help & Terms of Use

Animal Welfare and Behaviour

• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Bristol Veterinary School
• Phone +44(0)117 9289280, +44(0)117 9289505
• Email [email protected]
• Website http://www.bris.ac.uk/vetscience/research/welfare-behaviour/

United Kingdom

Student theses

• Title (descending)

Search results

An epidemiological investigation of coxiella burnetii and chlamydia spp. as infectious agents causing abortion in dairy cattle in uruguay.

Supervisor: Eisler, M. C. (Supervisor), Turner, K. M. E. (Supervisor) & Riet-Correa, F. (External person) (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

An investigation into restricted grazing techniques in the UK and their impact on equine welfare

Supervisor: Hockenhull, J. (Supervisor), Horseman, S. V. (Supervisor) & Knowles, T. G. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Master's Thesis › Master of Science by Research (MScR)

A prospective cohort study of foot temperature and claw horn disruption lesions in non-lame dairy cows.

Supervisor: Whay, B. (Supervisor) & van Klink, E. (Supervisor)

A quasi-experimental study of the Flipped Classroom Method in a Hong Kong Associate Degree of Nursing Studies setting

Supervisor: Orchard, J. (Supervisor) & Browne, W. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Education (EdD)

Assessing and understanding Chinese high school students' scientific argumentation competence

Supervisor: Browne, W. (Supervisor) & Mbogo Barrett, A. (Supervisor)

A study of leadership in Hong Kong self-financing Higher Education

Supervisor: Browne, W. (Supervisor) & Tikly, L. (Supervisor)

Clinical Trial: Investigating the efficacy of behavioural treatment and indicators of emotional state in the fearful domestic dog (Canis familiaris).

Supervisor: Blackwell, E. (Supervisor) & Mendl, M. T. (Supervisor)

Cognitive bias as an indicator of emotional states in animals

Data-driven housing designs to improve bone health and welfare in laying hens.

Supervisor: Tarlton, J. (Supervisor), Buijs, S. (Supervisor) & Toscano, M. (Supervisor)

Developing measures for pain assessment in dairy calves

Supervisor: Murrell, J. (Supervisor), Hockenhull, J. (Supervisor), Held, S. (Supervisor) & Love, E. (Supervisor)

Evaluation of the effect of the Bristol Pecking Pan on beak sharpness of pullets during rear

Supervisor: Weeks, C. (Supervisor) & Butterworth, A. (Supervisor)

Exploring social dynamics in cattle using a social networks approach

Supervisor: Held, S. (Supervisor) & Caplen, G. (Supervisor)

Farmer innovation for improvement of animal health and welfare : A comparison of different policy interventions to enhance practice-led innovation for animal health and welfare improvement

Supervisor: Reyher, K. (Supervisor), Mullan, S. (Supervisor) & Main, D. (Supervisor)

Helminth parasites of pigs and humans in North Central Nigeria, with a particular focus on Taenia solium

Supervisor: Morgan, E. R. (Supervisor) & Eisler, M. C. (Supervisor)

Identifying constraints to health and production in the UK dairy goat industry : Subtheme; Colostrum

Supervisor: Grogono-Thomas, R. (Supervisor), Mendl, M. (Supervisor) & Knowles, T. G. (Supervisor)

Student thesis : Doctoral Thesis › Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)

Implementation of canine quality of life assessment in veterinary practice

Supervisor: Blackwell, E. (Supervisor) & Mullan, S. (Supervisor)

Improving dairy cattle welfare : examining Motivational Interviewing, veterinary communication and the herd health advisory paradigm

Supervisor: Reyher, K. K. (Supervisor), Main, D. C. J. (Supervisor), Roe, E. J. (Supervisor), Haase, A. M. (Supervisor) & Whay, H. R. (Supervisor)

Investigating the effect of individual attributes on dogs’ performance in medical detection tasks

Supervisor: Rooney, N. J. (Supervisor) & Mendl, M. T. (Supervisor)

Investigating the efficacy of automated writing evaluation as a diagnostic assessment tool in L2 writing instruction: A mixed-method study

Supervisor: Yu, G. (Supervisor) & Browne, W. J. (Supervisor)

Statistical Methods for Investigating the Ethnic Achievement Gap in Colombia

Supervisor: Leckie, G. (Supervisor) & Browne, W. (Supervisor)

Teachers’ language assessment literacy in the digital age: construct, competence and affecting factors

The application of positive behavioural measures for commercial broiler production.

Supervisor: Lambton, S. L. (Supervisor) & Mullan, S. M. (Supervisor)

The development and practical implementation of Single Pulse Ultra-High Current for humane and Halal compliant slaughter of cattle

Supervisor: Knowles, T. G. (Supervisor) & Grist, A. (Supervisor)

The development of a welfare assessment protocol for racehorses

Supervisor: Trigg, L. (Supervisor), Mullan, S. (Supervisor), Allen, K. (Supervisor), Valenchon, M. (Supervisor) & Hockenhull, J. (Supervisor)

The effect of loading context on bone’s deficient adaptive response to mechanical loading in old mice

Supervisor: Price, J. (Supervisor) & Tarlton, J. (Supervisor)

The effects of chronic pain from spontaneous canine osteoarthritis on working memory and sleep

Supervisor: Murrell, J. (Supervisor) & Mendl, M. (Supervisor)

The Implementation of the Scientific Approach (SA) in English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Classes and Its Influence on Students’ Critical Thinking Development Processes: An In-Depth Case Study of An Indonesian State Senior High School

Supervisor: Brownhill, S. (External person) (Supervisor) & Browne, W. J. (Supervisor)

The perception and relief of pain associated with lameness in dairy cattle.

Tuberculosis in cattle and humans in plateau state, nigeria.

Supervisor: Eisler, M. C. (Supervisor), Bennet, E. D. S. (Supervisor), Turner, K. M. E. (Supervisor) & van Klink, E. G. M. (Supervisor)

Using simulation with Simulated Patients and Peer Role-play for adverse event disclosure training in an undergraduate nursing program: A comparative study

Supervisor: Browne, W. J. (Supervisor)

Volunteers or conscripts? Investigating the impact of compulsory mathematics on students’ mathematics choices, motivation and attainment in a Further Education college

Student thesis : Master's Thesis › Master of Science (MSc)

• Student Stories

Blogs and vlogs from students of the University of Edinburgh

Toggle navigation menu Menu

• Other ways to connect
• Our graduates

Our postgraduates

• Our undergraduates

Research Methods in Equine Science…

…by Nancy / from the United States / MSc Equine Science / 3rd Year

I am eagerly preparing for my last module which will help me proceed with my research project. I am taking the free course, “Research Methods and Statistics” to help me prepare for the “real” class “Research Methods in Equine Science”. I have thoroughly enjoyed each and every subject/topic that Edinburgh has presented to me in each module. This makes it difficult to choose what area of equine research to focus on for my dissertation. I have so many ideas and questions, swirling around in my mind, that I would love to be able to investigate them all.

In reflecting on my past courses, I wouldn’t have predicted that, Equine Reproduction ended up being my favorite module. I was hesitant to take that course as my areas of interest were always geared toward equine physiology and orthopedics. I thought I wouldn’t do well in the class due to not having a huge equine breeding background. However I found the topic fascinating and ended up learning so much more than I anticipated…I hated to see the module come to an end! I’m glad I took the opportunity to investigate a topic that was somewhat out of my comfort zone.

At the other end of the spectrum… I was very interested in taking Equine Nutrition and was not disappointed in the course. All instructors were very informative and approachable, especially when help was needed setting up caloric calculations, nutrient requirement equations and equine dietary analysis. During my studies at Edinburgh I have always had good staff support. All questions have been answered promptly. I ended up taking five modules in a row (having begun my studies in January 2015) and this resulted in me not having to take Equine Orthopedics. I was a little disappointed but was thrilled to be able to take the orthopedics class as an auditor. The research papers, books and lectures were very interesting and useful… I highly recommend taking advantage of this service Edinburgh offers for that “one” module you don’t have to fully participate in with assessments. I also highly recommend especially for “equestrians and drivers” to take the Equitation Science module. I took Equine Behavior and Welfare as a precursor to Equitation Science. The research available and the tutors were extremely enlightening. These two modules complimented one another, giving me good training strategies. A wonderful website on the topic is at  http://www.equitationscience.com  .

Well I better go ride some horses and of course clean some stalls! Today is the first day of Spring which for me signals that the Kentucky Derby is a little over 6 weeks away. Warmer weather and more time in the saddle is on the way! Enjoy your day!

Keep smiling,

Posted by stories

3rd October 2019

Previous post

Demystifying Online Degrees…

Necessary Networking…

Leave a reply

Your comment *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

HTML Text Research Methods in Equine Science… / Student Stories by blogadmin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0

Plain text Research Methods in Equine Science… by blogadmin @ is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0

Report this page

To report inappropriate content on this page, please use the form below. Upon receiving your report, we will be in touch as per the Take Down Policy of the service.

Please note that personal data collected through this form is used and stored for the purposes of processing this report and communication with you.

If you are unable to report a concern about content via this form please contact the Service Owner .

• Open access
• Published: 27 September 2012

Psychological factors affecting equine performance

• Sebastian D McBride 1 &
• Daniel S Mills 2  

BMC Veterinary Research volume  8 , Article number:  180 ( 2012 ) Cite this article

39k Accesses

59 Citations

26 Altmetric

Metrics details

For optimal individual performance within any equestrian discipline horses must be in peak physical condition and have the correct psychological state. This review discusses the psychological factors that affect the performance of the horse and, in turn, identifies areas within the competition horse industry where current behavioral research and established behavioral modification techniques could be applied to further enhance the performance of animals. In particular, the role of affective processes underpinning temperament, mood and emotional reaction in determining discipline-specific performance is discussed. A comparison is then made between the training and the competition environment and the review completes with a discussion on how behavioral modification techniques and general husbandry can be used advantageously from a performance perspective.

Introduction

To attain optimal individual performance within any equestrian discipline, horses must be in peak physical fitness and have the correct psychological state. Professional riders acknowledge that these two factors are equally important and that without both, success is unlikely e.g. [ 1 ]. In addition, the relationship between a horse and its rider has been shown to be the most important factor when determining the risk of injury whilst riding [ 2 ]. However, despite its obvious importance for both performance success and human health, there is remarkably little research into any aspect of the psychology of equestrian performance. Psychological factors exist at three inter-related but separate levels: temperament, mood and emotional reaction [ 3 ]. Temperament exists as a relatively stable predisposition in adult life, which is shaped by both genotype and early experience [ 4 ], whilst mood describes a more temporary state of psychological functioning which helps to bias behavioral choices towards certain types of action in a predisposing environment [ 5 ]. For example, a negative mood, brought about by a series of aversive experiences in a given situation or over a particular period of time, may bias action towards escape and avoidance of novelty (and so serve to protect the organism from harm). Emotional reactions are the most tightly stimulus-bound affective states and the shortest lived temporally, thus, describing the more immediate response to the subjective evaluation of an event. If mood is negative then there is a higher probability of negative emotional reactions to a given situation [ 6 ]. Whilst there is a growing literature on temperament in horses (see [ 7 ] for review) there is still very little scientific work on the emotional reactions of horses and almost none on the assessment of moods. It is nonetheless important to appreciate that although it is difficult to study these phenomena, this does not mean that they are not important and certainly that they do not exist. Given the biological advantage served by these psychological constructs, this paper does not seek to present an argument for their existence but rather to evaluate their significance to equestrian performance. We start with a review of the role of temperament in performance, before considering the more proximate factors which can shape what a given horse may achieve at the time of a specific performance event. With this as a foundation, a comparison is then made between the training and the competition environment and the review completes with a discussion on how behavioral modification techniques and stress reduction through general husbandry may have the potential to enhance the performance of the horse.

• Temperament

Like physical traits, the psychological phenotype results from genotype-environment interaction and so has a measure of heritability. Physical and performance traits have regularly been used for breeding selection purposes with noticeable improvements in some countries. In the UK, for example, dressage performance increased from 1985 until 2001 (genetic standard deviation increases of 0.047 per annum) [ 8 ] and, since the introduction of performance tests in the mid-1980s in Sweden, using physical, performance and some temperament measures, the genetic progress has increased by 0.032 to 0.056 standard deviations per annum for dressage and show jumping respectively [ 9 ]. There has been some criticism, however, about the lack of objectivity within the temperament portion of these tests, primarily on the poor interpretation of behavioral data where multiple possible causal origins including environmental and rider effects are not being taken into consideration [ 10 ]. This criticism applies not only to professional performance tests but to equine temperament tests in general. Indeed, the absence of sound biological constructs or definitions of the various dimensions that make up temperament may be the primary reason why heritability values of temperament traits to date have been low. For example, Brockman and Bruns [ 11 ] reported a heritability of 0.26 for “temperament” in German Warmblood stallions, whilst the more precisely defined “jumping ability” in the same study had a much higher heritability of 0.62. It is, therefore, essential that measures are taken to objectively quantify strictly defined components of temperament, which should be based on sound biological theory, rather than arbitrary human choice.

A more precise definition of temperament and its components also helps define, in a more standardised way, the optimal genotype and thus aid the process of developing the optimal phenotype (from the perspective of discipline-specific competitive performance). What is crucial about the last statement is that optimal genotype is discipline specific; just as a Shetland will never win the Derby, so a horse of inappropriate temperament will generally never succeed within a certain discipline. It is therefore essential, not only to concisely define the biological basis of temperament, but also to identify very carefully which components (at the level of both specific behaviors and behavioral predispositions) are required to achieve success within a given discipline. For example, ‘flightiness’ may be generally advantageous to racehorse performance, but detrimental within the context of a dressage competition. Indeed, in a recent study by [ 12 ], although not the primary aim of the study, data did potentially highlight traits often sought within the different equestrian disciplines. The identification of these high performance discipline-specific behavioral traits can either be subjective (but in an informed away) as above (‘flightiness’ good for racehorse performance, detrimental within dressage competition) or can be achieved through a less subjective process of statistical correlation of well-defined traits with measures of performance.

In addition, greater precision in the definition of temperament traits also provides a better opportunity to select for that trait during the breeding-training process as opposed to, for example, constructs which are as complex and as multifaceted as 'eventing' resulting in low heritability values (0.20) [ 11 ]. It has also been suggested [ 13 ] that some studies of temperament in the horse tell us more about those evaluating the horses than the true biological basis of individual differences. For example Morris and colleagues [ 14 ] have suggested that horses share a similar personality structure to humans, but since they used a modified version of a human personality questionnaire describing subjective ratings, it seems somewhat inevitable that items would partition in a similar way. Nonetheless, appropriate questionnaire-based studies are valid and previous work in conjunction with behavioral studies has revealed at least three consistent temperament dimensions, which also accord with our current neurobiological understanding. One appears to relate to a sensitivity to aversion (often referred to as neuroticism in the psychological literature [ 15 ], flightiness in popular parlance e.g. [ 13 ] and is often assessed within behavioral tests by reactivity to a novel object e.g. [ 16 ], social isolation [ 17 – 20 ], and handling [ 19 – 21 ]. A second relates to a sensitivity to reward, (variously described as extraversion e.g. [ 14 ]; or in relation to exploratory behaviour in behavioral tests e.g. [ 22 ]. The third trait relates to sociability or gregariousness [ 23 ], again evident in the individual variation that occurs in response to social isolation [ 24 ]. The latter is obviously relevant when considering the background management of the athlete however we will focus this review on the former two traits relating more specifically to affective processing during training.

Temperament testing is often only practically useful if it is predictive of how an animal reacts to a range of situations over time. Whilst some studies have shown that individuals are consistent in their response between different tests [ 17 , 19 , 21 ], consistency over time within individuals has been more difficult to attain [ 18 , 25 ], although use of single behaviour measures (as opposed to combined forms [traits]) has been more successful in this respect [ 26 – 28 ]. This may be due to a) test-specific learning, a change in stimulus salience in relation to the test (a known artefact of repeat-testing especially in the case of “novel object tests”), b) added error through the additional computational step of multivariate statistical analysis, or c) general maturation effects of the animal. Nonetheless, it may still be possible to behaviorally profile immature horses and correlate these measures with performance success later in the animal’s life. Indeed, for Dutch show-jumping horses individual behavioral measures and combined forms of these data (traits) in response to ‘novel-object’, ‘handling’ and ‘learning’ tests were observed to be indicative of future jumping performance [ 25 ]. In particular, time taken to approach a novel object (open umbrella), ability to learn to avoid puffs of air in response to a bell sounding, and the combined behavioral trait of ‘sensitiveness’ (probably reflecting sensitivity to aversive stimuli) appeared to be particularly important in this respect. This particular study perhaps shows the value of objectively measuring behaviour in a range of well-defined tests and examining their biological commonality (e.g. sensitivity to aversion) and then correlating these with measures of performance, as opposed to measuring poorly defined traits which are preconceived to be relevant to a particular discipline (e.g. ‘flightiness’ for race horses).

Behavioral data of this nature also have the potential to be subjected to supervised statistical techniques e.g.discriminant function analysis [ 29 , 30 ]. Here, statistical software is informed about the performance success of animals (where failure is due to psychological rather than physical factors) to identify sources of variation within the behavioral screening data that are predictive of other animal’s potential performance success. Such a research project, at the national level, has the potential to save much time, effort and money, on horses that may have the physical but not the psychological aptitude for high-level competition success. However, one of the drawbacks of such an early screening strategy would be the risk of discarding athletically able young horses (on the results of an early temperament test), where potential behavioral problems during the middle to latter stages of the horse’s career could be resolved through behavioral modification techniques. The optimal approach in this respect would be to correlate early test results with performance of the animal after behavioral modification techniques had been applied.

In conclusion, out of the previously defined five personality dimensions considered to exist at various levels for different animal species [ 15 ], the horse reliably shows signs of two dimensions, neurotocism and extraversion, which relate to affective response, plus a third relating to the affective state associated with social needs. Although studies have consistently identified the presence of traits (within these dimensions) over time (in the same animals) as well as between animals, consistency of the value of the trait over time for individual animals has been demonstrated to a much lesser extent. This may be due to test-specific learning or general maturation processes changing the temperament of the animal over time. However, the predictive value of early temperament testing has been demonstrated with traits from both of the affective dimensions (as measured by novelty test, handling and learning) considered to be valuable in predicting jumping performance. Much more validation-type research measuring a full range of concisely defined early temperament traits for the purpose of subsequent correlation with discipline specific performance is required.

Mood and emotional reaction

The importance of mood on performance is well recognised within equestrianism and scales such as the “Profile of Mood States” have been used to assess, through verbal report, various predispositions in the rider [ 31 ]. Obviously verbal report is not an option when assessing the horse, but work using heart rate variability (changes in inter-beat frequency) [ 32 ] suggests this may be a quantifiable alternative and a productive avenue for research for this species. For example, reduced heart rate variability (as revealed by analysis of the low and high frequency peaks in the power spectrum following Fourier transformation of the R-R data) suggests lower parasympathetic tone and thus higher arousal [ 33 ]. Thus, such measures in combination with behavioral data may help to determine, at the time of performance, whether high arousal relates to either a positive or a negative emotional state [ 34 ]. However, the relationship between arousal and performance is not a simple one. Excessive arousal, even if positive may be as detrimental to performance as under-arousal [ 35 ] and there is no optimal level that suits all. In human sports psychology, this individual requirement of arousal level has been termed the Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning (IZOF [ 36 ]). It is highly conceivable, therefore, that this same concept is also applicable to the horse [ 37 ] and, in this context, may be determined by correlating the aforementioned periodic sampling of heart rate with behaviour and performance of the individual animal. Whilst there may be little that can be done on the day of competition to alter mood, mood assessment before competition may be a very useful predictor of poor performance (as a result of both psychological and physical [e.g. subclinical onset of disease] factors) and could therefore be used to prevent injury or unnecessary unsuccessful competition. Mood assessment may also provide an additional and more objective means of determining how the horse is affected by different training and exercise regimes and thus how this impacts on performance. Such information might be of enormous competitive and welfare significance as it seems reasonable to suggest that, in the majority of cases, horses, like other athletes, will perform best when mood is positive. Recent developments in animal welfare science have offered up some robust experimental methods for assessing mood in non-human animals, although they have yet to be applied to the horse [ 38 ]. There may be a real advantage, therefore, for professional equestrians to integrate mood assessment techniques, both during training and at the point of competition, into their overall training strategy.

Emotional reactions differ from mood states in that they concern the immediate evaluation of the personal significance of a situation i.e. they are much more proximate in their temporal relationship with specific events and more tightly stimulus-bound compared to ‘background’ mood. Emotional reaction is mediated by the limbic aspect of the brain and primarily facilitates optimal preparation to a given situation on the basis of previous experience, but also serves a communicative function to conspecifics [ 39 ]. The latter allows emotional responses to be identified and measured behaviorally, although there can be disagreement over the exact emotion being expressed. The emotional reactions of horses to situations are evidently of enormous importance when it comes to their performance with over-reaction to environmental stimuli (reflecting a highly sensitive limbic arousal system) at the time of competition being the primary issue in this respect. However, the point at which advantageous emotional reaction becomes over-reaction and detrimental to performance varies between discipline. For example, during the highly constrained motor actions of dressage, it is important that the horse shows little or no additional motor response to non-rider environmental stimuli, whilst in show-jumping it is often considered that a higher level of emotional arousal can be tolerated. For high racing performance on the other hand, high emotional arousal is considered a pre-requisite but again not to the point where it becomes deleterious e.g. the horse not loading into the starting gate or over-energy expenditure preventing the horse from going to distance or responding to the rider in the final furlong. Given that emotional responses are partly dependent on previous experience, the method of training used is, therefore, critically important when trying to build optimal individual performance. The majority of training is based on the use of aversive stimuli in the form of either punishment to discourage undesirable behaviour or negative reinforcement to encourage appropriate behavior [ 40 ]. For the latter, it is the removal of the aversive stimulus which provides the reinforcement for the correct behavior and which, with consistency, leads to early anticipation and avoidance of the training aid so the animal becomes responsive to the most subtle cue from the rider. Timing is therefore critical and poor timing may lead to the learning of unanticipated and inappropriate responses [ 40 ]. Although employed to a much lesser extent, training can also be achieved through positive reinforcement. Because responses are associated with reward acquisition, they are much more variable as, evolutionarily speaking, it pays an animal to explore the limits of what is required to obtain a reward so it can maximise efficiency through minimal effort [ 41 ]. However, the key issue with positive reinforcement (and where it contrasts most with negative reinforcement and punishment) is that emotional responses to the training situation are often entirely positive rather than largely or wholly negative [ 42 , 43 ]. This may be extremely important in shaping the horse’s perception of being ridden and the relationship which develops between the horse and rider, as a result (which may be particularly important when the rider and the trainer are the same person).

Somewhat surprisingly, given that in many disciplines, success depends on an optimal partnership rather than excellent individuals [ 1 ], very little is known about the effect of the rider’s emotional state on that of the horses [ 37 ]. Horses are known to react differently when stroked by someone with a negative attitude to them compared to someone with a more positive attitude [ 44 ], and so they may detect changes in rider behavior due to such things as competition anxiety. More recent findings also tentatively suggest that both the rider's and horse's personality affect the level of cooperation between the two [ 45 ] thus supporting the common anecdote that some horses suit some riders. This is an area of research that again requires much more exploration, potentially through assessing the personality factors within the horse-rider dyad and ultimately correlating this with measures of performance.

In conclusion, both mood and emotional state are crucial in determining how the horse perceives and reacts to its environment and thus how it will perform within a training and competition environment. Positive mood is essential for all disciplines but the optimal emotional state leading to optimal emotional arousal can vary between disciplines and between horses, as in the case with humans (IZOF). Over-reaction as the result of high emotional arousal is detrimental to performance and is heavily influenced by prior training techniques and also the emotional state of the rider. More extensive research is required within both of these areas.

Training versus competition environment

Many horses may fail in competition because of the difference between the training and competition environments and thus the lack of training to generate appropriate emotional (and thus behavioral) responses to the latter. The purpose of these sections is to again highlight practical approaches and potential areas of scientific study that may be of benefit in this regard from performance perspective.

Training environment

Training has been defined as ‘suppressing undesirable natural responses, exploiting desirable natural behaviour and instilling novel behaviour by the deliberate or accidental application of learning theory’ [ 46 ]. For the performance horse, training obviously also involves conditioning of the cardio-vascular and musculoskeletal systems, and the two (psychological and physical) are normally inextricably intertwined. Two additional psychological factors that are frequently referred to in relation to learning and training ability are intelligence [ 47 ] and motivation [ 48 , 49 ]. Just as with the emotional constructs discussed above, these concepts are often poorly defined, in fact, it has been argued that the use of the term “intelligence” to infer a continuous scale of ability in relation to learning is probably inappropriate as horses that perform well in one type of learning task may not necessarily perform well in another (see [ 47 ] for review). This is not perhaps surprising because a) tasks are predominantly based on operant learning; the animal performs a task in order to either avoid negative reinforcement (e.g.discomfort or pain) or attain positive reinforcement (e.g. food [primary reinforcer] or verbal praise/ clicker [secondary reinforcer]), b) animals differ in their sensitivity to reward and aversive stimuli (as previously discussed) and c) different balances of reward and aversive stimuli are applied within each learning task. Indeed, a recent study by Lansade and Simon [ 50 ] clearly demonstrated a correlation between aversion sensitivity and ability to learn via a negative but not a positive reinforcement paradigm. Given that different disciplines or training regimes within discipline also require different balances of reward versus aversive stimuli, it may therefore be more appropriate to discuss learning ability of individual horses in the context of discipline-specific tasks, as listed, for example, in Table 1 ). However, it should also be noted that most tasks can be achieved using combinations of both positive and negative reinforcement, therefore, from a practical perspective, it is perhaps more useful to ascertain individual sensitivity to reward and aversive stimuli as a way of identifying the most effective training strategy. As previously discussed, behavioral methods of assessment (positive and negative reinforcement learning trials) already exist (see [ 47 ] review), but much more research is required to create more practical tests that could easily be applied pre-training within a short period of time to help determine the optimal training strategy (negative versus positive reinforcement) for the individual performance horse. A potential starting point for this work could be the simplification of experimental psychology studies that have previously quantified reinforcer sensitivities in the horse [ 51 ] and other species [ 52 , 53 ].

The second factor highlighted as being important to training was motivation. It is considered that motivation, for a range of species, can originate both cognitively (within cortical regions of the brain) and emotionally (from sub-cortical regions) involving focus on specific goals associated with either the attainment of something the animal considers to be desirable (e.g. food) or, the avoidance of that which is aversive (e.g. pressure, pain) [ 54 , 55 ]. These are the same fundamental end points that drive learning processes and thus, motivation and the attainment of goals are intertwined within a cognitive learning process. Although it has been argued that for horses, athletic activity itself may be rewarding and thus horses may be intrinsically motivated to work or exercise [ 56 ], the majority of training requires additional incentive. Normally this originates from avoidance of pressure or pain (negative reinforcement) and occasionally involves the use of reward (e.g. food) or associated secondary reward (e.g. verbal praise or clicker) in the form of positive reinforcement. The level of motivation for the attainment of goals in horses varies dramatically between individuals and again may reflect individual sensitivity to reward and aversive stimuli [ 22 ]. Thus, from a performance perspective it is perhaps again more appropriate to talk, not about learning ability, but rather motivation to learn based on the animal’s basal motivation to avoid negative and attain positive reinforcers. For highly complex tasks (for example in dressage), learning ability for that task (‘intelligence’) will have greater importance [ 57 ]. However, high level of motivation will still be paramount for successful task completion. It follows, therefore, that one of the most important factors at the outset of training is to ensure that the individual animal is sufficiently motivated to perform. Interestingly, in human sports performance psychology, this motivation either to succeed or to avoid failure is so enhanced in some individuals that it often develops clinically as obsessive-compulsive characteristics, referred to as ‘perfectionism’ [ 58 – 60 ]. To the extent that it has raised the question in the human literature as to whether such human personality characteristics are now a prerequisite for sport success. It may also be that such high motivation characteristics are also a pre-requisite for the modern equine equivalent. Interestingly, the neurochemical pathway considered to be intrinsic to motivational processes demonstrates significant variation in activity between individual horses [ 61 ]. Individuals with higher activity (and thus potentially greater motivation for goal-directed behaviors) also differ behaviorally in that they are a) more prone to stereotypic behavior and b) persist more within a positive reinforcement operant task (continue pressing the food dispensing button) when the reward that they are working for is taken away [ 62 ]. From a practical perspective, although these studies may suggest that the level of basal goal-directed motivation (at least in the context of positive reinforcement) could actually be tested for, it also demonstrates that such a selection strategy could lead to a greater incidence of stereotypic behaviour within that equine sub-population. This raises the moral dilemma that often exists within animal production/performance systems that selection of one trait (in this instance high motivation) for the purpose of enhanced production/performance may be detrimental to the animal from a welfare perspective.

Motivation to learn is also heavily affected by the learning environment, in particular the duration of the training session and how frequently those sessions occur on a daily or weekly basis. For example, horses in a negative reinforcement situation took fewer training sessions to learn a task when those sessions took place once instead of two or seven times a week [ 63 ] and the number of trials within a session has also been demonstrated to be important in the context of optimal learning [ 64 ]. Again the level of motivation to perform will be determined by the type of learning taking place (e.g. negative versus positive reinforcement) and the complexity of the task. In this respect, much more research is needed to establish optimal training schedules for the specific tasks listed in Table 1 .

Competition environment

The competition environment is considerably different to that of the training one in several respects; 1) the presence of other horses (except for racing), 2) additional visual and aural stimuli, and 3) conditioned stimuli that signal a competitive event. Each of these factors will elicit an emotional response in the animal that will affect the motivation of the horse towards the set task on the day of competition. For many horses, these factors enhance arousal, increase ‘excitability’ and lead to a general increase in locomotory behaviour. The latter often have to be restricted (given the competition environment) which can result in an acute stress response in the horse. However, for some disciplines, the physiological consequences of acute stress, i.e. energy mobilisation and increased cardio-vascular activity, can be beneficial. For example, the presentation of novel stimuli (known to induce an acute physiological stress response) pre-race has been found to enhance running performance in Thoroughbreds [ 65 ]. Overly aroused horses, however, can become difficult to handle, expend too much energy before the competition or become distracted in a way that detracts from performance as they move out of their previously described ‘Individual Zone of Optimal Functioning’ [ 37 ].

Factors associated with the competition environment can also result in enhanced motivation to perform other non-competition behaviors. This is normally a consequence of either 1) the horse being fearful of novel visual and aural stimuli associated with the competition environment and/or 2) previous negative experiences (e.g. pain) associated with the competition environment. Both result in motivation and behaviour focussed on exit from that environment (flight response). Behaviorally, it can be difficult to differentiate between the aforementioned ‘excitability’ (as a result of restricted motivation to perform) and enhanced locomotory response to novel stimuli or fear. It is important, however, to make this distinction in the emotional response of the animal if behavioral modification techniques are to be applied (discussed in the next section).

In summary, for the purposes of successful competition regardless of the discipline, it is important that the horse is highly motivated to perform the specific athletic activity at the outset of training and competition. The animal should also respond in a highly motivated way to positive and negative reinforcement techniques during training to facilitate modification of athletic activity. However, it is important to identify the individual sensitivity to these reinforcers in advance to ensure optimal training strategy and much more research needs to be done in this respect to establish practical and reliable tests for the performance horse owner. A starting point for this work could potentially be based on experimental psychology studies that have quantified reinforcer sensitivities in the horse [ 51 ] and other species [ 52 , 53 ].

The performance horse also needs to be motivated at the time of competition, but not to the extent that any restriction of that motivated behaviour has a negative effect on the animal’s physiological or psychological state. Highly motivated horses, however, can be exposed to behavioral modification techniques in order to attenuate specific unwanted behaviors but the animal must be capable of responding to these techniques in a positive way. Modification techniques can also be applied to highly reactive horses that are responding to novel stimuli or previous negative experiences, but again those individuals need to be responsive to those techniques.

Behavioral modification

In light of the previous discussion, the main areas where behavioral modification could potentially be applied to enhance performance are:

Basic positive and negative reinforcement techniques to aid motivation towards the correct athletic behaviour;

Counter-conditioning and systematic desensitisation to attenuate overly reactive behaviour in anticipation of the competitive event;

Counter-conditioning and systematic desensitisation to attenuate overly reactive behaviour to novel stimuli associated with the competitive event;

Counter-conditioning and systematic desensitisation to attenuate motivated behaviors in response to stimuli associated with the onset of a competitive event that are a result of previous negative experiences linked to those stimuli.

As previously discussed, identifying individual sensitivity to reward and aversive stimuli is considered crucial in determining the individual optimal training strategy from a positive versus negative reinforcement perspective. However, two other issues surrounding the different reinforcement techniques need to be taken into consideration when devising a training approach. Firstly, long-term inappropriate application of negative reinforcement schedules may result in a chronic stress situation for the animal, potentially leading to reduced health [ 66 ], high reactivity to acute stressors [ 67 ], or, for some individuals ‘learned helplessness’ (behavioral depression) [ 68 ]. Secondly, positive reinforcement training methods may have limitations in the amount of work the animal will perform for the reward [ 69 ] resulting in greater likelihood of refusal to perform psychologically or physically demanding tasks. Given that all companion animal species have evolved in environments where both positive and negative reinforcement occurs, it is generally considered that a combination of both schedules [ 70 ] are the most efficient in terms of terms of training and are less likely to affect other aspects of the horse either behaviorally or physiologically. Testing for reward versus aversion sensitivity within the individual horse, therefore, will again help determine the optimal balance of reinforcement schedules (negative versus positive) to be used rather than an exclusion of one over the other.

Habituation, as a method to reduce reactive behaviour to novel stimuli also has its limitations in that some individual horses do not attenuate their behavioral response to repeated exposure of the stimuli, although this can be managed through the use of systematic desensitisation [ 71 ]. Anecdotally, this difficulty has been recognised for some time, however, it has also been recently demonstrated within a controlled experimental situation that individual horses appear to adopt either one out of two adaptive strategies to repeated exposure of a novel stimulus, either habituation (reduced physiological and behavioral response) or sensitisation (increased physiological and behavioral response) (McBride, unpublished data). In this context, it is important to identify the phenotype in order to apply the correct modification techniques that will yield productive results. In the absence of the necessary stimulus control for systematic desensitisation, counter-conditioning is an appropriate alternative behavioral modification strategy for the latter group of horses where animals are taught to perform a behavior which is incompatible with the unwanted behavior (e.g. standing to replace locomotory behavior), normally with the use of a positive reinforcer [ 40 ].

Previous negative experiences linked to stimuli associated with the onset of a competitive event not only generates a range of motivated behaviors that have the primary aim of removing the animal from that situation (for example [ 72 ]), but it can affect motor function in a way that is normally interpreted as reduced confidence. In human sports psychology, confidence along with ‘mental toughness’ and ‘motivation’ is one of the primary factors that determines competitive athletic performance [ 73 ]. As stated, confidence is based primarily on prior experience, where that experience has not been persistently negative for the animal. In this respect, the rate of training and physical demand within an equestrian discipline is extremely important so that tasks set do not become aversive by being outside the horse’s physical capability, either in terms of strength or motor co-ordination. Incorrect rate of training can also increase the chances of injury to the animal which will again be perceived as a negative event affecting subsequent performance. As previously stated, negative experiences also induce an anticipatory stress response on re-presentation of the same situation. Stress affects motor control to reduce motor co-ordination [ 58 , 74 , 75 ], thus, the animal is more likely to perform motor error potentially resulting in further injury. A perpetual cycle of anticipatory stress followed by injury can be categorised, in the context of conventional learning theory, as ‘punishment’ and will have drastic effects on the performance of the animal. Conventional methods to counter this condition are to reduce the physical demand of the exercise to allow the animal to perform the task without injury, followed by increased demand built up slowly over time thus restoring the animal’s ‘confidence’. It should also be noted, however, that in humans, athletic confidence has also been directly related to the individual’s general personality [ 76 ] regardless of experience. This area again needs much more research with regard to the performance horse.

Non-competition and non-training stressors

It should be noted that stress affecting performance does not necessarily have to originate from sources associated with training or the competitive event. Performance horses are exposed to a range of stressors most of which relate to the husbandry of the animal (often dictated by the training regime) and are stressful because they affect the behavioral needs of the horse as a species [ 77 ]. Behavioral needs are species-specific highly motivated behaviors that are performed irrespective of their functional consequence [ 78 ]. More often than not they do have a functional role and human-intervention to pre-provide the consequence of the behavior may not reduce the motivation for its performance i.e. there appears to be some physiological ‘need’ to perform the behavior regardless of what that behaviour brings to the animal. Foraging is a primary example in this respect [ 79 ]. For many herbivores, forage is naturally available ad libitum with up to 70% of the day spent eating [ 80 ]. For horses, the reduction of eating time to two meals per day can meet the nutritional requirements of the animal, but may not necessarily meet the animal’s behavioral need to forage [ 81 – 83 ]. The problem with restriction of behavioral needs from a competition perspective is that it induces a chronic stress response in the animal [ 69 , 84 ] which will subsequently prevent optimal individual performance.

Two other considered behavioral needs of the horse as a gregarious ungulate, are social interaction and locomotory behaviour where again the restriction of these behaviors are considered to reduce the animal’s welfare [ 56 ]. Thus, optimal environmental conditions, to maintain the horse at a high performance level, are those that facilitate the behavioral needs of the species, thus reducing the risk of a chronic stress situation.

Other potential sources of stress for the competition horse include transportation [ 85 ] and over-exercise. The latter is well recognised in the field of human sports science and is related to the condition of ‘burn-out’ [ 85 ], resulting in reduced motivation towards training and athletic competition [ 86 , 87 ]. The primary causal factor of ‘burnout’ appears to relate to insufficient positive feedback (reward) for work performed and again there appears to be individual genetic susceptibility in this respect [ 88 ]. This condition is again anecdotally recognised in horses but no research has been carried out to ascertain what level of exercise and type of training brings it about within the different equestrian disciplines and whether it is possible to predict individual predisposition in this respect.

Conclusions

The increased competitiveness and performance level of sport now requires that individuals and teams must give over a substantial amount of time to their respective disciplines. However, even when an optimal training infrastructure has been attained, successful competition is now only achieved through the additional integration and application of sports/exercise science and technology. Although it is considered that this is the antithesis of sporting ethos [ 89 ], it is without doubt a considered pre-requisite for international sporting success [ 90 ].

This review has identified areas within the current performance horse industry where known behavioral research and behavioral modification techniques could be applied to enhance further the performance of those animals. These include:

current research on equine behavioral needs to ensure optimal environmental conditions;

the application of behavioral modification techniques to:

sufficiently motivate the animal to perform the correct athletic behaviour;

attenuate overly reactive behaviour in anticipation of the competitive event;

attenuate emotionally reactive behaviour to novel stimuli associated with the competitive event;

attenuate motivated behaviors in response to stimuli associated with the onset of a competitive event that are a result of previous negative experiences linked to those stimuli.

This review has also identified areas of further research that could potentially enhance the performance horse industry. These include:

the development of a behavioral screening tool to identify young horses that do not have the correct temperament in order to proceed to the top level of competition within a given equestrian discipline;

the integration of methods aimed at assessing the emotional state of the horse during training and competition in order to ensure that the horse is in an appropriate psychological state for competition.

the identification of optimal training regimes in terms of applying positive and/or negative reinforcement schedules and also in terms of training duration and training interval with the primary aim of avoiding the equine equivalent of psychological ‘burn-out’.

Finally greater work is required on the rider-horse partnership in order to identify the constituents of a winning team within a given discipline.

Wipper A: The partnership: The horse-rider relationship in eventing. Symb Interact. 2000, 23 (1): 47-70. 10.1525/si.2000.23.1.47.

Article   Google Scholar  

Keeling LJ, Blomberg A, Ladewig J: 33rd International Congress of the International Society for Applied Ethology. Horse-riding accidents: When the human-animal relationship goes wrong. 1999, Norway: Lillehammer, 86-

Google Scholar  

Goldsmith HH: Parsing the emotional domain from a developmental perspective. The nature of emotion. Edited by: Ekman P, Davidson RJ. 1994, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 68-73.

Manteca X, Deag JM: Individual differences in temperament of domestic animals: a review of methodology. Anim Welf. 1993, 2: 247-268.

Watson D, Tellegen A: Toward a consensual structure of mood. Psychol Bull. 1985, 98 (2): 219-235.

Article   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Harding EJ, Paul ES, Mendl M: Animal behavior - Cognitive bias and affective state. Nature. 2004, 427 (6972): 312-312. 10.1038/427312a.

Hausberger M, Richard-Yris M-A: Individual differences in the domestic horse, origins, development and stability. The Domestic Horse The evolution, development and management of its behaviour. Edited by: Mills DS, McDonnell SM. 2005, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 33-52.

Stewart ID, Woolliams JA, Brotherstone S: Genetic evaluation of horses for performance in dressage competitions in Great Britain. Livest Sci. 2010, 128 (1–3): 36-45.

Viklund A, Nasholm A, Strandberg E, Philipsson J: Genetic trends for performance of Swedish Warmblood horses. Livest Sci. 2011, 141 (2–3): 113-122.

von Borstel UK, Pasing S, Gauly M: Towards a more objective assessment of equine personality using behavioral and physiological observations from performance test training. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2011, 135 (4): 277-285. 10.1016/j.applanim.2011.10.007.

Brockmann A, Bruns E: Estimation of genetic parameters for performance traits of riding horses. Zuchtungskunde. 2000, 72 (1): 4-16.

Hausberger M, Muller C, Lunel C: Does Work Affect Personality? A Study in Horses. PLoS One. 2011, 6 (2): e14659-10.1371/journal.pone.0014659. 1–6

Article   PubMed Central   CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Mills DS: Personality and individual differences in the horse, their significance, use and measurement. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement (Equine Clinical Behaviour). 1998, 27: 10-13.

Morris PH, Gale A, Howe S: The factor structure of horse personality. Anthrozoös. 2002, 15 (4): 300-322.

Gosling SD, John OP: Personality dimensions in nonhuman animals: A cross-species review. Current Directions In Psychological Science. 1999, 8 (3): 69-75. 10.1111/1467-8721.00017.

Lankin VS, Bouissou MF: Factors of diversity of domestication-related behavior in farm animals of different species. Russian Journal Of Genetics. 2001, 37 (7): 783-795. 10.1023/A:1016751010678.

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

LeScolan N, Hausberger M, Wolff A: Stability over situations in temperamental traits of horses as revealed by experimental and scoring approaches. Behav Process. 1997, 41 (3): 257-266. 10.1016/S0376-6357(97)00052-1.

Seaman SC, Davidson HPB, Waran NK: How reliable is temperament assessment in the domestic horse (Equus caballus)?. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2002, 78 (2–4): 175-191.

Visser EK, van Reenen CG, Hopster H, Schilder MBH, Knaap JH, Barneveld A, Blokhuis HJ: Quantifying aspects of young horses' temperament: consistency of behavioral variables. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2001, 74 (4): 241-258. 10.1016/S0168-1591(01)00177-0.

Wolff A, Hausberger M, LeScolan N: Experimental tests to assess emotionality in horses. Behav Process. 1997, 40 (3): 209-221. 10.1016/S0376-6357(97)00784-5.

McCann JS, Heird JC, Bell RW, Lutherer LO: Normal and more highly reactive horses.1. heart-rate, respiration rate and behavioral observations. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1988, 19: 201-214. 10.1016/0168-1591(88)90001-9.

Visser EK, van Reenen CG, Schilder MBH, Barneveld A, Blokhuis H: Learning performances in young horses using two different learning tests. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2003, 80 (4): 311-326. 10.1016/S0168-1591(02)00235-6.

Lloyd AS, Martin JE, Bornett-Gauci HLI, Wilkinson RG: Evaluation of a novel method of horse personality assessment: Rater-agreement and links to behaviour. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2007, 105 (1–3): 205-222.

Cooper JJ, McDonald L, Mills DS: The effect of increasing visual horizons on stereotypic weaving: implications for the social housing of stabled horses. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2000, 69: 67-83. 10.1016/S0168-1591(00)00115-5.

Article   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Visser EK, Van Reenen CG, Engel B, Schilder MBH, Barnveld A, Blokhuis HJ: The association between performance in show-jumping and personality traits earlier in life. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2003, 82 (4): 279-295. 10.1016/S0168-1591(03)00083-2.

Lansade L, Bouissou M-F, Erhard HW: Fearfulness in horses: A temperament trait stable across time and situations. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008, 115 (3–4): 182-200.

Lansade L, Bouissou M-F: Reactivity to humans: A temperament trait of horses which is stable across time and situations. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008, 114 (3–4): 492-508.

Lansade L, Bouissou M-F, Erhard HW: Reactivity to isolation and association with conspecifics: A temperament trait stable across time and situations. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008, 109 (2–4): 355-373.

Baechler J, Beck CA, Bowen WE: Dive shapes reveal temporal changes in the foraging behaviour of different age and sex classes of harbour seals (Phoca vitulina). Canadian Journal of Zoology-Revue Canadienne De Zoologie. 2002, 80 (9): 1569-1577. 10.1139/z02-150.

Huber L, Troje NF, Loidolt M, Aust U, Grass D: Natural categorization through multiple feature learning in pigeons. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology Section B- Comparative and Physiological Psychology. 2000, 53 (4): 341-357.

CAS   Google Scholar  

Meyers MC, Bourgeois AE, LeUnes A, Murray NG: Mood and psychological skills of elite and sub-elite equestrian athletes. Journal of Sport Behavior. 1999, 22: 339-345.

Rietmann TR, Stuart AEA, Bernasconi P, Stauffacher M, Auer JA, Weishaupt MA: Assessment of mental stress in warmblood horses: heart rate variability in comparison to heart rate and selected behavioral parameters. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2004, 88 (1–2): 121-136.

Bachmann I, Bernasconi P, Herrmann R, Weishaupt MA, Stauffacher M: Behavioral and physiological responses to an acute stressor in crib-biting and control. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2003, 82 (4): 297-311. 10.1016/S0168-1591(03)00086-8.

von Borstel UK, Euent S, Graf P, Koenig S, Gauly M: Equine behaviour and heart rate in temperament tests with or without rider or handler. Physiol Behav. 2011, 104 (3): 454-463. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.05.010.

Yerkes RM, Dodson JD: The relation of strength of stimulus to rapidity of habit formation. J Comp Neurol Psychol. 1908, 18: 459-482. 10.1002/cne.920180503.

Hanin YL: Individual zone of optimal functioning (IZOF) model. Emotion -performance relationships in sport. Emotions in Sport Human kinetics. Edited by: Hanin YL. 1999, Champaign

Bridgeman DJ: Profiling psychological and physiological factors of the equestrian dressage team in training and competition environments. 2006, University of Southern Queensland Australia: PhD Thesis

Mendl M, Burman OHP, Paul ES: An integrative and functional framework for the study of animal emotion and mood. P Roy Soc B-Biol Sci. 2010, 277 (1696): 2895-2904. 10.1098/rspb.2010.0303.

Parkinson B, Colman AB: Emotion and motivation. 1995, London: Longman

Mills DS, Nankervis K: Learning and training. Equine Behaviour: Principles and Practice. Edited by: Mills DS. 1999, Oxford: Blackwell Science, 163-194.

Innes L, McBride S: Negative versus positive reinforcement: an evaluation of training strategies for rehabilitated horses. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2008, 112 (3–4): 357-368.

Sankey C, Richard-Yris MA, Henry S, Fureix C, Nassur F, Hausberger M: Reinforcement as a mediator of the perception of humans by horses (Equus caballus). Anim Cogn. 2010, 13 (5): 753-764. 10.1007/s10071-010-0326-9.

Rolls ET: The Brain and Emotion. 1999, Oxford: Oxford University Press

Hama H, Yogo M, Matsuyama Y: Effects of stroking horses on both humans' and horses' heart rate responses. Jpn Psychol Res. 1996, 38 (2): 66-73. 10.1111/j.1468-5884.1996.tb00009.x.

Visser EK, Van Reenen CG, Blokhuis MZ, Morgan EKM, Hassmen P, Rundgren TMM, Blokhuis HJ: Does horse temperament influence horse-rider cooperation?. J Appl Anim Welf Sci. 2008, 11 (3): 267-284. 10.1080/10888700802101254.

Cooper JJ: Comparative learning theory amd its application in the training of horses. Equine Veterinary Journal Supplement (Equine Clinical Behaviour). 1998, 27: 39-43.

Nicol CJ: Equine learning: progress and suggestions for future research. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2002, 78 (2–4): 193-208.

Kilpatrick M, Hebert E, Bartholomew J: Motivation for physical activity: differentiating motives for sport and exercise participation. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2003, 25: S80-S81.

Kim MS, Chang DS, Gu H: Difference in skill levels and gender in achievement goals, perceptions of motivational atmosphere, and motivation in sport. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2003, 25: S81-S81.

Lansade L, Simon F: Horses' learning performances are under the influence of several temperamental dimensions. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2010, 125 (1–2): 30-37.

Parker M, Redhead ES, Goodwin D, McBride SD: Impaired instrumental choice in crib-biting horses (Equus caballus). Behav Brain Res. 2008, 191 (1): 137-140. 10.1016/j.bbr.2008.03.009.

Simon JJ, Walther S, Fiebach CJ, Friederich H-C, Stippich C, Weisbrod M, Kaiser S: Neural reward processing is modulated by approach- and avoidance-related personality traits. NeuroImage. 2010, 49 (2): 1868-1874. 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.09.016.

Ricart TM, Jiao X, Pang KCH, Beck KD, Servatius RJ: Classical and instrumental conditioning of eyeblink responses in Wistar-Kyoto and Sprague–Dawley rats. Behav Brain Res. 2011, 216 (1): 414-418. 10.1016/j.bbr.2010.08.029.

Article   PubMed Central   PubMed   Google Scholar  

Berridge KC: Motivation concepts in behavioral neuroscience. Physiol Behav. 2004, 81 (2): 179-209. 10.1016/j.physbeh.2004.02.004.

Panksepp J: Affective consciousness: core emotional feelings in animals and humans. Conscious Cogn. 2005, 14 (1): 30-80. 10.1016/j.concog.2004.10.004.

Kiley-Worthington M: Equine Welfare. 1997, London: JA Allen

Ziegner KA: Elements of dressage: a guide for training the young horse. 2002, Northampton: Cadmos equestrian

Anshel MH, Anderson DI: Coping with acute stress in sport: Linking athletes' coping style, coping strategies, affect, and motor performance. Anxiety Stress Coping. 2002, 15 (2): 193-209. 10.1080/10615800290028486.

Anshel MH, Eom HJ: Exploring the dimensions of perfectionism in sport. Int J Sport Psychol. 2003, 34 (3): 255-271.

Dunn JGH, Dunn JC, Syrotuik DG: Relationship between multidimensional perfectionism and goal orientations in sport. J Sport Exerc Psychol. 2002, 24 (4): 376-395.

McBride SD, Hemmings A: Altered mesoaccumbens and nigro-striatal dopamine physiology is associated with stereotypy development in a non-rodent species. Behav Brain Res. 2005, 159 (1): 113-118. 10.1016/j.bbr.2004.10.014.

Hemmings A, McBride SD, Hale CE: Perseverative responding and the aetiology of equine oral stereotypy. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2007, 104 (1–2): 143-150.

Rubin L, Oppegard C, Hintz HF: The effect of varying the temporal distribution of conditioning trials on equine learning behavior. J Anim Sci. 1980, 50 (6): 1184-1187.

CAS   PubMed   Google Scholar  

McCall CA, Salters MA, Simpson SM: Relationship between number of conditioning trials per training session and avoidance-learning in horses. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1993, 36: 291-299. 10.1016/0168-1591(93)90127-B.

Hada T, Onaka T, Takahashi T, Hiraga A, Yagi K: Effects of novelty stress on neuroendocrine activities and running performance in thoroughbred horses. J Neuroendocrinol. 2003, 15 (7): 638-648. 10.1046/j.1365-2826.2003.01042.x.

Broom DM, Johnson KG: Stress and strain, welfare and suffering. Stress and Animal Welfare. Edited by: Broom DM, Johnson KG. 1993, London: Chapman and Hall, 57-86.

Adell A, Garciamarquez C, Armario A, Gelpi E: Chronic stress increases serotonin and noradrenaline in rat- brain and sensitizes their responses to a further acute stress. J Neurochem. 1988, 50: 1678-1681. 10.1111/j.1471-4159.1988.tb02462.x.

Weiss JM, Goodman PA, Losito BG, Corrigan S, Charry JM, Bailey WH: Behavioral depression produced by an uncontrollable stressor - relationship to norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin levels in various regions of rat-brain. Brain Res Rev. 1981, 3: 167-205. 10.1016/0165-0173(81)90005-9.

Dawkins MS: From an animals point-of-view - motivation, fitness, and animal-welfare. Behav Brain Sci. 1991, 14 (4): 753-753. 10.1017/S0140525X00072356.

Gleitman H: Learning. Psychology. Edited by: Gleitman H. 2003, New York: Norton, 87-133.

Christensen JW, Rundgren M, Olsson K: Training methods for horses: habituation to a frightening stimulus. Equine Vet J. 2006, 38 (5): 439-443.

Cook WR: Bit-induced pain: a cause of fear, flight, fight and facial neuralgia in the horse. Pferdeheilkunde. 2003, 19 (1): 75-82.

Williams JM: Applied sport psychology: personal growth to peak performance. Cognitive techniques for building confidence and enhancing performance. 2001, London: Mayfield Publishing Company, 284-311.

Egloff B, Gruhn AJ: Personality and endurance sports. Personal Individ Differ. 1996, 21 (2): 223-229. 10.1016/0191-8869(96)00048-7.

Hardy L, Mullen R, Jones G: Knowledge and conscious control of motor actions under stress. Br J Psychol. 1996, 87: 621-636. 10.1111/j.2044-8295.1996.tb02612.x.

Cresswell S, Hodge K: Coping skills: Role of trait sport confidence and trait anxiety. Percept Mot Ski. 2004, 98 (2): 433-438. 10.2466/pms.98.2.433-438.

Pirkelmann H: Husbandry Systems for Horses. Tierarztl Umsch. 1993, 48 (5): 306-311.

Hughes BO, Duncan IJH: The notion of ethological need, models of motivation and animal-welfare. Anim Behav. 1988, 36 (6): 1696-1707. 10.1016/S0003-3472(88)80110-6.

Meunier-Salaun MC, Edwards SA, Robert S: Effect of dietary fibre on the behaviour and health of the restricted fed sow. Anim Feed Sci Technol. 2001, 90 (1–2): 53-69.

Kiley-worthington M: Time-budgets and social interactions in horses - the effect of different environments. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1984, 13: 181-182. 10.1016/0168-1591(84)90081-9.

Goodwin D, Davidson HPB, Harris P: Foraging enrichment for stabled horses: effects on behaviour and selection. Equine Vet J. 2002, 34 (7): 686-691.

Waters AJ, Nicol CJ, French NP: Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviors in young horses: findings of a four year prospective epidemiological study. Equine Vet J. 2002, 34 (6): 572-579.

Waters AJ: The impact of the domestic environment upon equine behaviour and welfare. 1992, University of Wales, Thesis MSc

Jensen P, Toates F: Who needs 'behavioral needs'? Motivational aspects of the needs of animals. Appl Anim Behav Sci. 1993, 37: 161-181. 10.1016/0168-1591(93)90108-2.

Smith BL, Jones JH, Hornof WJ, Miles JA, Longworth KE, Willits NH: Effects of road transport on indices of stress in horses. Equine Vet J. 1996, 28 (6): 446-454. 10.1111/j.2042-3306.1996.tb01616.x.

O'Connor PJ: Physical activity and mental health. Physical activity and mental health. Edited by: Morgan WP. 1997, Bristol: Taylor and Francis

Smith RE: Toward a cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout. J Sport Psychol. 1986, 8 (1): 36-50.

Kjormo O, Halvari H: Relation of burnout with lack of time for being with significant others, role conflict, cohesion, and self- confidence among Norwegian olympic athletes. Percept Mot Ski. 2002, 94 (3): 795-804. 10.2466/pms.2002.94.3.795.

Rintala J: Sport and technology: human questions in a world of machines. J Sport Social Issues. 1995, 19 (1): 62-75. 10.1177/019372395019001005.

Stone MH, Sands WA, Stone ME: The downfall of sports science in the United States. Strength Cond J. 2004, 26 (2): 72-75.

Download references

Acknowledgements

Not applicable for this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, GL7 6JS, Gloucestershire

Sebastian D McBride

Animal Behaviour, Cognition and Welfare Group, School of Life Science, University of Lincoln, Riseholme Park, LN2 2LG, Lincoln

Daniel S Mills

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sebastian D McBride .

Additional information

Competing interests.

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Authors’ contributions

Authors SD McBride and DS Mills contributed equally to the writing and preparation of this manuscript. Both authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Rights and permissions

This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0 ), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article.

McBride, S.D., Mills, D.S. Psychological factors affecting equine performance. BMC Vet Res 8 , 180 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-8-180

Download citation

Received : 23 April 2012

Accepted : 17 August 2012

Published : 27 September 2012

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-8-180

Share this article

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Performance

BMC Veterinary Research

ISSN: 1746-6148

• General enquiries: [email protected]

UKnowledge > Martin-Gatton College of Agriculture, Food and Environment > Veterinary Science > Theses & Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Veterinary Science

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IMAGE ANALYSIS: MODELING SKELETAL INJURIES IN THOROUGHBRED RACEHORSES , Grace Louise Camp

MOLECULAR GENETIC STUDIES OF HORSES, ESPECIALLY WITH REFERENCE TO AGGRECAN AND DWARFISM , John Edmund Eberth

Effects of High-Speed Training on Messenger RNA Expression in Two-Year-Old Thoroughbred Racehorses , Mackenzie Grace Johnson

Equine Fecal Microbiota Response to Short Term Antibiotic Administration , Jordan Lacey Parker

RECEPTOR USAGE AND INFECTION BIOLOGY OF INFLUENZA D VIRUS , Tirth Uprety

USE OF MOLECULAR GENETICS TO INVESTIGATE POPULATION STRUCTURE AND SWAYBACK IN HORSES , Navid YousefiMashouf

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

The microbiome of the equine roundworm, Parascaris spp. , Jennifer Lynn Cain

The Effect of Intra-Articular Corticosteroids on the Systemic Messenger RNA Response in an Equine Experimental Inflammation Model , Emma Elaine Partridge

Identifying Bisphosphonate Protein Biomarkers in Equine Sera Using Mass Spectrometry Methods , Malinda Jayne Alison Porter

DISSECTING THE ROLE OF ACTIN-MYOSIN MOTOR AND CALCIUM – BASED ORGANELLE SECRETION IN MOTILITY OF SARCOCYSTIS NEURONA , Parul Suri

The Effects of Cannabidiol on Senior Equine Health , Shelley Turner

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

STRUCTURAL ADAPTATION OF EQUINE PROXIMAL SESAMOID BONES TO HIGH-SPEED EXERCISE , Kathryn Mary Babiarz

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE CARRIER STATE AND A NOVEL MARKER OF LEPTOSPIRA AND ABORTION IN CENTRAL KENTUCKY HORSES , Gloria Louise Gellin

MUSCLE MASS AND IMMUNE FUNCTION IN THE SENIOR HORSE , Alisa Christina Herbst

Effects of Season and Nutrition on Insulinemic Responses in Insulin Dysregulated Horses , Erica Lyn Macon

MATURATION OF EQUINE PROXIMAL SESAMOID BONES IN THOROUGHBRED HORSES , Angela Maria Mangine

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Donor Age Effects on the Proliferative and Chondrogenic/Osteogenic Differentiation Performance of Equine Bone Marrow- and Adipose Tissue Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Culture , Jasmin Bagge

Evaluation of Rhodococcus equi Susceptibility to Silver Nanoparticle Antimicrobials , Elizabeth Boudaher

COMPARATIVE CHONDROGENESIS OF INTERZONE AND ANLAGEN CELLS IN EQUINE SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT , ChanHee Mok

Host-Parasite Interaction in Horses: Mucosal Responses to Naturally Acquired Cyathostomin Infections and Anthelmintic Treatment , Ashley Elaine Steuer

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

MODULATION OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE, CHEMOKINE, AND TOLL-LIKE RECEPTOR GENES AND TRANSCRIPTOME ANALYSIS OF EQUINE ENDOTHELIAL CELLS FOLLOWING INFECTION WITH EQUID HERPESVIRUS-1, AND EQUINE ARTERITIS VIRUS. , Saranajith Wangisa Dunuwille

ANTHELMINTIC RESISTANCE IN EQUINE PARASITES: MECHANISMS AND TREATMENT APPROACHES , Jessica Scare Kenealy

DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF NONRADIOACTIVE METHODS FOR MONITORING T LYMPHOCYTE RESPONSE TO EQUINE ARTERITIS VIRUS (EAV) IN HORSES , Annet Kyomuhangi

EFFECTS OF A SYSTEMIC HIGH UREA CONCENTRATION ON THE ENDOMETRIAL AND EMBRYONIC TRANSCRIPTOMES OF THE MARE , Yatta Linhares Boakari

EFFECTS OF PITUITARY PARS INTERMEDIA DYSFUNCTION AND PRASCEND ® TREATMENT ON ENDOCRINE AND IMMUNE FUNCTION IN SENIOR HORSES , Ashton B. Miller

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Browse by Author

• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Submit Research

New Title Here

Below. --> connect.

• Law Library
• Special Collections
• Copyright Resource Center
• Graduate School
• Scholars@UK

• We’d like your feedback

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

University of Kentucky ®

An Equal Opportunity University Accreditation Directory Email Privacy Policy Accessibility Disclosures

Animal Behaviour: Dissertations & Research Projects: Welcome

• 1. Introducing Dissertation Research
• 2. Identify: Key Research Concepts
• 3. Identify:Information Types
• 4. Find: Where to Search
• 5. Find: How to search
• 6. Find: Research Databases
• 7. Evaluate your search results
• 8. Reference your research resources This link opens in a new window
• 9. Getting help
• 10. Feedback

How to use this online guide

This guide introduces the skills and techniques you can use for effective library research for your research projects.

Work through each section using the menu tabs above, or the Next button at the bottom of the page. 

There will be activities for you to complete as you go so that you can learn by doing and self test your learning.

This guide aims to ...

• Build your confidence in planning and conducting your research to support your research project
• Highlight the library help and support available to you as you conduct your research

Dissertation Workbook

You can download and use a dissertation  workbook to make notes as you progress through the tutorial.  By the end you'll have a plan you can use to help you complete your library research for your dissertation, project or research proposal.

• Dissertation workbook
• Next: 1. Introducing Dissertation Research >>
• Last Updated: Apr 25, 2024 2:58 PM
• URL: https://libguides.exeter.ac.uk/animalbehaviordissertations

• Bibliography
• More Referencing guides Blog Automated transliteration Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Automated transliteration
• Relevant bibliographies by topics
• Referencing guides

Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Horse behavior'

Create a spot-on reference in apa, mla, chicago, harvard, and other styles.

Consult the top 50 dissertations / theses for your research on the topic 'Horse behavior.'

Next to every source in the list of references, there is an 'Add to bibliography' button. Press on it, and we will generate automatically the bibliographic reference to the chosen work in the citation style you need: APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, etc.

You can also download the full text of the academic publication as pdf and read online its abstract whenever available in the metadata.

Browse dissertations / theses on a wide variety of disciplines and organise your bibliography correctly.

Ferguson, Dawnery. "Loading the Problem Loader: The Effects of Target Training and Shaping on Trailer Loading Behavior of Horses in a Natural Setting." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2000. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc2576/.

Probert, Lorraine L. "Self-reported equestrian behavior regarding protective headgear." Morgantown, W. Va. : [West Virginia University Libraries], 1999. http://etd.wvu.edu/templates/showETD.cfm?recnum=1107.

McCusker, Matthew Erik. "Investigation of the Effects of Social Experience on Snapping Intensity in Equus caballus Foals." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 2003. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/31672.

Sarrafchi, Amir. "Equine stereotypic behavior as related to horse welfare: A review." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi, 2012. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-77944.

Iacono, Christa Marie. "Effects of density and water availability on the behavior, physiology, and weight loss of slaughter horses during transport." Texas A&M University, 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/4673.

Holland, Janice Lee. "Lecithin containing diets for the horse: acceptance, digestibility, and effects on behavior." Thesis, Virginia Tech, 1994. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/30978.

Kandikonda, Balausha Varshini. "A Key Based Obfuscation and Anonymization of Behavior VHDL Models." Scholar Commons, 2018. https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/7686.

Sjölander, Elina. "Aktiv grupphästhållning : Utvärdering ur ett djurskyddsperspektiv med fokus på hästens naturliga beteenden och behov." Thesis, Umeå universitet, Institutionen för ekologi, miljö och geovetenskap, 2013. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-83049.

Francis, Jesse. "SENSORY ANALYSIS OF EQUINE FEED PRODUCTS." OpenSIUC, 2020. https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/dissertations/1787.

Madosky, Jessa. "Factors That Affect Harem Stability in a Feral Horse (Equus caballus) Population on Shackleford Banks island, NC." ScholarWorks@UNO, 2011. http://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/450.

McBride, Sebastian Daryl. "An investigation into stereotypic behaviour of the horse." Thesis, University of Edinburgh, 1999. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.538140.

Hoefener, Karen. "Coffee house consumer behavior in Changsha, China." reponame:Repositório Institucional do FGV, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/10438/16576.

Garmany, Mattea, Darrell Moore, and Thomas C. Jones. "Effects of Non-photic Zeitgebers on the Circadian Clock in the Common House Spider, Parasteatoda tepidariorum (Araneae: Theridiidae)." Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University, 2020. https://dc.etsu.edu/honors/590.

Neidhard, Paul. "The Incremental House." University of Cincinnati / OhioLINK, 2019. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1553613964387707.

Malone, Nicholas. "Signalling of competitive ability by male house mice." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2003. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.268896.

Sproat, Thomas McKell. "The nest defense and nest-destroying behaviors of house wrens." Virtual Press, 2000. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1167800.

Jawor, Jodie M. "Aggressive interactions and behaviors in house sparrow (Passer domesticus) flocks." Virtual Press, 1998. http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1117106.

Lawrence, Claire. "Forming impressions of public house violence : stereotypes, attributions and perceptions." Thesis, University of Nottingham, 1997. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.361572.

Wood, Robert. "Medicalization as a Trojan Horse: Changes in Erectile Enhancement Advertising." VCU Scholars Compass, 2011. http://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/etd/248.

Cairns, Marie Clare. "An investigation into the feeding behaviour and diet selection of the domestic horse." Thesis, De Montfort University, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/2086/4312.

Alexiadis, Pavlos. "Factors affecting environmental behaviour of house inhabitants in Canada." Thesis, University of British Columbia, 2010. http://hdl.handle.net/2429/27843.

Crosby, Ashley. "A study of lateralized behaviour in domestic horses (Equus caballus)." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Biologi, 2021. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-175884.

Garcia, Dulce M. "Intelligent horses| A cybersemiotic perspective." Thesis, California Institute of Integral Studies, 2014. http://pqdtopen.proquest.com/#viewpdf?dispub=3606925.

This dissertation is theoretical study of horse-human relationship, addressing the topics of communication, learning and cognition in the context of the cybersemiotic model developed by philosopher of science Søren Brier. This study found significant gaps in the literature with respect to how horses and humans communicate and learn together, and is an attempt to develop an integral conceptual model grounded in communication and learning theory.

The overarching theoretical platform is the cybersemiotic model, which is a transdisciplinary research platform that addresses knowledge creation from an objective and subjective vision of reality. The center of knowledge in this model is semiosis, the sign system and spheres of signification through which living beings create meaning and make sense of the world. The cybersemiotic model is inclusive of non-human languaging systems, grounded in the biosemiotic view that extends sign systems to the life world of animals. The analysis of horse-human communication is performed using Bateson's theories of non-verbal communication and learning, based on the second-order cybernetic science view. Likewise, the topic of the role of inner life and consciousness in horse-human interaction is analyzed through the phenomenological, pragmaticist philosophy of Charles Sanders Peirce and his triadic conception of semiosis.

The results of this theoretical and philosophical exploration point to the need to begin constructing serious, scientifically grounded conceptual frames that can inform equestrian activities across a wide variety of disciplines such as competition and entertainment, leisure, horse training, and equine-facilitated psychotherapy/learning (EFP/L). These disciplines are fairly divided in their view of horses, especially when it comes to communication protocols, equine intelligence, and the use of a shared language to describe horse-human interaction.

Besides starting to lay theoretical groundwork for conceptualizing how horses and humans communicate and learn together, this dissertation also addresses the fundamental issue of personal safety and ethics in horse communities. The horse industry is a billion dollar industry in the U.S. and other Western nations, with most horses living in captivity in human-controlled environments. As the horse industry grows, so do the number of related accidents, making equestrian sports one of the most dangerous. An understanding of ethologically grounded communication principles is essential in ensuring greater safety for horse handlers and the wellbeing of horses. It is also key in addressing the larger question of ethics in the relationships of humans to non-human others and the ecology of the Earth at large.

Mapukata, Tembela. "Laboratory studies on the feeding behaviour of juvenile Cape horse mackerel, Trachurus trachurus capensis." Master's thesis, University of Cape Town, 2002. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/6968.

Cheetham, Sarah Amanda. "Chemical communication in the house mouse : linking biochemistry and behaviour." Thesis, University of Liverpool, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.436260.

Wang, Xun. "Essays on Down Payment Constraint, House Price and Young People's Homeownership Behavior." The Ohio State University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1275015646.

Nakagawa, Shinobu. "Important roles of housing stock in consumer behaviors /." Diss., Connect to a 24 p. preview or request complete full text in PDF format. Access restricted to UC campuses, 2003. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ucsd/fullcit?p3096416.

Christensen, Janne Winther. "Fear in horses : responses to novelty and habituation /." Skara : Dept. of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 2006. http://epsilon.slu.se/10071054.pdf.

Moldoff, David. "CONTEXT-DEPENDENT INDIVIDUAL VARIATION IN FORAGING BEHAVIOUR AND PARENTAL CARE IN HOUSE SPARROWS." UKnowledge, 2015. http://uknowledge.uky.edu/biology_etds/30.

Ouimette, Monique Y. "Cleaning House: Considerations of Ecological Health and Sustainability in the Selection of Household Cleaning Products." Thesis, Boston College, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/2345/3054.

Norlén, Ellen. "Behavioral responses of mice to the odor of cat urine and horse urine." Thesis, Linköpings universitet, Biologi, 2016. http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-129422.

Bottom, Sarah H. "Age-related changes in taste and gustatory response and feeding behaviour in the stabled horse." Thesis, Nottingham Trent University, 2008. http://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/61/.

Walters, Lindsey A. "Mate quality and parental investment in the house wren." Diss., Connect to online resource - MSU authorized users, 2008.

Lloyd, Adele Sian. "Use of personality assessment for the prediction of behaviour in horses." Thesis, Open University, 2008. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.491596.

Zamanzade, Mohammad [Verfasser], and Horst [Akademischer Betreuer] Vehoff. "Mechanical and electrochemical behavior of Fe3Al-xCr intermetallics / Mohammad Zamanzade. Betreuer: Horst Vehoff." Saarbrücken : Saarländische Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek, 2014. http://d-nb.info/1062947673/34.

Nicolaescu, Ana-Maria-Cristina [Verfasser], Horst [Akademischer Betreuer] Lichter, and Claus [Akademischer Betreuer] Lewerentz. "Behavior-based architecture conformance checking / Ana-Maria-Cristina Nicolaescu ; Horst Lichter, Claus Lewerentz." Aachen : Universitätsbibliothek der RWTH Aachen, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1192217888/34.

Hardaway, Alison K. "A Shaping Procedure for Introducing Horses to Clipping." Thesis, University of North Texas, 2019. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1609079/.

Moyers, Sahnzi C. "Behavioral Heterogeneity and Disease Dynamics in House Finches (Haemorhous mexicanus)." Diss., Virginia Tech, 2017. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/78216.

Waters, Amanda Jill. "Factors influencing the development of stereotypic and redirected behaviour in young horses." Thesis, University of Bristol, 2002. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.393898.

Calviello, Raquel Ferrari. "Avaliação da reatividade de equinos durante o manejo e na presença de estímulo desconhecido." Universidade de São Paulo, 2013. http://www.teses.usp.br/teses/disponiveis/74/74131/tde-16092013-085916/.

Cozzie, Linsey Renee. "Anti-insect defensive behaviors of equines after West Nile virus infection." Click here to access thesis, 2007. http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/archive/spring2007/linsey_r_cozzie/Cozzie_Linsey_R_200701_MS.pdf.

Nicholas, J. T. "Behaviour of the house fly, Musca domestica (L) in relation to insecticide baits." Thesis, University of Southampton, 1988. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.234791.

Deaton, Christiane. "Horses and at-risk youth: An alternative approach to reconnect adolescents." CSUSB ScholarWorks, 2008. https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/etd-project/3361.

Blight, Thomas. "Low-energy domestic architecture : the impact of household behaviour on the expected energy use of passive house dwellings." Thesis, University of Bath, 2015. https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.675726.

O'Donoghue, Thomas. "The dynamic behaviour of a surface hose attached to a calm buoy." Thesis, Heriot-Watt University, 1987. http://hdl.handle.net/10399/1045.

Spence, H. E. "The influence of owner personality and attitude on the behaviour and temperament of the domestic horse (Euus caballus)." Thesis, Queen's University Belfast, 2006. http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.431473.

Soukup, Sheryl Swartz Thompson Charles F. "Social mating system and realized reproductive success in house wrens (Troglodytes aedon) evidence from DNA fingerprinting /." Normal, Ill. Illinois State University, 1996. http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/ilstu/fullcit?p9633427.

Croucher, Peter James Paul. "Evolutionary interactions of two colonizing species of large house spider (Araneae: Tegenaria spp.) : testing the reinforcement hypothesis." Thesis, University of York, 1998. http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/9766/.

Weinzierl, Matthias [Verfasser], Horst [Akademischer Betreuer] Baier, Manfred [Gutachter] Hajek, and Horst [Gutachter] Baier. "Design and optimization of high speed rotating CFRP disks with regard to their vibration behavior / Matthias Weinzierl ; Gutachter: Manfred Hajek, Horst Baier ; Betreuer: Horst Baier." München : Universitätsbibliothek der TU München, 2018. http://d-nb.info/1155725093/34.

Guenther, Gerrit [Verfasser], Olivier [Akademischer Betreuer] Guillon, and Horst [Akademischer Betreuer] Hahn. "Size-dependent High-Temperature Behavior of Bismuth Oxide Nanoparticles / Gerrit Guenther. Betreuer: Olivier Guillon ; Horst Hahn." Darmstadt : Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Darmstadt, 2012. http://d-nb.info/1106453921/34.

Advertisement

The Student’s Horse: a Horse-themed Dissertation

Share this:

Georgie’s finally finished her exams, but the fun doesn’t end there! Here she explains how she’s spending her summer off with Sheamus, as well as looking ahead to her dissertation.

Hi, it’s me again!

Another month has gone by. I’m not-so-broken, exam free and looking forward to enjoying the summer I have left!

Truth be told it has gone very quickly – in between revision and finalising plans for my dissertation (more on that later) I’ve spent some weekends volunteering for British Eventing doing a bit of dressage writing.

I’m lucky enough to live 15 minutes from Keysoe Equestrian Centre, so I’ve kept my head in the game by writing for their BE event and their BYRDS regional competition.

I also took a trip to Buckminster Park to write there – dare I say it I would love a run here, if and when we get back out eventing next season. The rolling hills would certainly take the wind out of Sheamus and his excitable ways!

How is Sheamus?

Speaking of His Royal Highness, as I’m now a little more mobile I’ve been able to do a little more round the yard, but I’m sadly, not yet fixed enough to ride.

Saying this, I can confirm that mucking out is rather enjoyable (it’s still a novelty at the moment).

Much to his dismay, he hasn’t got out of work that easily and lungeing and long reining has been on the cards recently.

With the help of a few varied pole exercises, Sheamus was definitely worked hard. A tell-tale sign was when he actually ‘woah-ed’ on command.

More novelties, this time for Sheamus, as a treat for working hard he had a short-hand graze, without his muzzle on – did he take a breath between mouthfuls? Of course, he didn’t.

Rooting for a friend

Last weekend I went to Chilham Horse Trials to support a friend and her horse who were competing in the BE80(T).

It was good fun, I’d never been to Chilham before as it’s just a little too far when Sheamus is at home.

During my season of doing nothing competition-wise, I’ve made sure I walk plenty of courses and really swot up on what to practice when I finally ride again – especially if I want to give a couple of BE90s a go next summer (big bubblewrap-padded brave pants will be required).

Soaked at Chilham Horse Trials! Note the raincoat AND sunglasses (I was hopeful)

Juggling horses in the name of research

So… the dissertation.

After already completing my undergraduate dissertation, which was a systematic review of previous research (it’s as exciting as it sounds) I was rather looking forward to planning a study where I would collect my own data first-hand.

Once planned and confirmed, I quickly realised that for my study to be viable and stand a chance of being taken seriously I would have to be measuring a lot of horses.

By horses, I mean their feet. By a lot of horses, I mean getting on for 100.

I will be looking at a lot of different angles and measurements and then hopefully confirm or disprove some current theories to do with balance and how forelimb angles may affect the horse throughout their lives.

So here’s to an August full of measuring horse feet and hopefully collecting some interesting data.

Place your bets on if I’ll ever want to look at a foot again after this month.

Getting Recovaberry out on the circuit

Poor Recovaberry (aptly named under circumstances) hasn’t had a cross country run this season due to us being out of action (and him arriving exactly 10 days post-pelvis-breaking-fiasco).

If any of my eventing friends or anyone who’ll be riding at Horseheath fancies giving Recovaberry a spin, let me know and we’ll strap him on for the ride. He even sports a very fetching red and gold cape!

Until next time when my term at university is close to starting and I’m whole heartedly determined to be writing about my first ride back, I hope you all have a lovely August!

As always love and good health, Georgie x

Your Horse talks to hundreds of thousands of people around the globe who have one thing in common: they all love horses. Your Horse magazine, which prints 13 issues a year, has been a leading monthly equestrian title since 1983. Through its website, print and social media channels, Your Horse informs and entertains horse owners, riders and enthusiasts who want to do their very best for their horses.

You may also like...

14 May 2024

Buying horse feed: it’s not cheap, but these tips will save you money

by Aimi Clark

13 May 2024

Best of Badminton: the stand out moments that made us laugh, cheer and cry

How to take care of a horse

No thanks, I’m not interested!

Subscribe to Your Horse and save 19%, plus receive a free Le Mieux Hat Silk worth £22.95!

• Staff Outlook
• Online Store

Equine Studies Research

Recent research – bsc (hons) equine studies.

The effect of rider weight on stride length and temperature of the horse’s back  –  Anna Nicholas, Lorna Cameron and Sarah Loveday Lovell

This study investigated the impact of rider weight ratio to horse weight on stride kinematics and under saddle temperature in the ridden horse. Varied rider – horse weight ratios were tested and findings suggested that a rider weight exceeding those tested was required to induce observable changes in stride kinematics. Further study would be required to further inform welfare friendly management of working horses.

Advancing Equine Science Excellence (AESE) Increasing participation in Equestrianism (IPiE) collaborative project  –  Hana Wilson, Sarah Nottingham, Lorna Cameron and Sarah Loveday Lovell

As part of a nationwide project supported by the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) two students investigated barriers to participation in equestrian sports in a range of potential and lapsed riders. The findings from this project have been included in a larger research project which will be published in due course. View further information

A study of diet management practices and their effect on the digestive health of the part stabled leisure horse  –  Tina Sharp, Lorna Cameron and Katy Robson

Part stabled horses were monitored in a longitudinal study to establish foraging habits, forage consumption time and resulting faecal pH. Finding showed that horses finishing their forage ration earlier in the overnight period had consistently lower faecal pH the subsequent morning. A significant negative correlation was established between time spent overnight with no forage access and subsequent faecal pH. Whilst these findings were limited by the effect of extraneous variable, it suggests that further study in the area is warranted.

Recent Research – BSc (Hons) Equine Science

Sparsholt and Dodson & Horrell research at the British Society of Animal Science (BSAS) Conference, University of Chester

Leigh Niles, current MSc EBPT student and BSc (Hons) Equine Science graduate presented her research at the BSAS Conference. Completed through the Dodson & Horrell Sparsholt Bursary, the project established ingestive behaviour using novel forages, finding significant differences in preference and consumption time, suggesting inclusion of these mixes could impact feeding rate dependent on needs of the individual horse.

Is there a difference in pH levels within faecal matter between horses fed on hay and haylage?  –  Cameo Pike, Lorna Cameron, Natalie Stones and Katy Robson

Faecal pH was measured from a range of horse kept on a mixed system of overnight stabling and limited daytime grazing access with similar concentrate rations with forage provision of either hay or haylage. All horses had a similar workload, management system and daily routine, varying only in type of forage provided. Significant differences were observed in faecal pH between the groups the haylage fed groups showing a significantly lower faecal pH consistently. These results suggest that further study is warranted to establish the implications of these findings.

Standing and riding asymmetry in the horse rider  –  Vicky Edge, Lorna Cameron and Katy Robson

A range of riders submitted to morphological and biomechanical measurements both on and off the horse. A significant association was established between standing, walking and riding asymmetry in the leisure rider. Implications for coaching the rider may include the need to influence asymmetry in off – horse coaching or fitness rather than solely whilst riding.

Ongoing Collaborative Projects

Sparsholt College Equine students are involved in a range of collaborative research projects in this academic year. Research with the Breast Health Research Group of the Department of Sport and Exercise Science at the University of Portsmouth involves MSc Equine Behaviour, Performance & Training students investigating breast biomechanics in female horse riders, breast health issues in the general female riding population and muscle activation in the horse rider utilising the riding simulator at Quob Stables , Hampshire.

Burbage, J. and Cameron, L.J. An investigation into the prevalence and impact of breast pain, bra issues and breast size on female horse riders.   Journal of Sports Sciences

BSc (Hons) Equine Science student, Leigh Niles, was awarded the Dodson & Horrell Sparsholt Research Bursary and is investigating chewing and bite rates in novel forage blends utilising horses from the Sparsholt College Equine Centre .

BSc (Hons) Equine Studies student Emma Sluter, has also utilised her summer job at Meon Valley Stud to investigate training responses in Thoroughbred yearlings being prepared for sale, continuing an established research link.

FdSc Equine Studies students are involved in a project for Steri-7 investigating the effectiveness of different concentrations of disinfectant wash on bacterial proliferation in horse clothing which several students intend to build upon for their year 3 dissertation when they “top-up” to BSc (Hons) Equine Studies next academic year.

For a third year, Sparsholt College students are also involved in a nationwide project for Advancing Equine Science Excellence (AESE) , a committee of the British Equestrian Federation (BEF) . This year’s study is the Equine End of Life (EEoL) project and is supported by World Horse Welfare (WHW) and The Donkey Sanctuary (TDS) . It investigates the issues surrounding the most difficult decisions that horse and donkey owners have to make and is attempting to identify what effective support charitable organisations can provide to help improve the welfare of the nation’s equids.

BSc (Hons) Equine Science and Equine Studies dissertation titles

• Would understanding the equine industry’s perception of Equine Dystonia allow a more targeted approach for promoting awareness?
• Does the inclusion to the horse’s diet of specific carbohydrate blends (prebiotics) influence the coefficient of apparent digestibility, and improve hind gut health as measured by faecal pH, and any behavioural observations.
• Effect of DHA on Sleep and Recumbency in the Horse.
• Starch intake, hind gut wellbeing and onset of aberrant behaviour.
• The cooling down rates of working riding school horses.
• The effectiveness of Pet Remedy on the stereotypical vices and behaviours of stabled horses.
• Motor lateralisation – Is it hereditary in Thoroughbred racehorses?
• Does human interaction cause stress in domesticated donkeys?
• The effects of a body protector upon rider asymmetry.
• Straw and nutritionally improved straw as a partial forage replacer.
• The effects an Equi-Cube has upon the rider’s rectus abdominal muscles.
• The Influence of Video Feedback on the Canter Transition according to Riders Perception.
• Objective measurements pre and post spinal manipulation 

MSc Equine Behaviour, Performance & Training research project titles

The negative image of Horse racing investigated through the gender prism

• Gender Influence on Elite performance
• The effect of breast support on vertical breast displacement and incidences of exercise induced breast pain across equine simulator gaits in female riders over the age of 40
• Investigating riders’ perceptions of the rider/coach relationship
• A retrospective study: Behavioural changes pre diagnosis of Equine Grass Sickness
• Does Rider ability affect rein tension and eye temperature of the horse?
• Asymmetry in Animal Based Professions
• Effect of a core fitness programme on rider position and trunk surface electromyographical parameters

Welcome Guest. Please Login or Register .

• General Horse Talk

EQUINE DISSERTATION TOPICS PLEASE?

• DG Hall of Fame
• Horse Health Issues
• Rainbow Bridge
• Perfect Confidence
• Garry Bosworth
• Bridget Hughes
• Demelza Franssen
• Joanna O'Neill
• Rosie Jones
• Sarah Weston
• Sue Palmer (nee Brown)
• Zoe Chipman
• IHDG Charity Appeal
• French Rescue Horses
• Fun and Games 2
• Introductions
• Forum Support
• North North England
• North England
• The Midlands
• Central England
• South East England
• South England
• South West England
• North Wales
• South Wales
• North Scotland
• South Scotland
• Northern Ireland
• Republic of Ireland
• Rest of the World
• Showing, Competitions, Endurance Rides and Funrides
• Demos, Courses and Seminars
• Books and Multimedia Recommendations
• Ask the Experts
• Working with Essential Oils On Line Course
• Pre-2008 Appeals
• Wanted and Looking for
• 2012 Archive
• 2011 Archive
• 2010 Archive
• 2009 Archive
• 2008 Archive
• 2007 Archive
• 2006 Archive
• 2005 Archive
• Previous Thread
• Next Thread
• Please make a selection first

• « Prev
• Next »

• Forum Listing
• Advanced Search
• Horse Resources
• Equine Careers & Education Queries

Dissertation ideas, please help!

• Add to quote

I am nearing the time of the dreaded final year dissertation of my degree in Animal Science. I previously studied an Equine diploma as this is where my lies. Therefore, I've decided to do my dissertation on Equines however I have no idea what I want to do!! I am just looking for some brief ideas if anyone can help, I'm interested in the welfare aspects (as I aim to go into the RSPCA or equine welfare related charity). I am limited to what I can do as I have to collect measurements (nothing which is invasive to the horse) and they are not my horses so limited to changing feeds etc . Please help! Posted via Mobile Device  

How about the evolution of the horse. More recently horse bones were found in Alaska, indicating it was once lush.  

Consider researching the links between equine welfare and human welfare. How many of the situations where equine welfare has been poor coincide with cases in the same household of child/elderly abuse or neglect? How often is poor welfare linked to lack of finances as compared to adequate finances but lack of knowledge? Or you could look at how often equine abuse or neglect is progressive and common indicators that this is going to be the situation.  

Do they have to be physical measurements (AKA your own research), or are you able to gather data in a more “report” style of paper? More info on the requirements would be helpful. I’m assuming it’s for a Bachelor’s and not a Master’s or Ph.D (which would then definitely have to be your own research). Given that this is a science-based degree, it would seem that you might need to do some physical research. Since it cannot be invasive to the horse, think about the things on a horse you can read without it being invasive. Heart rate, respiration, pulse, temperature, etc. These are also points of data that can be measured and tracked in a logical format. Since you are interested in welfare, you might be able to measure the long-term effects of abuse on a horse’s stress levels- almost like testing a horse for PTSD. This has some interesting connections to the brain, since all animals are hard-wired to remember fear or negative times in their life. You’d need a “control” horse who has never been abused or neglected, as well. You could also contrast against different species to see how a mule, donkey, and horse all handle recovery from stress long-term. Just some ideas. Again, more info about your requirements would help.  

perhaps there is a local rescue group you could work with ? measure horses weight, protruding bones and then remeasure in a month or so showing the gain etc from proper care, also you could do this with the overgrown neglected hooves. if the animal control/shelter in your area is like the one around here, you cannot interact with the horses, just view them.  

• ?            
• 93.5K members

Top Contributors this Month

• ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream Watch Now
• THE LOOP | NYC Weather and Traffic Cams Watch Now
• LIVE: Updates on Trump hush money trial Watch Now

Portal that connects NYC to Dublin shuts down to address 'inappropriate behavior'

FLATIRON, Manhattan (WABC) -- A new art installation in New York City that transports viewers more than 3,000 miles away to Dublin will temporarily shut down Tuesday to address some bad behavior.

The installation, called the Portal, features two identical sculptures with a visual live stream connecting the two cities. It was unveiled last Wednesday next to the famed Flatiron Building.

It allows visitors to watch and interact with each other and has already attracted tens of thousands of visitors.

Although it has been less than a week since its debut, organizers realized there is a problem amid reports of inappropriate behavior such as people flashing body parts or putting curse words on screen.

"The overwhelming majority of visitors have behaved appropriately and experienced the sense of joy and connectedness that this work of public art is intended to evoke," the Flatiron NoMad Partnership said in a statement. "Instances of inappropriate behavior have come from a very small minority of Portal visitors and have been amplified on social media."

Dublin's city council said in a statement it was looking for ways to come up with a solution to the bad behavior while keeping the portal open so the good intentions behind it can continue.

On the New York side, the Flatiron NoMad Partnership said there are a set of protocols in place since the launch, including 24/7 on-site security and barriers to prevent the public from stepping onto the Portal.

"The Portals team and our partners in Dublin are working on additional solutions including software updates to limit such behavior appearing on the livestream; additional on-site staffing; barriers to prevent people from stepping onto the Dublin Portal; and educational tools on how to best interact with the Portal on both sides," the statement went on to say.

In order to implement those solutions, the Portal will be turned off for a few days, starting at 5 p.m. New York City time on Tuesday, and will be back by the end of the week.

The portals were initially set to remain open 24/7 for the next six months through the fall.

ALSO READ | Rutgers doctoral student gives birth on same day she defends dissertation

* Get Eyewitness News Delivered

* More Manhattan news

* Send us a news tip

* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts

* Follow us on YouTube

Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News

Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.

Related Topics

• NEW YORK CITY
• U.S. & WORLD

Top Stories

4 FDNY firefighters injured battling Bronx store fire

• 21 minutes ago

Man dead, others injured after 'severe' turbulence on flight

• 2 hours ago

2 drivers arrested after 1-year-old critically hurt in Brooklyn crash

• 18 minutes ago

AccuWeather: Sunny and warmer

Trump deletes video referencing 'Unified Reich' after backlash

Scammers using text messaging to trick job seekers

• 24 minutes ago

JFK Airport redevelopment could cause some Memorial Day travel delays

Chita Rivera Awards pays heartfelt tribute to late Broadway legend