Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Evaluation of temperament protocol at SWB’s young horse test

Equestrian sport is considered one of the largest sports in Sweden with approximately 500 000 active participants. The three major disciplines are show jumping, dressage and eventing and the Swedish Warmblood is the most common breed. The goal of the Swedish Warmblood Association (SWB) is to produce horses that are internationally competitive. One of the main factors that determines a horse’s potential to perform on a high level is its temperament. Depending on the horse’s area of use, the temperament also must be suitable. For example, an inexperienced rider may need a less reactive horse in order to be able to handle upcoming situations caused by the horse’s escape instincts.

The temperament of SWB horses was not described until recently. In year 2019, SWB developed a temperament protocol in order to do a linear description of the temperament of young horses during the voluntary riding test at young horse test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the temperament protocols collected in the year 2019. The primary aim was to investigate if differences exist in temperament traits between horses bred for show jumping and horses bred for dressage. The secondary aim was to see how the judges used the protocol scale

The temperament protocols were received from the SWB and included 16 traits described on a nine-point linear scale from A to I between two extremes, and two traits assessed in three classes. Protocols of 603 horses assessed by twelve judges were used in the study. The horses were manually divided into disciplines, there were a total of 306 horses bred for show jumping and 297 horses bred for dressage. The description scale A – I was translated from to 1 – 9 in order to perform quantitative statistics. The statistics analyses, Chi-square test, F- and T-test, were made in Excel.

The results showed significant differences between horses bred for show jumping and for dressage. Horses bred for showjumping were described as more calm and less reactive before mounting than horses bred for dressage. On the other hand, horses bred for dressage were described to show higher acceptance for the bit, more willingness to perform and they were more self-confident under rider. The judges had used the scale differently, from only using three grades to using eight grades on the nine-point scale. However, the majority of the judges had used letter E the most, that should represent the normal horse.

In conclusion, this study showed that there were differences in temperament traits between horses bred for show jumping and horses bred for dressage with dressage horses being more tense in the start of assessment. The difference in the use of scale between judges suggest that the traits need to be better defined and that judges should be more harmonized in their assessments. Further research needs to be done in order to determine whether the linear description of temperament traits can be used in selection of breeding animals.