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The Influence of Equine Behavior in the Language of Teaching And Abstracts / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 29 (2019) 147e158 153 21 positive (such as providing conspecific companionship). However, ‘ ’ Are views regarding show horse welfare influenced there were also instances where interpreting horses as being like by owners perceived locus of control humans motivated practices potentially negative or stressful (such as L. BRIZGYS 1,*, M. VOIGT 2, C. HELESKI 3, L. PFEIFFER 1, training and outings). Findings suggest that the relationship between C. BRADY 1 anthropomorphism and equine welfare is not necessarily negative and fi 1 Purdue University, Youth Development and Agricultural may even be advantageous. There may be bene ts in developing an Education, West Lafayette, IN, USA education and communications framework based around human- 2 Iowa State University, Extension 4-H Youth Development horse similarity and difference as part of the public communication of Program Specialist, Ames, IA, USA Equitation Science. 3 University of Kentucky, Ag Equine Programs, Animal and Keywords: welfare; anthropomorphism; survey; social; behav- Food Sciences, Lexington, KY, USA ioral; education *Corresponding author: [email protected] 23 Management of show horses dedicated to competition frequently limits Does leadership relate to social order in groups of natural behaviors and meeting of needs. To advance the improvement horses and can it be transferred to humanehorse of show horse welfare, an understanding of human psychological interactions? characteristics underlying behaviors that impact owner decision mak- E. HARTMANN 1,*, J.W. CHRISTENSEN 2, P.D. MCGREEVY 3 ing must be established and evaluated. In this study, the Locus of 1 Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Control theory identified by Julian Rotter (1966) was employed. Rotter Animal Environment and Health, Uppsala, Sweden posits that an individual can have an internal or external locus of 2 Aarhus University, Department of Animal Science, Tjele, control, which has an impact on their interactions with the world. The Denmark aim of this study was to explore relationships between individuals’ 3 Sydney School of Veterinary Science (B19), University of locus of control and show horse welfare as a potential variable Sydney, Australia contributing to opinions regarding show horse welfare in America. A *Corresponding author: [email protected] digital survey from 956 respondents regarding welfare beliefs and locus of control was analyzed via anonymous Qualtrics survey distribution A prevalent, traditional approach to horse-training is based on the methods. Cronbach’s Alpha for 24 locus of control and 111 welfare belief that human dominance and leadership over horses is required to ’ items, selected for the scope of this study, were 0.845 and 0.775 gain their respect and compliance. However, this denies the horses respectively. Multiple regression analysis was used between locus of complex social organisation and the many factors determining rank. control and individuals’ perceptions of show horse welfare. Internal loci Hierarchies often manifest during resource competition which is of control directed towards the individual’s ability to lead (Beta¼0.034, usually absent in training. Furthermore, studies have shown that P<0.0001) and goal achievement through hard work (Beta¼0.036, leadership is not unique to the highest ranked or oldest horse of the P¼0.003 or better P<0.01) significantly predicted perceptions of show group but that any horse can act as leader (initiating group movement). horse welfare. Two identified variables represent factors that relate to Thus, the relevance of incorporating such concepts into human-horse an individual’s perceived control of working with show horses. The dyads is probably low. This is supported by empirical data on four results support the hypothesis that individual tendencies towards an groups of Icelandic horses and Standardbreds (5 horses/group), studied internal or external locus of control has an effect on aspects of horse during different tests at pasture (novel object/surface, competition for management that effect on how individuals contribute to a horse’s food) to determine if movement initiators were distinguished by rank. welfare. Horses could leave a pen (15x13m) to explore four objects (umbrella, Keywords: show horse; locus of control; perception; training; pool noodles, doll, blanket), traverse four surfaces (plastic tarpaulin fi management; welfare [PT] folded; PT unfolded; PT with traf c cones; PT with taped crosses) and feed during four limited resource tests. Data revealed that highest- ranked horses initiated movement in only 6% of 48 tests. The latency to 22 leave the pen did not differ between the highest (Mean 330 secs Æ134 How Australian horse owners determine if their SE) and all lower-ranked horses (258Æ89; W¼36, P>0.05). Thus, rank horses have their social and behavioral needs met: did not predict leaders, nor was movement initiation consistent across findings from a mixed-methods survey of 505 horse test contexts. An understanding of horses’ social behavior is therefore owners more reliable in safeguarding horse welfare than translating domi- K. THOMPSON* nance and leadership constructs into training. Central Queensland University Appleton Institute, 44 Keywords: equine; human; behavior; dominance; leader; training Greenhill Road, Wayville, South Australia, 5034, Australia *Corresponding author: [email protected] 24 To understand how Australian horse owners and carers determine the The influence of equine behavior in the language health and welfare of their horses, two questions were included in a of teaching and learning equestrian sports national online survey designed by the Australian Horse Industry C.A. HALL* Council and completed by a convenience sample of 505 Australian Online Horse College 392, Bribie Island Road, Caboolture horse owners in 2012 and 2013. Around half (56%) the participants 4510, Australia strongly agreed that their horse had its social and behavioral needs *Corresponding author: [email protected] met completely, as evidenced by: the provision of unmediated com- pany with another horse (59%), living in a paddock (36%) and having Ongoing research in Equitation Science has advanced our under- mediated contact with another horse (24%). A subsidiary question standing of equine behavior to improve the wellbeing of horses that asking where improvements could be made was addressed by 126 are trained for equestrian sports. Teaching equestrian sports is participants who considered the following important to equine well- considered by equestrians to be different to teaching other sports being: competitions and outings; training and work; interaction with because the horse, as a sentient being, is present. However, to date, humans; and experiences that would occur ‘in nature’.Findingspro- there has been little research that has identifiedif,how,orwhenthe vide the basis for a theoretical discussion of the politics of ‘nature’ and behavior of the horse may impact or influence the ways that eques- anthropomorphism. In some instances, interpreting horses as being trian coaches teach. Results from a (qualitative) thematic analysis of ‘like’ humans motivated horse keeping practices largely considered 26 coach observations and eight coach interviews suggest that some, 154 Abstracts / Journal of Veterinary Behavior 29 (2019) 147e158 albeit not all, aspects of teaching equestrian sports are different to Horses and donkeys belong to the genus Equus but Equus caballus those of other sports. One major emergent theme of difference sug- displays distinctive conformational attributes among breeds while gests that, when teaching, competent equestrian coaches respond Equus asinus shows less variation in skull shape. This study and adapt empathetically to the horse’sbehaviorinadditiontothatof compared skull and brain morphology between horses and don- the student. The coaches were perceived as both interpreters of keys. Skulls of Equus caballus (N¼14 Standardbred) and Equus equine behavior or Equus language, and as translators of that lan- asinus (N¼16) were obtained postmortem. Heads were sectioned guage to students, where the coaches’ language was perceived as a sagitally along the midline and photographed for measurement of competency indicator of their interpretation and translation skills. skull structures using Image J software: skull index (SI)¼zygo- These findings suggest that the education requirements of equestrian matic width*100/skull length; cranial index (CI)¼cranial coaches include learning about the horse-human bond and, addi- width*100/cranial length; nasal index (NI)¼zygomatic width*100/ tionally, about observing, interpreting, and translating equine nasal length; cranial profile index (CPI)¼rectangular area behavior with the appropriate language expressed when teaching bordered by an 80mm line from orbital notch and occiput; nasal students. Professionals who teach with horses and acquire such profile index (NPI)¼ rectangular area bordered by 80mm line from knowledge and skills may better understand how the triad of a coach, orbital notch and tip of nasal bone; olfactory lobe (OL) area; and student, and horse communicate and connect in order to collaborate whorl location (WL) [distance of OL from the level of the forehead and compete happily in equestrian sports performances. whorl]. A GLM determined the main effect of species between the Keywords: coach; education; connect; communicate; collaborate various measurements. There was
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