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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2026; 16(11); 1620; doi: 10.3390/ani16111620

Conflict Behaviour Frequency During Show Jumping Competitions: A Practical Study.

Abstract: With society's ever-growing concern for animal welfare, the equestrian industry has focused on passing and enforcing new rules to protect the main athlete, the horse. In jumping, courses go by quickly, with judges using the occurrence of conflict behaviours to assess any welfare breach. This study aimed to evaluate the overall frequency of such behaviours in Brazilian Sport Horses during elite show jumping competitions in Brazil. Conflict behaviour displays were analyzed in 120 different horse-rider pairs in jumping competitions in Brazil. All videos were observed at a slowed-down speed, with the frequency of behaviours being recorded. The observed behaviours included head shaking, tail swishing, neck hyperflexion, excessive pulling on the reins, kicking, bucking, rearing, and disobedience. All horses (100%) presented at least one type of conflict behaviour, with head shaking (100%, = 120, IQR 3-7, range 1-18) being the most common one ( < 0.001) and tail swishing (45.83%, = 55, IQR 1-10, range 1-29) being the second most common ( < 0.001). Most horses showed only one (41.67%, = 50) or two (43.33%, = 52) different types of behaviours, with few episodes of each throughout the course. Those findings were in line with studies in other disciplines, as the competition environment offers a series of challenging and stressful situations. The low levels of conflict observed in most horses indicate that the current horse welfare rules are working and must continue to be reinforced to consistently protect the horses.
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Publication Date: 2026-05-26 PubMed ID: 42278055PubMed Central: PMC13255590DOI: 10.3390/ani16111620Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

Overview

  • This study examined the frequency of conflict behaviours displayed by Brazilian Sport Horses in elite show jumping competitions to assess horse welfare during these events.
  • The research found that all horses exhibited at least one conflict behaviour, with head shaking and tail swishing being the most common, but overall conflict levels were generally low, suggesting current welfare measures are effective.

Introduction and Background

  • Growing societal concern has increased attention on animal welfare in the equestrian industry, focusing on protecting horses, considered the main athletes.
  • In show jumping, judges use the occurrence of conflict behaviours—actions indicating stress or discomfort—as indicators of possible welfare breaches.
  • The study was motivated by the need to quantify these behaviours during elite-level competitions in Brazil to evaluate how well current welfare standards are maintained.

Study Aim

  • To evaluate the overall frequency of conflict behaviours in Brazilian Sport Horses during elite show jumping competitions in Brazil.

Methodology

  • Data was collected from 120 different horse-rider pairs participating in show jumping events.
  • Video footage of the competitions was reviewed at slowed-down speeds to accurately observe and count conflict behaviours.
  • The behaviours recorded included:
    • Head shaking
    • Tail swishing
    • Neck hyperflexion
    • Excessive pulling on the reins
    • Kicking
    • Bucking
    • Rearing
    • Disobedience

Key Findings

  • All horses (100%) exhibited at least one type of conflict behaviour during their round.
  • Head shaking was the most common behaviour, observed in all horses (frequency median of 3-7 instances, range 1-18), and statistically significant (p < 0.001).
  • Tail swishing was the second most frequent behaviour, observed in about 46% of horses (median frequency 1-10 instances, range 1-29), also significant (p < 0.001).
  • Most horses displayed only one (41.67%) or two (43.33%) different types of conflict behaviours.
  • The number of episodes of behaviours was generally low for each horse throughout the course.

Interpretation and Implications

  • The patterns of conflict behaviours align with findings from other equestrian disciplines where competition environments are inherently challenging and stressful for horses.
  • Despite all horses showing some conflict behaviour, the overall low frequency suggests stress and discomfort are being managed effectively.
  • This supports the idea that current rules and welfare regulations in Brazilian show jumping are effectively protecting horses during competition.
  • Continuing to enforce and strengthen welfare policies is important to maintain and improve horse well-being in competitive settings.

Conclusion

  • The study provides valuable practical data on how often conflict behaviours occur in elite show jumping horses, confirming that while some stress indicators are present, they are generally at low levels.
  • The results endorse current welfare standards and their continuation as a means to consistently safeguard horses in the sport.

Cite This Article

APA
Nothaft IT, Padilha FGF, Meriade GB, Leite JDS, Ferreira AMR. (2026). Conflict Behaviour Frequency During Show Jumping Competitions: A Practical Study. Animals (Basel), 16(11), 1620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16111620

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 16
Issue: 11
PII: 1620

Researcher Affiliations

Nothaft, Isabella Torres
  • Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária (Clínica e Reprodução Animal), Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi 24230-321, RJ, Brazil.
Padilha, Felipe Gomes Ferreira
  • Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Veterinária (Clínica e Reprodução Animal), Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi 24230-321, RJ, Brazil.
Meriade, Giullia Buriti
  • Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia, Campus Botucatu, Universidade Estadual de São Paulo, Botucatu 18618-687, SP, Brazil.
Leite, Juliana da Silva
  • Departamento de Patologia e Clínica Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi 24230-321, RJ, Brazil.
Ferreira, Ana Maria Reis
  • Departamento de Patologia e Clínica Veterinária, Universidade Federal Fluminense, Niteroi 24230-321, RJ, Brazil.

Grant Funding

  • 146283117-65 / Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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