Equine Personality: Association With Breed, Use, and Husbandry Factors.

The researchers in this study evaluated the relationship between a horse’s personality and its breed, age, sex, training, and behavior. The personality components identified in Japanese and European horses were applied to American horses for the first time using a survey of horse owners. They found that certain breeds were more anxious than others, but there was no correlation found between a horse’s training or misconduct and its personality.

Research Methodology

• The research team created an online survey featuring 25 questions targeted at horse owners. The survey covered aspects related to the horse’s personality, breed, age, sex, handling process, training, stereotypies, and behavior problems.
• The researchers analyzed the responses using the principal component analysis method. This method allowed them to associate specific behavior traits with certain personality components.
• They further processed the scores for personality-related questions using a factor analysis with orthogonal transformation.
• The study had a reasonably large sample size, with a total of 847 responses.

Key Findings

• The most commonly represented breeds in the survey were Quarter Horses, “other” breed, and Thoroughbreds.
• The researchers identified three principal personality components. Each behavioral trait was categorized under one of these three components.
• Some breeds, including Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Saddlebreds, and Walking horses, were identified as more nervous. However, Quarter Horses, Paints, Appaloosas, and Drafts were found to be the least nervous.
• The researchers found no significant association between any trained discipline and personality component, suggesting that a horse’s discipline doesn’t significantly influence its personality.
• Similarly, they found no significant relation between stereotypies (repetitive or ritualistic movements, postures, or utterances) or misbehaviors and either a nervous or curious personality.

Significance and Conclusion

• This research represents the first study of its kind to evaluate personality components and their association with various factors in predominantly American horses.
• The study debunks the hypothesized links between personality and trained discipline and confirms that no relationship exists between a nervous personality and stereotypies or misbehaviors.
• The findings contribute valuable insights to horse breeding, selection, and training practices by highlighting that a horse’s personality may be more influenced by its breed than by its training or behavior.