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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Perceptions of Fear and Anxiety in Horses as Reported in Int...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2022; 12(21); 2904; doi: 10.3390/ani12212904

Perceptions of Fear and Anxiety in Horses as Reported in Interviews with Equine Behaviourists.

Abstract: One of the key welfare concerns for horses in the United Kingdom is lack of recognition of fear in horses. This study aimed to gain an understanding of how well horse care givers recognise fear and/or anxiety in horses by interviewing equine behaviourists (who interact with large numbers of horse care givers and talk to them about this topic routinely). The experiences of Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC)-registered equine behaviourists working with horse caregivers were examined, including the ability of clients to recognise fear and/or anxiety in horses, how clients respond when discussing fear as the reason for their horse's behaviour, and what explanations the participants use to explain fear and anxiety. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine participants and analysed using thematic analysis before being written up to reflect the discussion points. When asked how well horse caregivers recognise fear and/or anxiety in horses, three key response themes emerged: caregivers are extremely poor at recognizing fear and anxiety in horses; some clients do recognise behavioural signs indicating fear and/or anxiety but only the overt signs (e.g., rearing, running away) rather than the more subtle signs (e.g., tension in face, subtle avoidance behaviours such as a hesitant gait); and fear and/or anxiety behaviour is often misinterpreted or mislabelled. These key themes recurred throughout several other interview questions. This study has provided initial insights into the lack of recognition of fear and anxiety of horses by their caregivers in the United Kingdom as well as tried and tested approaches to conversations to change this. Such synthesis of experience and techniques across the equine behaviour sector, together with the information gained regarding perception of equine caregivers, could be a valuable approach to improve the effectiveness of behaviour consultations and welfare initiatives.
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Publication Date: 2022-10-23 PubMed ID: 36359029PubMed Central: PMC9658478DOI: 10.3390/ani12212904Google 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.

This research examines the ability or difficulty of horse caregivers in the UK to recognize signs of fear and anxiety in horses, as derived from interviews with equine behaviourists. Key findings indicate that caregivers often miss or misinterpret these signs, leading to welfare concerns for the horses.

Introduction and Aim of the Study

  • The study sought to understand the proficiency of horse caregivers in identifying signs of fear and anxiety in horses.
  • This was accomplished by interviewing equine behaviourists who regularly interact with a significant amount of horse caregivers and routinely discuss these topics.

Methodology and Participants

  • Semi-structured interviews were held with nine participants, who were all registered equine behaviourists belonging to the Animal Behaviour and Training Council (ABTC).
  • The behaviourists’ client’s abilities to recognize fear and/or anxiety, their reactions when discussing fear as a possible reason for their horse’s behaviour, and the explanations used by the participants to describe fear and anxiety were examined.

Key Findings

  • Analyses of the interviews yielded three primary themes. The first is that caregivers fare extremely poorly in recognizing fear and anxiety in horses.
  • The second finds that while some clients do recognize overt behavioural signs of fear and/or anxiety (e.g., rearing, running away), they often miss their more subtle signs (e.g., facial tension, hesitant gait).
  • The final theme is the frequent misinterpretation or mislabelling of fear and/or anxiety behaviours.
  • These themes were not isolated but reappeared in responses to several different interview questions. This suggests a broadly-rooted issue in the recognition and understanding of equine fear and anxiety by caregivers.

Conclusions and Implications

  • This research offers initial insights into the oversight or misunderstanding of equine fear and anxiety by their caregivers in the UK.
  • The findings highlight tried and tested strategies for changing this through continued conversations and interactions with the caregivers.
  • This collective level understanding – drawn from varied experiences across the equine behaviour sector – translates to valuable information that can enhance the effectiveness of behaviour consultations and welfare initiatives.

Cite This Article

APA
Rogers S, Bell C. (2022). Perceptions of Fear and Anxiety in Horses as Reported in Interviews with Equine Behaviourists. Animals (Basel), 12(21), 2904. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12212904

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 12
Issue: 21
PII: 2904

Researcher Affiliations

Rogers, Suzanne
  • Equine Behaviour and Training Association, Surrey GU8 6AX, UK.
  • Human Behaviour Change for Life CIC, Norfolk NR9 4DE, UK.
Bell, Catherine
  • Equine Behaviour and Training Association, Surrey GU8 6AX, UK.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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