Stress Responses in Dressage Horses: Insights from FEI Noseband Measurements Across National Competition Levels.
Abstract: This pilot study investigated stress-related behaviors in 238 dressage horse-rider combinations competing at national levels from Elementary (A) to Grand Prix (GP). Noseband tightness was assessed on-site using the FEI noseband measuring device (FNMD), and all but two horses complied with FEI regulations. Video-based analysis quantified conflict behaviors including mouth opening, tail swishing, and changes in head-neck position. Because noseband tightness showed minimal variation, no meaningful association with behavioral expression could be determined. In contrast, competition level had a clear influence on both the frequency and type of stress-related behaviors. Horses in lower-level classes displayed a wide range of behaviors at relatively low frequency, while horses in higher-level tests showed fewer behavior types but exhibited them more often, with mouth opening becoming the predominant indicator. Horses ridden in a double bridle generally demonstrated higher proportions of conflict behavior than those ridden in a snaffle. A strong negative correlation between conflict behavior and performance scores was observed only at the lowest levels (A, L). From Medium level upward, judging scores no longer reflected the amount of stress behavior displayed. Overall, the findings indicate that increasing test difficulty is associated with a rise in stress-related behaviors and a narrowing of behavioral expression. These results highlight the importance of considering equipment choice and competition demands when evaluating stress in dressage horses.
Publication Date: 2026-02-06 PubMed ID: 41681499PubMed Central: PMC12897305DOI: 10.3390/ani16030518Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
Cite This Article
APA
Fialová S, Kuřitková D, Sobotková E.
(2026).
Stress Responses in Dressage Horses: Insights from FEI Noseband Measurements Across National Competition Levels.
Animals (Basel), 16(3), 518.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16030518 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Victor Kaplan Department of Fluids Engineering, Brno University of Technology, 616 69 Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
- Department of Animal Breeding, Faculty of Agronomy, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic.
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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