The Impact of Horse Age, Sex, and Number of Riders on Horse Performance in British Eventing Horse Trials.

The research paper investigates the influence of horse age, sex, and the number of riders on horse performance in British Eventing horse trials. The study found that the performance of mares was generally lower than geldings and stallions across all levels. The study also observed that stallions were less consistent in performance with multiple riders from Novice to Advanced levels.

Methodology

• The research data comprised the best score from each horse participating in the BE horse trials throughout 2008-2018.
• Researchers used principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis to identify patterns and clusters among the horses.
• Basic data analysis techniques were used to identify the variables associated with the high-performing clusters of horses.
• The combined variables were then used to map out the possible career trajectories for horses in the best-performing and worst-performing clusters.

Findings

• The study found that mares underperformed when compared to geldings and stallions across all levels of competition.
• Stallions, from Novice to Advanced levels, did not maintain consistency when ridden by multiple riders, unlike geldings.
• Regarding peak performance age, mares and geldings peaked at a similar age across all classes. On the other hand, stallions peaked at an older age at the Novice and Intermediate levels as compared to mares and geldings.

Regulations

• All horses included in the competition were at least 4-years-old, adhering to the regulations set by the British Eventing organization.

The implications of this study can be significant for professionals in planning a competition horse’s career. The findings provide insights into how factors such as horse age, sex, and the number of riders affect horse performance, which can aid in decision-making concerning training, competition level selection, and rider assignment.