Horse personality: Variation between breeds

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Abstract

Anecdotal evidence from horse owners and handlers suggests the existence of breed typical behaviour and personality in horses. This is further supported by current research on heritability of personality characteristics in a range of species. The Horse Personality Questionnaire (HPQ) is a 25-item rating method that has previously been shown to be reliable for the assessment of personality in horses. Principal component analysis on HPQ data has identified six underlying personality components in horses. These are Dominance, Anxiousness, Excitability, Protection, Sociability and Inquisitiveness. Using the HPQ a survey of 1223 horses of eight different breeds was completed. Data were analysed to explore any differences in personality between breeds across the six personality components. Breed differences in personality were identified, and it was noted that variability between breeds varied between personality components. Anxiousness and Excitability showed the most variation between breeds, whilst Dominance and Protection showed the least variance. The results identified breed typical personalities that were comparable to results from previous studies as well as anecdotal evidence provided by the popular equine literature. The results are discussed in terms of the potential selection pressures that may have resulted in these differences.

Introduction

Throughout the domestication of the horse (Equus caballus) specific characteristics have been selected for different purposes, resulting in the differentiation of domestic horses into morphologically distinct types or breeds. Selection may focus on physical attributes such as size, strength and speed (Clutton-Brock, 1999) but may also focus on desirable behaviours (Hislop, 1992, Houpt and Kusunose, 2000).

Breeds are often described as having breed typical behaviours and such claims are supported by anecdotal evidence from breed enthusiasts, with breed societies often promoting a breed by describing its typical temperament and personality. For example, the Highland pony is described as having a “kindly nature and even temperament” (Highland Pony Society, 2006) and the Irish draught horse is described as having “an intelligent and gentle nature and is noted for its docility and sense” (Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain, 2006). It is therefore predicted that horse breeds will vary in their personality.

Personality research in both human and nonhuman-animals (from now on referred to as animals) is a rapidly growing area of interest. Personality can be defined as “those characteristics of a person that account for consistent patterns of feeling, thinking and behaving” (Pervin and John, 1997, p. 4). This definition emphasises the importance of consistency in the way an individual behaves and infers that these differences be attributed to the individual, as opposed to the environment (Pervin and John, 1997). There are limits to the application of this definition to animals, as the measurement of how animals feel or think is difficult, if not impossible. Animal personality research has therefore focused on the assessment of observed behaviour in order to demonstrate individual differences.

Recent studies on horse personality have explored the assessment of individual differences through the use of behaviour tests (Le Scolan et al., 1997, Wolff et al., 1997, Visser et al., 2001, Visser et al., 2002, Visser et al., 2003a, Visser et al., 2003b, Seaman et al., 2002) and through the use of ratings provided by handlers (Anderson et al., 1999, Creighton, 2003, Momozawa et al., 2003, Momozawa et al., 2005). Such studies have demonstrated that reliable assessments of individual differences are achievable and their potential applications have been reviewed (Mills, 1998).

Recently, Lloyd et al. (2007) developed a trait-based assessment method for horse personality. The Horse Personality Questionnaire (HPQ) (see Appendix A) is an adaptation of the Stevenson-Hinde et al. (1980) rhesus macaque (Macaca mullata) personality rating questionnaire, which had previously been validated on a wide range of animal species (for example: Macaca nemestrina, Caine et al., 1983; Felis catus, Feaver et al., 1986; Gorilla gorilla, Gold and Maple, 1994; Crocuta crocuta, Gosling, 1998; Acinonyx jubatus, Wielebnowski, 1999; Pan troglodytes, Martin, 2005). Using the HPQ Lloyd et al. (2007) assessed the personality of 61 horses and achieved a 72.13% level of agreement between raters. Furthermore ratings were shown to correlate with measures of observed behaviour collected whilst the horses were at grass. Using principal component analysis (PCA) the HPQ data showed six underlying personality components that were used to describe horse personality. These were Dominance, Anxiousness, Excitability, Protection, Sociability and Inquisitiveness (Table 1) and explained 79.3% of the variance.

The resulting component structures were comparable to the five factors identified by Creighton (2003) which had previously been compared to those of the human Big Five (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotionality, Openness and Conscientiousness) (e.g. Costa and McCrae, 1992). The personality taxonomies identified by Creighton (2003) and Lloyd et al. (2007) both included elements of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Emotionality, Openness. Similar factors seem to be recurrent in other animal personality studies (Gosling and John, 1999).

Breed differences in horse personality have not been directly tested, some studies, have explored the association between breed and specific behaviours. For example, Hausberger et al. (2004) looked at the reactions of horses from 16 breeds to a bridge test and identified breed differences in the length of time taken to cross the ‘bridge’. Hausberger and Muller (2002) also found variation in friendly behaviour and reactivity between French saddlebreds, thoroughbreds and Angloarabs. Reactivity, or emotionality, in the horse can be described as a heightened state of arousal (McCall et al., 2006) and may be associated with the Excitability and Anxiousness components of horse personality. Moreover, breed effects have also been identified in the occurrence of stereotypic behaviours (Luescher et al., 1998, Redbo et al., 1998, Houpt and Kusunose, 2000).

In contrast, breed differences in personality and behaviour have been specifically explored in dogs (Canis familiaris). For example, Svartberg (2006) used data from behavioural tests of over 13,000 Swedish dogs from 31 breeds and demonstrated that dog breeds vary significantly in the traits playfulness, curiosity/fearlessness, sociability and aggressiveness. Breed differences in dogs were also explored by Notari and Goodwin (2007) and Bradshaw et al. (1996) who asked veterinarians and dog-care professionals to rank dog breeds on a selection of behavioural traits using their own past experiences. Furthermore, Svartberg (2006) demonstrated that recent selection pressures (mainly breeding for the show ring) have significantly affected breed-typical behaviours in dogs. Both dogs and horses have undergone extensive artificial selection resulting in distinctly different breeds (Clutton-Brock, 1999). It is therefore proposed that as this has resulted in distinct personality differences between dog breeds then it is likely to have had a similar effect on horses.

In addition, it is now well accepted that behaviour and personality are affected to some extent by genes (Bouchard and Loehlin, 2001, Reif and Lesch, 2003, Mormède, 2005, van Oers et al., 2005). Research is beginning to quantify heritability of specific behaviours and personality constructs. For example, Dominance in chimpanzees (Weiss et al., 2000, Weiss et al., 2002), exploratory and other behaviours in great tits (Parus major) (Dingemanse et al., 2002, van Oers et al., 2004, Carere et al., 2005), dominance in dogs (Svartberg, 2005, Pérez-Guisado et al., 2006) and temperament in cattle (Gauly et al., 2001) have all been shown to be heritable. This growing evidence of genetic influence on behaviour further supports the hypothesis that breeds may differ in personality.

The present study explores the potential differences in personality between eight different horse breeds using the method of personality assessment previously developed by Lloyd et al. (2007). As shown in a recent survey by Buckley et al. (2004) the temperament, and therefore personality, of a horse is considered to be an important attribute and was considered a key issue in horse health and performance. Therefore a greater understanding of the typical behaviour and personality of specific horse breeds may aid the selection of horses for specific equine disciplines, including use for leisure by amateur riders. More informed selection of horses should lead to improved horse welfare, as horses are more likely to be selected for appropriate functions and rider capabilities.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Personality data from 1223 horses from eight different horse breeds were collected and compared. The breeds selected were: Irish draught horses (IDH), thoroughbreds (TB), Shetland ponies (Shet.), Arabs, Highland ponies (High.), Welsh ponies and cobs (WPC) (i.e. Welsh sections A, B, C and D), American quarter horses (AQH) and appaloosas (App.). The breeds were selected to represent a variety of breed types that included lightweight, draught and pony breeds.

Results

A total of 1223 questionnaires (Table 2) were completed and entered into the analysis. Calculation of a return rate was not appropriate as a result of the combined use of both paper and online questionnaires and therefore the number of possible respondents was unknown. All completed questionnaires were analysed to explore breed differences in personality across the six personality components.

Discussion

The results demonstrated that differences in personality do exist between the eight horse breeds assessed in this study, although not all breed pairs were significantly different. Differences between breeds varied across the six personality components, with Anxiousness and Excitability demonstrating the most variability and Dominance and Protection showing low levels of variability. The following discussion explores this variation in horse personality and relates it to the potential selective

Conclusions

The results of this study have provided further evidence for breed typical personalities and is supported by findings of other studies (Hausberger and Muller, 2002, Hausberger et al., 2004). Breed differences and the similarity of personality between breeds that have linked ancestry provides further support for the inheritance of behaviour and raises questions about maternal and paternal effects on inheritance of behaviour and personality in horses. It is hoped that these results will spark

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Moulton College Thomas Harrison Trust, for partial funding of this study. Many thanks also to the following breed societies for their help with advertising the study and to their members for spending the time to complete the questionnaires: Highland Pony Society; Irish Draught Horse Society of Great Britain; Welsh Pony and Cob Society; British Appaloosa Society; Shetland Pony Studbook Society and the Arab Horse Society. We are also grateful to Laura Hall for her help

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