Untangling the Complex Relationships between Horse Welfare, Rider Safety, and Rider Satisfaction

Figures & data

Table 1. Management practices, medical conditions, and behavioral/other signals used to assess ridden-horse welfare (in alphabetical order) (adapted from Luke et al., 2022).

Management factors	Medical conditions	Signals during handling	Signals during riding
Competition (Jones & McGreevy, 2010; König v. Borstel et al., 2017)	Back soreness (Buckley et al., 2013)	Aggression (AWIN, 2015; Fureix et al., 2010)	Bolting (Dyson et al., 2018; McLean & Christensen, 2017)
Feeding (Lesimple, 2020)	Lameness (AWIN, 2015; Lesimple, 2020)	Apathy (AWIN, 2015; Fureix et al., 2010)	Bucking (Dyson et al., 2018; McLean & Christensen, 2017)
Housing (Lesimple, 2020)	Laminitis (Buckley, 2009; Lesimple, 2020)	Avoiding humans (AWIN, 2015)	Difficulty stopping (Dyson et al., 2018)
Transportation (Jones & McGreevy, 2010; Padalino et al., 2018)	Ulcers (Lesimple, 2020)	Hoof handling (Mansmann et al., 2011)	Ears back during transitions (Dyson et al., 2018; Fureix et al., 2010)
		Sterotypy (AWIN, 2015; Lesimple, 2020)	Rearing (Dyson et al., 2018; McLean & Christensen, 2017)
		Undesirable behavior (handling) (AWIN, 2015)	Rushing (Dyson et al., 2018)
			Saddle slip (Greve & Dyson, 2014; König v. Borstel et al., 2017)
			Spooking (Dyson et al., 2018; McLean & Christensen, 2017)
			Undesirable behavior (ridden)^a (Hockenhull & Creighton, 2013)

^a Undesirable behavior (ridden) was defined, using the criteria from Hockenhull and Creighton (2013), as behaviors including: move off before asked when rider mounts, pull/lean on the bit, jog when asked to walk, resist slowing, spook, trip or stumble, canter on the wrong leg, rush over jumps, buck or pigroot, resist turning when asked, refuse to move forward when asked, stop at jumps, run out when jumping, rear, bolt.

Figure 1. Scattergrams demonstrating the relationship between rider satisfaction and (A) relative horse welfare score (r = 0.29, p < 0.01), (B) horse ridden hyperreactive behavior (bucking, rearing, bolting, and spooking, r = −0.23, p < 0.01), (C) rider accidents and injuries (r = −0.16, p < 0.001), and (D) rider perception of control while riding (r = 0.49, p < 0.001).

Figure 2. Median relative welfare scores of least favorite and favorite horses. Higher welfare scores indicate better horse welfare. Circles and asterisks denote outliers in the sample.

Table 2. Spearman rank correlations between horse welfare, horse hyperreactive behavior, rider safety, rider perceived control, rider goal achievement, and overall rider satisfaction.

		Goal achievement	Perceived control	Partnership with horse	Horse hyperreactive behavior	Rider accidents and injuries	Relative horse welfare	Overall rider satisfaction
Goal achievement	r		0.41***	0.44***	−0.15**	−0.11*	0.19***	0.57***
	p		< 0.001	< 0.001	0.002	0.03	< 0.001	< 0.001
Perceived control	r	0.41***		0.35***	−0.34***	−0.20***	0.27***	0.49***
	p	< 0.001		< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
Partnership with horse	r	0.44***	0.35***		−0.19***	−0.17***	0.24***	0.62***
	p	< 0.001	< 0.001		< 0.001	0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
Horse hyperreactive behavior	r	−0.15**	−0.34***	−0.19***		0.34***	−0.55***	−0.23***
	p	0.002	< 0.001	< 0.001		< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001
Rider accidents and injuries	r	−0.11*	−0.20***	−0.17***	0.34***		−0.37***	−0.16***
	p	0.03	< 0.001	0.001	< 0.001		< 0.001	0.001
Relative horse welfare	r	0.19***	0.27***	0.24***	−0.55***	−0.37***		0.34***
	p	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001		< 0.001
Overall rider satisfaction	r	0.57***	0.49***	0.62***	−0.23***	−0.16***	0.34***
	p	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	< 0.001	0.001	< 0.001

*Significant at p ≤ 0.05.

**Significant at p ≤ 0.01.

***Significant at p ≤ 0.001.

Figure 3. Median rider perceived control of least favorite and favorite horses. Circles and asterisks denote outliers in the sample.

Figure 4. Schematic illustration of the relationships found in this study between horse-rider partnership, equestrian goal achievement, perceived rider control, and rider satisfaction. The diagram shows the variables contributing to rider satisfaction (goal achievement, perceived control, and horse-rider partnership) are also related to, and influenced by, horse-related safety, horse behavior, and horse welfare.

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