Genetic correlations between competition traits and traits scored at breeding field-tests in Icelandic horses

Relationships between breeding field-test traits and competition traits were studied to investigate whether the latter could be usefully included in the genetic evaluation of Icelandic horses. The current method of genetic evaluation is based on records from breeding field-tests only. The breeding field-test data included 16 401 individual records of Icelandic horses evaluated in 11 countries during 1990–2005. Competition results included 18 982 records of 3790 horses competing in sport and gæðinga competitions in Iceland and Sweden during 1998–2004. In the breeding field-tests, eight conformation traits and eight riding ability traits were scored; height of withers was also recorded. These traits were analysed together with the competition traits tölt(comp), 4-gait, 5-gait and pace test, in bivariate analyses. Animal models were used; the fixed effects for breeding field-test traits included sex by age interaction and country by year interaction. For the competition traits the model included fixed effects of sex, age and event, and a random permanent environmental effect. Estimated heritabilities and genetic correlations for breeding field-test traits were consistent with earlier results; heritabilities ranged from 0.20 to 0.67, and moderate to high genetic correlations were estimated between many of the riding ability traits, and between riding ability traits and some conformation traits. The estimated heritabilities for competition traits were about 0.20, and genetic correlations between competition traits varied from − 0.12 to 1.00. In general, high genetic correlations were estimated between breeding field-test riding ability traits and competition traits. Moderately positive genetic correlations were found between some breeding field-test conformation traits and competition traits. Competition traits add information relating to the breeding goal of the Icelandic horse; they should therefore be added to genetic evaluation in future.     

Genetic analysis of 'breeding field test status' in Icelandic horses

Genetic evaluation of Icelandic horses is currently based on results from breeding field tests where riding ability and conformation of the horses are evaluated over the course of 1-2 days. Only a small part of registered horses attend these field tests, and it can be assumed that these are not a random sample of the population. In this study, the trait test status was introduced, describing whether a horse was assessed in a breeding field test. This trait was analysed to find out whether it has a genetic variation and how it correlates genetically to other traits in the breeding goal. Breeding field test data included 39,443 mares born in Iceland in 1990-2001, of which 7431 were assessed in the period 1994-2007. The trait was defined in relation to age, gender and stud of horses. Variance and covariance components were estimated using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method by applying the Gibbs sampler procedure in the DMU program. Three multivariate analyses were performed where the test status trait was analysed with breeding field test traits. Animal models and sire models were applied. Based on estimated heritabilities (0.51-0.67) and genetic correlations (0.00-0.87), the test status trait showed significant genetic variation and was strongly correlated to some traits. The test status trait reflects preselection in the breeding field test traits and should be included in the genetic evaluation to enhance the procedure, reduce selection bias and increase accuracy of the estimation.     

A Note on the Heritability of Reactivity Assessed at Field Tests for Danish Warmblood Horses

Temperament traits in horses, especially reactivity, are an important trait in relation to human–horse accidents and the welfare of the horses. However, so far, temperament is often not included in many horse breeding programs. Most of the behavioral genetic studies in horses have been based on indirect indications of a sire effect and not on estimations of the heritability of temperament traits. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the heritability of behavior reactions related to reactivity observed in a practical situation, that is, during the evaluation of the conformation of the horse at field tests. The study included 323 3-year-old Warmblood horses. Data were analyzed according to an animal model, and the estimation was based on restricted maximum likelihood. Results showed a low (0.17) heritability of reactivity. Probably because of the limited number of horses in the study, a high standard error was untainted. Nevertheless, results suggested a genetic variation of reactivity when assessed at field tests, but further research is needed before reactivity can be incorporated as a selection criteria into a breeding program.     

Importance of personality traits in horses to breeders and riders

Especially in horses, personality traits play an important role because horses' behavior influences their quality as a riding partner. In contrast to that, no objective assessment of horses' personality traits is available at present. Although initial efforts are made in this field, a successful implementation of behavior tests into horse performance tests depends on the acceptance of the riders and breeders. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to assess the importance of personality traits to breeders and riders as well as the degree of riders' acceptance of a temperament test as a more objective means of assessing equine personality traits. Using a web-based survey consisting of a 41-item questionnaire, a total of 1087 competition riders (49.3%), breeders (39.0%), leisure riders (37.9%), and professional riders (8.6%) of 13 countries were recruited to participate in the survey. When asked to split 1000 Euro among the different traits listed in the breeding goal, respondents clearly assigned more weight to the personality-related character and temperament traits (least squares mean ± standard error; P < 0.005: €228.7 ± 17.6) and willingness to work (€123.0 ± 9.6) compared with performance traits, such as the quality of trot (€77.7 ± 6.9) or show jumping (€68.0 ± 12.3). Nevertheless, expected differences in relative weighting of traits between the different groups of riders were confirmed (e.g., character and temperament: €209.3 ± 6.1 [leisure riders] vs. €149.7 ± 5.4 [competition riders], P < 0.0001). When asking why personality traits are so important, the simplification of daily work with the horses (47.9%) and relationship between horse and human (44.9%) as well as a more comfortable and safer handling (31.5%) were most commonly listed. As much as 45.6% of all participants see quality problems with the current assessment and suggested the evaluation of all breeding animals (30.1%), followed by a better standardization of assessment procedures (25.5%) and a move to more objective criteria such as the introduction of a temperament test (20.3%) for solving the problems. The present survey revealed that behavior traits are very important to all groups of riders and breeders, although there are diverse opinions about it. According to the participants, there is a need for and a high potential in the move toward more objective assessment methods of horses' personality traits, and participants would support a restructuring of the current assessment.     

Relationships between young stallions’ temperament and their behavioral reactions during standardized veterinary examinations

Horse handling and veterinary examination can induce hazardous stress reactions. Such reactions occur especially in young and less-trained horses, particularly stallions, and make their handling a risk for breeders, grooms, and medical staff. Moreover, these stressful situations will affect the animal’s health and welfare. Because stress reactivity is thought to be partly determined by genetic factors, scientists, veterinarians, and breeders are likely to be interested in adding temperament assessments to stallion selection schemes, as it is already done in some countries. This study assesses young stallions’ temperament and its comparison with their stress reactions during a standardized veterinary examination for studbook admission. The assessment consists of a general examination, a lameness examination including flexion tests, an endoscopy of the upper airway, and a standardized radiological examination. During the years 2008 and 2009, 93 stallions were evaluated. Stallions were observed from the moment they were unloaded from the trailer at the clinic until the end of veterinary examinations. In addition to the behavioral observations made by the experimenter, each staff member in charge of the examination filled in a short questionnaire about the horse’s temperament and the “easiness of manipulation” for the performed examinations. Breeders were asked to complete a longer questionnaire about their horse’s temperament. The assessments of “aggressiveness,” “sociability,” and “learning level” temperament traits were the most consistent, as shown by the significant Spearman correlations between judges’ assessments. Undesirable behaviors during veterinary examinations leading to handling difficulties were associated with a low “easiness of manipulation” score assessed by the clinical staff. These low “easiness of manipulation” scores were positively correlated to temperament traits such as “anxiousness” and “aggressiveness” and negatively correlated to others such as “sociability” or “learning level.” Temperament assessment and behavioral observations can therefore be used to anticipate behaviors that make a horse difficult to handle during veterinary examinations. Thus, it may be important to include temperament assessment as a feature in the selection of breeding stallions—as already practiced for some breeds in some countries. Such evaluations may promote the welfare of horses and ease of handling as well as safety for the handler.     

Ethical equitation: Capping the price horses pay for human glory

Ethical equitation is nowadays coming into sharp focus in equestrian culture. Concerns surround the ethics of sports based on controlling an animal's locomotory responses and in using animals such as horses in sport in general. Anthropomorphically labeled misinterpretations of the responses of trained horses, such as the use of terms like “mad,” “lazy,” “keen,” and “stubborn,” may be detrimental to optimal equine welfare. Similarly, the concept of the “equine athlete” may imply an ill-informed teleological explanation of the motives of the horse in sport. Despite problems in identifying the happy horse, rewarding optimal welfare and the absence of critical stress responses in performance horses is an important step forward.Horse racing is the source of many welfare concerns because of the use of the whip and the physical dangers to horses involved in hurdle racing and steeplechasing. The use of the whip in racing is controversial and, because it does not always lead to acceleration, problematic. There is a pressing need for learning theory to be adopted in all equestrian pursuits, because such an approach would obviate the need for whips, punishment, and the use of fear in escape learning. In other disciplines, practices such as hyperflexion and soring have a significant potential to compromise the welfare of the horse in sport.The future of horse sports should involve abandoning the mandatory use of primitive control devices, such as curb bits, that have a real potential to cause harm. International governing bodies and national equestrian federations ought to proceed with removing any requirements to use curb bits and judges should reward riders who use the most humane control devices at the higher levels of competition.Finally, horse breeding should also be scrutinized under an ethical spotlight. Selecting horses on the basis of temperament has inherent risks, including lowered motivation of riders and trainers to refine their training skill set, which may also lead to significant wastage. Pure breeding risks the health and welfare of horses owing to increases in homozygous deleterious genes expressing themselves.     

Effects of integrated genetic evaluations for Icelandic horses on predictive ability, accuracy and selection bias

The genetic evaluation of Icelandic horses is currently based on results from breeding field tests of riding ability and conformation. The effect of integrating competition traits and/or test status into the genetic evaluation was studied concerning estimation bias, predictive ability, accuracy, correlations between breeding values and ranking of sires. Breeding field test data included 19 954 records from horses assessed in 11 countries during 1994-2008. Competition data included 44 160 records from 7687 horses competing in Iceland and Sweden in 1998-2008. Test status was defined as attendance of horses born in Iceland at breeding field tests and/or in competition. Overall, there were trivial differences between different genetic evaluation models regarding estimation bias and predictive ability. Very strong correlations were estimated between breeding values for combined indexes of conformation, riding ability and total score from different models. Higher accuracy was achieved for most of the traits when competition traits and/or test status were added to the model. Sires ranked differently when the new traits were added to the genetic evaluation model. It was concluded that competition traits should be integrated into the genetic evaluation. Further analyses on genetic parameters for test status and its relationship with the other traits are needed for future inclusion of test status in the genetic evaluation.     

Risk factors associated with hindlimb lameness and degenerative joint disease in the distal tarsus of Icelandic horses

The aim of this study was to evaluate potential risk factors associated with hindlimb lameness and radiographic signs of degenerative joint disease (DJD) in the distal tarsus in Icelandic horses. The material consisted of riding horses (n = 420) age 6-12 years sired by 17 selected sires representing all major breeding lines, and of riding horses (n = 194) in the same age range sired by other sires. The examination protocol included the following: interview with owners/trainers, assessment of conformation, motion evaluation and radiographic examination. At the interview, data related to factors outside the horse (environmental variables) and data associated directly with the horse (intrinsic variables) were obtained. Data analysis was performed in 2 steps: screening using bivariate analysis, followed by testing with a multivariate logistic regression model. In the multivariate analysis, the factors of sire, age when broken to saddle and stud show participation were strongly associated with the prevalence of lameness. Height at the croup and ability to perform different gaits were also associated with the prevalence of lameness, but to a lesser degree. The risk factors of age, tarsal angle and birthplace were significantly associated with radiographic signs of DJD in the distal tarsus. Neither the variation in applied training intensity, the use of a professional or amateur trainer nor the temperament or front limb action of the individual horse was significantly associated with the prevalence of hindlimb lameness and/or radiographic signs of DJD in the distal tarsus in the Icelandic horse.     

Owners' perceptions of the health and performance of Pony Club horses in Australia

Pony Club is one of the leading junior equestrian organisations in the world, and was established to teach young people the many aspects of horsemanship. The aim of this study was to gain an understanding of the health and performance of Pony Club horses from the perspective of their owners. In-depth interviews were conducted with Pony Club members at two sites in Australia, and topics relating to participants' background with horses, horse attributes valued by participants, horse health and performance, and Pony Club-related matters. The in-depth interviews were taped, transcribed and analysed, by describing the themes and issues recorded in the dialogue and conducting cross-case analysis (finding similarities and dissimilarities between participants with respect to each of the above-mentioned topics). A total of 32 interviews were conducted. The participants' background with horses varied greatly. The horse attributes valued by > or =59% of participants included temperament, size, ability and suitability for riders. A range of issues relating to health and performance were important to > or =53% of participants, including horse temperament, nutrition, internal parasites, lameness and foot-care, and colic. Soundness and preventive health measures were rarely mentioned (< or =16% of participants). Friends or knowledgeable horse people were identified as the first point of contact for horse-health matters, and veterinarians were only used as a last resort or for serious problems. Members of Pony Club learned about their horses by trial and error. Optimal performance was described as a horse that was willing to do as the rider asked. Poor performance was usually the result of the horse misbehaving, and could include a resistance to rider commands, pigrooting and bucking.     

Husbandry,Use, and Orthopedic Health of Horses Owned by Competitive and Leisure Riders in Switzerland

The use of horses in competitive sports receives increasing criticism from the public, mainly due to the potential for injury. However, it is unclear if orthopedic and other health issues are more common in competition horses than those in leisure horses. The aim of this study was to assess husbandry, use, and orthopedic health in Swiss riding horses and to compare these aspects between horses owned by self-identified competitive riders (CR) and leisure riders (LR) in Switzerland. A total of 237 owners completed an online survey providing information on their athletic ambitions, their horse’s husbandry, health, training, and tack. Two experienced veterinarians assessed gait irregularities, muscular development, and back pain in the horses and evaluated saddle fit. Compared with horses owned by competitive riders (CH), a higher proportion of horses kept by leisure riders (LH) were kept unshod, under more natural conditions, and turned out with other horses. LH were exercised less frequently, and LR trained less frequently with instructors. CR reported less time since the last saddle check and the use of more training aids during riding. No differences between the two groups could be found in orthopedic health, muscular development, or back pain, but LH had higher body condition scores and a slightly higher proportion of saddles with at least one fit problem. Our data revealed no increased prevalence of the assessed health problems in competition horses compared with leisure horses in Switzerland. However, suboptimal saddle fit and muscular development, back pain, and gait irregularity are frequent in both groups and deserve more attention.     

Characteristics of equine summer eczema with emphasis on differences between Finnhorses and Icelandic horses in a 11-year study

Summer eczema, allergic dermatitis of the horse, was studied on 275 affected horses in Finland in 1997–2007. Features of the horses, clinical signs of the disease and owners'' opinions of aggravating factors were recorded. Differences, especially, between two of the native Scandinavian horse breeds, the Finnhorse and the Icelandic horse, were evaluated. The study was based on clinical examination and information from the owners. Of the horses, 50% were Finnhorses, 26% Icelandic horses and 24% consisted of different breeds of ponies and other horses. Of the Finnhorses, 76% had summer eczema by the age of 5 years, but in the Icelandic horses born in Finland the average age at onset was 7 years. The vast majority of the horses, 75%, had moderate clinical signs, while 16% showed severe and 9% mild. The severity of clinical signs did not depend on the duration of the disease nor was it related to the age at onset. The only linkage to severity was the breed of the horse or import from Iceland; New Forest ponies and imported Icelandic horses showed severe clinical signs significantly more often than Finnhorses. Of the owners, 38% regarded insects as the only aggravating factor, 24% mentioned several simultaneous factors, including grass fodder and sunlight, while 22% could not specify any. In Finland, a typical horse breed suffering from summer eczema is the Finnhorse and the characteristics of the disease are mainly uniform with the other breeds affected. Equine summer eczema seems to be aggravated by various combinations of environmental factors.     

Leisure riding horses: research topics versus the needs of stakeholders

Horses intended for leisure riding do not undergo any selection and most often retired sports horses or defective horses are chosen, as a low selling price determines their purchase by a leisure riding center. Unfortunately, horses bought at low prices usually have low utility value, are difficult to handle, require a special or individual approach and do not provide satisfaction in riding. However, neither modern horse breeding nor scientific research address the need to breed horses for leisure activities. There is no clear definition of a model leisure horse and criteria or information for its selection are not readily available in scientific publications. A wide spectrum of research methods may be used to evaluate various performance traits in horses intended for leisure activities. The fact that the population of recreational horses and their riders outnumber sporting horses should attract the special attention of scientific research. Their utility traits need to be determined with modern technology and methods in the same way they are for sporting horses. Such a system of evaluation would be very helpful for riders.     

The use of foal and studbook traits in the breeding programmes of Finnhorse and Standardbred trotters

Genetic correlations for body measurements and subjectively scored traits between foals and studbook horses were estimated using bivariate linear mixed models. Observations for nine foal and eleven studbook traits in Finnhorses on 6529 foals and 6596 studbook horses and in Standardbred trotters on 3069 foals and 2112 studbook horses were available from the Finnish horse breeding shows. The number of sires with progeny in both foal and studbook data was 203 in Finnhorse and 145 in Standardbred trotters. Estimates of heritability for body measurements in foals and studbook horses using univariate models were high in both breeds (0.41-0.84). Heritability estimates for subjectively scored traits using univariate models were generally higher for foals (0.08-0.46) than for studbook horses (0.06-0.21) in both breeds. Genetic correlations between foals and studbook horses for body measurements were highly positive ranging from 0.74 to 0.96 in Finnhorses and from 0.79 to 0.99 in Standardbred trotters. Low to highly positive genetic correlations between foals and studbook horses for subjectively scored traits were obtained in Finnhorse trotters, whereas in Standardbred trotters genetic correlations for subjectively scored traits varied from moderately negative to highly positive. Higher estimates of heritability for foal traits and generally high genetic correlations between the foal and studbook traits indicate that an early selection for conformation traits would be efficient in the breeding programmes.     

Genetic correlations between dressage,show jumping and studbook‐entry inspection traits in a process of specialization in Dutch Warmblood horses

Sport performance in dressage and show jumping are two important traits in the breeding goals of many studbooks. To determine the optimum selection scheme for jumping and dressage, knowledge is needed on the genetic correlation between both disciplines and between traits measured early in life and performance in competition in each discipline. This study aimed to estimate genetic parameters to support decision‐making on specialization of breeding horses for dressage and show jumping in Dutch warmblood horses. Genetic correlations between performance of horses in dressage and show jumping were estimated as well as the genetic correlation between traits recorded during studbook‐entry inspections and performance in dressage and show jumping competitions. The information on competition comprised the performance of 82 694 horses in dressage and 62 072 horses in show jumping, recorded in the period 1993–2012. For 26 056 horses, information was available for both disciplines. The information on traits recorded at studbook‐entry inspections comprised 62 628 horses, recorded in the period 1992–2013. Genetic parameters were estimated from the whole dataset and from a subset without horses recorded in both disciplines. Additionally, the genetic parameters were estimated in three different time periods defined by horses' birth year. The genetic correlation between dressage and show jumping in the whole dataset was ?0.23, and it was ?0.03 when it was estimated from horses recorded in only one discipline. The genetic correlation between dressage and show jumping was more negative in the most recent time period in all the cases. The more negative correlation between disciplines in more recent time periods was not reflected in changes in the correlations between competitions traits and the traits recorded in the studbook‐first inspection. These results suggest that a breeding programme under specialization might be most effective defining two separate aggregate breeding goals for each of the disciplines.     

Culling rate of Icelandic horses due to bone spavin

A survival analysis was used to compare the culling rate of Icelandic horses due to the presence of radiographic and clinical signs of bone spavin. A follow-up study of 508 horses from a survey five years earlier was performed. In the original survey 46% of the horses had radiographic signs of bone spavin (RS) and/or lameness after flexion test of the tarsus. The horse owners were interviewed by telephone. The owners were asked if the horses were still used for riding and if not, they were regarded as culled. The owners were then asked when and why the horses were culled. During the 5 years, 98 horses had been culled, 151 had been withdrawn (sold or selected for breeding) and 259 were still used for riding. Hind limb lameness (HLL) was the most common reason for culling (n = 42). The rate of culling was low up to the age of II years, when it rose to 0.05 for horses with RS. The risk ratio for culling was twice as high for horses with RS compared with horses without RS and 5.5 times higher for culling because of HLL. The risk of culling (prognostic value) was highest for the combination of RS with lameness after flexion test, next highest for RS and lowest for lameness after flexion test as the only finding. It was concluded that bone spavin affects the duration of use of Icelandic horses and is the most common cause of culling due to disease of riding horses in the age range of 7-17 years.     

Responses of horses in behavioural tests correlate with temperament assessed by riders

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY: Behavioural tests as well as observers' ratings have been used to study horses' temperament. However, the relationship between the ratings and the responses in behavioural tests has not yet been studied in detail. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to examine this relationship between ratings and responses. METHODS: Eighteen mature Swedish Warmblood horses were subjected to 2 behavioural tests, one relating to novelty (novel object test) and one to handling (handling test). Subsequently, 16 of these horses were ridden by 16 equally experienced students, having no former experience with the horses. Immediately after each ride, the students scored the horse for 10 temperamental traits using a line rating method. RESULTS: It was shown that for each temperamental trait all 16 riders agreed on the ranking of the horses (0.212相似文献   

Genetic relations of movement and free-jumping traits with dressage and show-jumping performance in competition of Dutch Warmblood horses

Genetic parameters for traits evaluated at the studbook entry inspection and genetic correlations with dressage and show-jumping performance in competition were estimated. Data comprised 36,649 Warmblood horses that entered the studbook between 1992 and 2002. The genetic analyses were performed using univariate and bivariate animal models. Heritabilities of the studbook entry traits were estimated in the range 0.15–0.40. The movement traits showed moderate to strong mutual genetic correlations, whereas the genetic correlations of movement traits with free-jumping traits were weak to moderate. The free-jumping traits showed strong to very strong mutual genetic correlations.

Competition results of 33,459 horses with performance in dressage and 30,474 horse with performance in show-jumping were linked to the studbook entry data to estimate the genetic relationship with performance in competition. Heritability estimates for dressage and show jumping were 0.14. Genetic correlations of the movement traits with dressage were moderate to strong, and with show-jumping weak to moderate. Genetic correlations of the free-jumping traits with dressage were weak to moderate and unfavourable. The free-jumping traits were genetically strong to very strong correlated to show-jumping. It was concluded that a selection of the traits evaluated at the studbook entry inspection will favourably contribute to estimation of breeding values for sport performance.     

Genetic analyses of new movement traits using detailed evaluations of warmblood foals and mares

Detailed movement evaluations of warmblood foals and mares were performed in connection with regular breeding events of the Oldenburg horse breeding societies in 2009 and 2010. Unfavourable movement characteristics considered indicative for impaired balance were noted by a special judge (SJ) and the regular judges of the breeding events (RJ) and served as the basis for definition of new movement traits. Detailed movement information on 3374 foals and 2844 mares showed that more severe findings like irregular motion pattern in hind legs or irregularity in general motion pattern occurred only sporadically (prevalences of 1-2%). Irregular tail tone or posture was documented for 4% of the foals and 5% of the mares, resulting in prevalences of the comprehensive trait indications of imbalance (IMB) of 6.2% (foals) and 5.5% (mares). Binary coding was used for all traits, and genetic parameters were estimated bivariately in linear animal models with residual maximum likelihood. Comparative analyses between judges revealed that differences between trait definitions of SJ and RJ were larger in the mares than in the foals, but justified combined use of SJ and RJ information in both age groups. Heritability estimates for the movement traits ranged on the original scale from 0.02 to 0.26 in the foals and from 0.03 to 0.12 in the mares, with heritabilities for IMB on the underlying liability scale of 0.46 (foals) and 0.22 (mares). Comparative analyses between age groups indicated that common genetic factors may be responsible for findings of impaired balance in foals and mares. The results implied that horse breeding may benefit from using the early available information on the movement of foals obtained by detailed movement evaluations, although favourable combination of foal and mare data in future genetic evaluations may require refined recording of unfavourable movement characteristics in the adult horses.     

Practical considerations regarding the implementation of a temperament test into horse performance tests: Results of a large-scale test run

Considering the ever-growing demand of various breeding organizations for an objective, inexpensive, reliable, and easily conducted assessment of the behavior of horses, the aim of our study was to implement a novel-object test and a startling test into any kind of breeding performance testing to assess horses' temperament. Additionally, the influence of testing areas (familiar or unfamiliar), riders, and horse factors such as levels of training, breed, and age were of interest. Furthermore, recommendations for the practical implementation concerning the parameters should be given. Therefore, 1,028 horses over a period of 3 years participated in a temperament test consisting of 5 different stimuli. The horses were either ridden (61.8 %) or led by hand (38.2 %) by an unfamiliar professional rider (N = 43) or a familiar rider (N = 20). Live behavioral observations were taken by a trained observer. Overall, horses' scores for reactivity in the present temperament test were distributed over the whole scale, with lower means and higher standard deviations (6.7 ± 2.2-7.6 ± 2.1) than corresponding scores from the conventional personality evaluation in performance tests (7.7 ± 0.8-8.2 ± 0.5; P < 0.01). High correlations (r = 0.3-0.9; P < 0.001) between the scores for reactivity and the other behavioral parameters (emotional expression, activity, time to calm down, rider's aids) show a large influence of these parameters in assessing the horses' temperament. Factors like breed type, sex, and age had significant influences (P < 0.001) on different scores of the temperament test. In most cases, the rider or handler had no influence on the different scores assessed during the temperament test. The training level and the testing modus never had a significant influence on different scores. Only the testing station or location had a small influence on the scores for the stimulus “bridge” in some horses. Based on the results, it could be concluded that an implementation of a temperament tests into performance testing is possible during various types of testing procedure. Especially the assessment of reactivity, emotional expression, interest in the stimulus and rider's aids during and after passing the stimulus, as well as the time to calm down are important parameters for analyzing the horses' personality.     

Estimation of the Body Weight of Icelandic Horses

The body weight of horses is an interesting variable for horse owners, as well as for veterinarians. It is useful to have methods of estimation like weight tape or formula, rather than visual estimation, when a weight scale is not available. Different methods of weight estimation exist for adult horses, but to date, there has been no validation of these methods in Icelandic horses. Therefore, three different methods of weight determination (weight scale, weight tape, and weight formula) were compared in this study to investigate whether it is possible to obtain reliable weight measurements of Icelandic horses by using an estimation method. Both the weight pursuant to weight tape and pursuant to weight formula showed no significant differences (P = 1.00 and P = 0.37, respectively) from the actual weight. The correlation between estimated and actual weights was r = 0.94 for weight tape and r = 0.93 for weight formula. However, the differences between the estimated and actual weights were smallest when estimated using an adjusted weight formula: weight (kg) = girth² × length (both in cm)/11,400. In conclusion, the body weight of Icelandic horses can be estimated from the measurements of body girth and length, and weight tape also seems to be a suitable method.