Thoroughbred Riders & Owners ! Equine Behavioural Questionnaire

Mon, 07/13/2020 - 05:16
Good Horsekeeping
A Thoroughbred at the highest level of dressage sport: Hilda Gurney on Keen xx at the 1984 Olympic Games :: Photo © Elisabeth Weiland

The University of Sydney is conducting a study of racehorse behaviour with particular focus on developing tools to help better place/re-home retiring racehorses. To that purpose they have launched a questionnaire on equine behaviour. 

Equine Behavioural Questionnaire

The innate and developed behavioural strategies of horses not only influence their everyday quality of life, but they also play a key role in a horse’s potential for success in specific equine disciplines (e.g. dressage, stock work, pleasure riding). Horses demonstrating the ideal behavioural characteristics for a given discipline are undoubtedly much more likely to perform at high levels within the discipline and are conceivably less likely to develop behavioural problems.

It is with this is mind that major questions often arise as to how well thoroughbreds will cope in a secondary career once their racing careers are concluded. With a substantial number of horses entering into the racing industry annually, and a median retirement age of 15 months, the need to develop a technique to improve the likelihood of thoroughbreds finding success in their secondary careers is highly warranted.

As such, the aim of the current study is to collect behavioural data from as many horses as possible across all equine disciplines. This will allow for a better understanding of the most desirable behavioural characteristics within each equine discipline, thus allowing for retiring thoroughbreds to be more successfully transitioned into secondary careers.

The questionnaire takes approximately 5 minutes to complete: http://sgiz.eu/s3/Equine-behavioural-questionnaire

Contact for more information to:

Photo © Elisabeth Weiland

Related Links
Louise Robson on a Mission Appointed by Her Majesty
From Flying Past to Flying Change: Thoroughbreds in Dressage Competition
From Flying Past to Flying Change - Part II: Thoroughbred Champions Between the Wars
From Flying Past to Flying Change - Part III: The Thoroughbred from the Post-War Times into the 1960s
From Flying Past to Flying Change - Part IV: On Thoroughbreds Losing Relevance in Dressage
Greatest Oldies: Keen xx, a Pioneer of American Dressage