Abstract
The aim of the study was to design a method for assessing the suitability of horses for leisure. The study involved 12 leisure horses, for which their stable behaviour was explored three times on the basis of five features described by the authors’ selected ethograms. Using the method of a questionnaire, the riders’ opinions were also consulted to learn about the safety during standard activities connected with horses and horse riding. The task of the riders was also to determine the importance of the earlier mentioned security during the activities which were analyzed. Then a draft method was presented of assessing the suitability of horses for leisure based on selected stable behaviours. After analyzing the results, it was stated that the most favorable behaviour of horses occurs when they are taken from the stables and during the stable silence. The problems, however, usually appeared during the basic care and feeding. The analysis of the results of the survey conducted among the riders indicates the need for the establishment of compulsory assessment of a variety of behavioural responses of horses. In this evaluation the priority feature should be the characteristics of their behaviour during grooming and hooves cleaning, which, under the previously adopted guidelines, has been selected as a key in the way suitability of horses for leisure is assessed.
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