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T O P I C R E V I E W
Info Sponge
Posted - 08 Mar 2017 : 4:22:45 PM Hi,
I’m very interested in the way horses behave and I believe a lot of their behaviour can easily be misunderstood so for my college assignment I have compiled a very short Behaviour Quiz to see if I can get some useful data.
I would be very grateful if anyone could spare me a couple of minutes to complete and submit the quiz as it may get you thinking and while away a spare moment.
As with my last quiz (about worming) I will post the answers and report people’s choice of answers, on a percentage basis, after the quiz closes.
I am also, this time, allotting a point system so you can see how well you have done!
It’s a Google Form Quiz and is entirely anonymous, requiring no personal details and is in a very quick multi choice form. Last year’s Wormer Quiz proved very popular with participants so hopefully you will also enjoy this Horse Behaviour version.
The quiz is now live, accepting responses and will remain so for two weeks.
Posted - 06 Apr 2017 : 12:32:28 PM First, a huge thank you for everyone's interest and time - I was absolutely delighted with the response in such a short time. Secondly a bit of explanation. The quiz was written in very simple terms as I didn't want to put people off. I was trying to find out if people knew specific things about horses and had pilot tested the questions.
So, if like so many of you, you knew that horses' confidence can be influenced positively and negatively by the rider as in Q3, that horses find it difficult quickly going from dark to brightness as in Q5 and as a prey animal can become worried if they can't hear properly due to wind noise as in Q7 you were probably choosing the best option of those offered. Many of you also recognised that horses that have previously not been manoeuvred properly when going through doorways or have ended up being hit by a closing door not held adequately away from them, may be worried about doorways as in Q8. If someone comes to tell a horse off for kicking the door it is likely the horse will learn that if he kicks the door someone is likely to come to see them which the majority of you also opted for in Q9. Q4 was an extra tricky one as I have read that it is a common misconception that horses' have poor depth perception in such circumstances, it was interesting to see how many people would choose the option that the horse didn't know the depth, however, if the base of the puddle was dark this might well apply, so to be fairer I think both the unsure/ don't know option and the majority choice could both be awarded favourably if chosen in Q4.
The reason I introduced some anthropomorphic answers was to see how often they would be chosen. My entirely made up 'GTO Syndrome' option, in Q 9, was put in to see how many people would 'Guess This Option' rather than opting for being unsure/don't know.
I totally agree that horse behaviour is multifaceted and this is why I developed this quiz in this way. I would have had to have had reams of answer options to even attempt an adequate array of choices and even then, realistically, there is only educated supposition rather than surety - unless you can ask the horse the reason for their behaviour! Please accept my marking system and quiz as a bit of fun and not dogma.
Even in this simplistic form I've got a huge amount of data which I'm going to have to analyse and write about in a relatively brief time slot so I also had to be realistic about what I could cope with! I've also had the benefit of people's different perceptions to the quiz in the forum to consider.
If I have drawn attention to the fact that horse behaviour is not simple, particularly when being influenced by humans, and someone now consults a behaviour specialist with a problem I am delighted.
I am now donning on hard hat and body armour prior to apologising to anyone who is unhappy. Sorry but I did warn you - I'm just a student trying to get some interesting data!
For all those wanting marks, as there are often more questions rather than sure answers with horse behaviour, I will leave you to mark yourselves giving yourself one point for all attempted questions, two points extra if your answer was the same as that of the greatest majority for questions 3,5,6,7,8&9 and two points being deducted for each answer that did not agree with the majority in those questions. You can also give yourselves two bonus points for being unsure/don't know in Q4. With 10 questions in total and 7 x 2 possible bonus points your maximum score could be 24 but more importantly, by taking part in the quiz or forum discussion so many people have shown they are interested in horse behaviour which has got to be a huge positive for horse welfare.
Below are the percentage answers as recorded by the quiz participants which I hope you will find interesting. Q1. How many horses do you ride/handle? (431 responses) 50.8% said 2-5, 30.2% said 1 & 19% said more than 5. Q2. Age groups of participants. (431 responses) 34.1% stated 46-59, 25.1% said 31-45, 22.5% said 18-30 & 15.5% said over 60. Q3. Ralph the spooky sports horse. (430 responses) 85% said the rider was worried and the horse wanted to stay safe. 10.7% said the horse was playing the rider up. (431 responses) 3.5% Were unsure/ didn't know 0.5% Said the relationship had been spoilt by too many treats. Q4. Milo the young cob faced with shallow puddles. (431 responses) 92.3% said he didn't know the puddles were shallow. 4.6% felt Milo was using the puddles as a way of testing his rider. 2.1% said that young cobs don't like getting their hairy feet wet. 0.5% said the horse was getting back at the rider for making him go out. 0.5% chose the option Unsure/ Don't Know. Q5. Ace the show jumper in the winter evening competition. (425 responses) 50.6% chose he couldn't see well in the brightly lit school. 24.5% Said the Horse got lazy because it was now familiar. 23.8% opted for Unsure/ don't know. 0.7% opted for the horse needed a joint supplement. 0.5% said he didn't like the surface. Q6. Young horse loading into trailer. (430 responses) 98.6% said the handlers haste worried the horse. 0.5% said the horse didn't want to leave her friends. 0.5% said she was a moody chestnut mare. 0.2% opted for Unsure/ Don't know Q7. Saxon, the Arab, on a windy day. (428 responses) 78.7% said he couldn't hear properly. 12.4% opted for Unsure/Don't Know. 6.1% chose because he was an Arab and they are always lively. 2.8% said he didn't want to leave his stable. Q8. Big cob barging while led in and out of stable. (431 responses) 91.2% said he was worried about going through the doorway. 4.9% said he was looking forward to his dinner. 1.2% said he didn't like his stable. 2.6% Opted for Unsure/ Don't Know. Q9. The dressage horse kicking his door. (431 responses) 84.7% said he was attention seeking. 8.1% said Unsure/Don't Know. 5.3% said he could be suffering from G.T.O. Syndrome. 1.2% said he didn't like the horse in the next stable. 0.7% said he was suffering from previous training where he was ridden over bent. Q10. Do you feel very confident that you understand horse behaviour? (433 responses) 79.2% said yes, the remaining 20.8% said no.
I hope you find the percentage results interesting I am now retreating back undercover to try and write about all this! Thank you all again.
Info Sponge
Posted - 22 Mar 2017 : 07:42:50 AM Just to remind you the quiz will be closing later on today so this is your last chance if you would like to be involved!
Info Sponge
Posted - 20 Mar 2017 : 09:11:50 AM Hi everyone,
Just to say thanks again to the people who have been involved already and to advise that the quiz will be closing soon so if you want to take part, as so many already have, don't delay.
AnnaMaisy25
Posted - 14 Mar 2017 : 2:51:15 PM Done
Info Sponge
Posted - 09 Mar 2017 : 5:32:04 PM Hi everyone,
Just to say thanks so much for your time! The data is simply pouring in as there has been an awful lot of interest! I will let you know more when the quiz closes, in just under two weeks time, but meanwhile please tell your friends to have a go and see if they can decide the most likely answers but make sure you have any 'discussions' about answer choices after they have submitted their attempt!
DianaSC
Posted - 09 Mar 2017 : 12:29:55 PM Done. I would love to see your finished assignment, horse behaviour has to be one of the most fascinating subjects ever! And, you never stop learning from them.
