Role of Human Personalities in Horse Handling

Abstract

How do people with different personalities interact with horses? This study was designed to determine if introverts have an easier time handling an unfamiliar horse when compared to extroverts. Volunteers with a range of horse experience were asked to complete the Myers Briggs Personality Assessment. Volunteers were assigned a horse to lead over a 12-foot platform in an outdoor arena. All horses were familiar with this obstacle. Every participant was videotaped. The dependent variables included the fluid motion of the horse, horse facial expressions, and horse body language along with horsehuman interactions. The hypothesis was that introverts would experience an easier time with fewer stops when compared to extroverts in completing this task with the horse. The results showed that there was no significant difference in how the horses were led when with an extrovert or an introvert. There was a difference in the time taken depending on if the person was handling a reactive horse or a nonreactive horse.