Cortisol release, heart rate and heart rate variability in the horse and its rider: Different responses to training and performance

Although some information exists on the stress response of horses in equestrian sports, the horse-rider team is much less well understood. In this study, salivary cortisol concentrations, heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV), SDRR (standard deviation of beat-to-beat interval) and RMSSD (root mean square of successive beat-to-beat intervals) were analysed in horses and their riders (n = 6 each) at a public performance and an identical rehearsal that was not open to the public.Cortisol concentrations increased in both horses and riders (P < 0.001) but did not differ between performance and rehearsal. HR in horses and riders increased during the rehearsal and the public performance (P < 0.001) but the increase in HR was more pronounced (P < 0.01) in riders than in their horses during the public performance (from 91 ± 10 to 150 ± 15 beats/min) compared to the rehearsal (from 94 ± 10 to 118 ± 12 beats/min). The SDRR decreased significantly during the equestrian tasks in riders (P < 0.001), but not in their horses. The RMSSD decreased in horses and riders (P < 0.001) during rehearsal and performance, indicating a decrease in parasympathetic tone. The decrease in RMSSD in the riders was more pronounced (P < 0.05) during the performance (from 32.6 ± 6.6 to 3.8 ± 0.3 ms) than during the rehearsal (from 27.5 ± 4.2 to 6.6 ± 0.6 ms). The study has shown that the presence of spectators caused more pronounced changes in cardiac activity in the riders than it did in their horses.