Quantifying aggressive riding behavior of youth barrel racers and conflict behaviors of their horses

Research shows that thoroughbred race horses reach top velocity when no whip is used and that increased whip use is not related to variation in velocity or improved finish position. The cloverleaf barrel race is a popular timed event among American youth riders, who are often encouraged to aggressively use both the whip and leg to increase the velocity of the horse. Hence, the purpose of this study was to quantify aggressive riding behaviors among youth riders in a timed cloverleaf barrel race, as well as specific horse behaviors. The first hypothesis stated there is a positive correlation between aggressive rider behaviors and performance time, such that increased aggressive riding would result in increased, and hence slower, run times. The second hypothesis asserted a positive correlation exists between aggressive rider behaviors and horse behaviors. Study participants included 64 horse-and-rider teams competing in a state-level cloverleaf barrel race. This class was chosen because it allows for recording of individual runs of horse-and-rider pairs. Patterns were of the same measured distance, in the same arena, with the same footing conditions. Each horse-and-rider combination was videotaped from the time they approached the gate to the time they dismounted after their run. Three trained observers separately assessed horse and rider behaviors, and frequency of behaviors was recorded using a predetermined ethogram. Interobserver reliability of trained personnel ranged from 0.69 to 0.97. Aggressive riding did not enhance competition time (mean equaled 19.33 ± 1.77 seconds). There was a small but significant positive relationship between mean gate and whip scores (r = 0.25; P < 0.05): horses whipped more during the run were more likely to react poorly to entering the arena. Similarly, there was a small but significant correlation between mean kick and pop-up scores (r = 0.30; P < 0.05): horses kicked more frequently by the rider were more likely to perform small rears. Finally, mean tail lashing and pop-up score were significantly correlated (r = 0.36; P < 0.005). These data suggest that rider behavior does influence horse behavior in cloverleaf barrel racing and provide supporting evidence for future youth education programs.