Developing behavioral tests to support selection of police horses

The existence of personality in non-human animals is widely accepted but the development of valid and reliable methods to measure and interpret it is ongoing. Personality can be important in selecting horses for particular roles and has the potential to improve welfare and safety for riders and horses. This is especially important for challenging roles such as police work. A custom-made behavioral test protocol was trialed with the Belgian mounted police, aimed at complementing the existing subjective rating of potential new police horses by experienced mounted police officers.
Source: Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Source Type: research