Horse selection and breeds

Horses, just like humans, have different behaviors from one horse to another. Some are generally calm while others are very aggressive. This is almost entirely due to the fact that these animals can inherit the characteristics of their parents. It is therefore interesting to know how to choose your horse. Here is the essential information to know about horse selection and breeds.

Heritability of horse behavior

Until now, breeders have selected their breeding animals almost exclusively on their morphological criteria or on their sporting results, and have taken little account of character. However, many studies show the hereditary nature of certain personality traits.

According to researcher Anne Ricard of INRA, the heritability of traits is 20 to 50%. Other studies have shown that the father seems to transmit certain behavioral traits to his offspring: animals from the same father tend to behave in the same way even when placed in different environments.

However, the influence of the mother should never be neglected. Not only does she provide 50% of the genes, but she also ensures the education of the foal. In short, a foal from aggressive or fearful parents tends to be aggressive or fearful himself.

This is why it is essential that breeders take character into account when selecting their breeding stock. It is important to avoid breeding a mare that is aggressive towards humans or excessively fearful, for example. The same goes for stallions. Character should never be given second place as a selection criterion, because aggressive or overly emotional horses can lead to serious accidents.

According to some scientists, there would also be a genetic predisposition in the development of stereotypes. A subject whose one parent presents a stereotypy would have a 60% risk of developing a stereotype, this probability would climb to 89% when both parents are themselves affected. This last point is however to be qualified according to the living conditions of the horse.

The environment, a factor that can influence the behavior of horses

If the living conditions are very far from the horse's natural living conditions, a horse that is initially calm and placid can develop aggression. It is therefore necessary to identify the part of the environment and the part of genetics in the behavior of animals.

Any horse that is abnormally aggressive or fearful (i.e. when all environmental, medical and human causes have been ruled out) must not be used for breeding and must be eliminated as quickly as possible to avoid any accidents.

Temperament differences are also observed between breeds. We distinguish between so-called cold-blooded breeds, which are generally calmer, and warm-blooded breeds, which, on the contrary, are more reactive and nervous. If, for example, you take a bit from La Sellerie Française for a cold-blooded horse, the latter will not be too reluctant to adopt it. It may be quite the opposite for a warm-blooded horse.

Cold-blooded breeds include mainly draft horses and several pony breeds (Fjords, Haflingers, Highlands, etc.). Each horse must be chosen according to its intended use: a horse intended for an educational farm must be as gentle and calm as possible.