Emotional Response of Naive Purebred Arabian Colts and Fillies to Sympathetic and Traditional Training Methods

The aim of this study was to explore the hypothesis that the emotional response of naive purebred Arabian colts and fillies to initial training is lower in the case of sympathetic methods compared with the traditional training methods, and that the response is differentiated with regard to the sex. A group of 32 young purebred Arabian horses was included in the initial training. Half of the group was subjected to a natural training method, and the other 16 horses were trained using a traditional method. Both groups comprised an equal number of colts and fillies. The training lasted a few days, as shortly as possible, with regard to individual horse’s needs. The emotional response of horses to training process was assessed with heart rate measured telemetrically. A horse’s response to sympathetic and traditional training methods depends on its sex. The sympathetic training method modifies the response of colts more than it influences the response of fillies. It is concluded that the natural method is particularly desired in training colts.