Conditionality in the Equestrian World: A Preliminary Approach

Sandrine  Gaymard; Florian Beucher

doi:10.64292/jesppr18

Authors

Sandrine Gaymard Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers 49000, France; Psychology Laboratory of the Pays de la Loire (UR 4638), University of Angers, Angers, France; Angers Research Laboratory for Systems Engineering (UR 7315), University of Angers, Angers, France https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3439-5138
Florian Beucher Department of Psychology, University of Angers, Angers 49000, France https://orcid.org/0009-0007-6449-3974

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64292/jesppr18

Keywords:

Equine psychology, human-horse relationship, animal welfare, theory of conditionality, Conditional Scripts Questionnaire, safety prevention

Abstract

The theory of conditionality originates from the field of social thinking, specifically from the study of normative aspects that are considered conditional. It examines legitimate transgressions and has numerous applications, particularly in road safety. The originality of this study lies in applying this theory to the equestrian world to highlight "normative latitudes" and the risks associated with the human-horse relationship. The main tool used was a Conditional Scripts Questionnaire (CSQ), based on scenarios and situations adapted to the equestrian world. This tool consisted of 7 scenarios: riding helmet, protective vest, riding boots, riding pants, snaffle bridle, protective horse boots, and safety rules. In each scenario, several conditional situations were evaluated, such as "The equine partner belongs to a riding club." A link to an online questionnaire was completed by 46 riders recruited using the snowball sampling technique. The results of the CSQ, analyzed through chi-square testing and quartile analysis, revealed a significant difference in the ordinal distribution of the seven scenarios when considered collectively. The scenario with the lowest conditionality was wearing riding pants, while the scenario with the highest conditionality was the use of a protective vest. Although each scenario varied in its level of conditionality, the degree of intra-scenario conditionality remained consistent across all situations. Additional measures related to risk perception suggested that certain contexts, such as riding one's horse, tended to increase conditionality.

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