ABSTRACT

This qualitative study explored how riders perceive and understand the relationship with their horse. Participants included ten elite female riders with a mean age of 40.6 years, five of whom competed in Eventing and five in Dressage with an average of 30.9 years’ competitive experience, and their chosen horses (mean age: 11.8 years). The average duration for the relationship between horse and rider was 6.8 years. Each rider–horse combination completed a flatwork training session, which was video recorded. Riders were asked to watch their video back and provide a commentary of their direct (their own) and meta (their horse’s, as understood by the rider) perceptions of their interaction including descriptions of the characteristics that underpin the relationship. The riders’ verbal reports were transcribed in full, and then examined using a thematic analysis. The analysis was both deductive and inductive, a process known as abductive reasoning. The subthemes were generated inductively through initial coding and then afforded deductively to the rudimentary framework of the 4Cs model of quality relationships: Closeness, Commitment, Complementarity, and Co-orientation. Closeness represents individuals’ feelings, and subthemes included respect, trust, appreciation, and emotional bond. Commitment represents individuals’ thoughts, and subthemes included will, attentional focus, motivation, and effort. Complementarity represents behaviors, and subthemes included cooperation, reciprocity, support, and personality. Co-orientation represents mutual knowledge and understanding, and subthemes included self-awareness, shared knowledge, optimal learning, and empathic accuracy. Additionally, subthemes were induced to new themes outside of the rudimentary framework: Welfare, with subthemes of psychological wellbeing, physical wellbeing, and treatment/therapy, and Performance, with subthemes including groundwork, judgment, relaxation, and harmony. The overarching theme of Rider–Horse Psychophysiological Confidence underlined the importance of quality rider–horse relationships to performance and welfare, for both horse and rider. An adaptation of the 4Cs relationship model is offered as an educational framework for the rider–horse relationship and opportunities for future research are highlighted.

摘要

这项定性研究探索了骑手如何感知和理解与马的关系。参加者包括10名平均年龄为40.6岁的女骑手，其中5人参加了三项赛，5人参加了盛装舞步，平均有30.9年的比赛经验，以及他们选择的马匹（平均年龄：11.8岁）。马与骑手之间的关系的平均持续时间为6.8年。每个骑手和马的组合都完成了一次平面训练课程，并录制了视频。要求骑手回看他们的视频，并提供对他们的直接（自己的）和元（他们的马，据骑手所理解的）马对他们互动的看法的评论，包括对构成这种关系的特征的描述。车手的口头报告被完整抄录，然后使用主题分析进行检查。分析既是演绎演绎又是归纳演绎，这一过程称为演绎推理。这些子主题是通过初始编码归纳生成的，然后演绎地提供给4Cs质量关系模型的基本框架：亲密，承诺，互补和共同取向。亲密代表个人的感受和子主题包括尊重，信任，欣赏和情感纽带。承诺代表个人的思想，包括意志，注意力集中，动机和努力的子主题。互补表示行为，子主题包括合作，互惠，支持和个性。共同取向代表着共同的知识和理解，子主题包括自我意识，共享知识，最佳学习和移情准确性。此外，在基本框架之外，又将子主题引入了新主题：福利，其中子主题包括心理健康，身体健康，治疗/疗法以及绩效，子主题包括基础工作，判断，放松和和谐。骑手－马心理生理机能的总体主题强调了高质量的骑手－马关系对于马和骑手而言对性能和福利的重要性。提供了4Cs关系模型的改编，作为针对骑手与马的关系的教育框架，并着重指出了未来研究的机会。