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We tested the hypothesis that social defensive responses to the vocalisation of a predator still exist in horses. The recordings of a grey wolf, an Arabian leopard and a golden jackal were played to 20 Konik polski and Arabian mares. Durations of grazing, standing still, standing alert and the number of steps in walk and trot/canter were measured. In one-minute scans, the distances of the focal horse from the reference horse (DIST-RH) and from the nearest loudspeaker (DIST-LS) were approximated. The vocalisation of a leopard aroused the Arabians more than the Koniks (less grazing, stand-still and walk, more stand-alert and trotting/cantering). Koniks showed more relaxed behaviours to the leopard vocalisation (more grazing, stand-still and walk), but high alertness to the wolf playback (stand-alert, trotting/cantering). Spatial formation of the herd of Koniks showed tight grouping (lower DIST-RH) and maintaining distance from the potential threat (DIST-LS) in response to the wolf howling, while the Arabians approached the loudspeakers in linear herd formation when the leopard growls were played. Adult horses responded to potential predation by changing spatial group formations. This ability to apply a social strategy may be one of the explanations for the least number of horses among all hunted farm animal species.

The aims of the present study were as follows: (1) to identify the particular characteristics of a horse that are important to riders, and (2) to examine which of these properties are significant for different categories of riders. The participants (197; 78.7% females) were surveyed using the Ideal Horse Questionnaire (IHQ), which contains items that are categorized as "physical make-up," "behavior during riding and handling," "training level," and "maintenance." "Behavior during riding and handling" (43.6% of respondents) and "physical make-up" (32.8%) were selected most frequently as the most important category, followed by "training level" (16.9%) and "maintenance" (6.7%). The responses for the questionnaire were subjected to factor analysis (FA). The first four factors of the FA, labeled "ease of handling and maintenance/sociability," "jumping suitability," "dressage suitability," and "challenge" accounted for 13.7%, 11.7%, 8.6%, and 5.9% of the variance, respectively. The highest values on the 0-3 scale were obtained for items related to "ease of handling and maintenance/sociability" (mean ± SD = 1.97 ± 0.48) and "jumping suitability" (1.86 ± 0.62), followed by "dressage suitability" (1.64 ± 0.41) and "challenge" (1.20 ± 0.62). All participants desired a manageable, healthy and non-problematic horse. Men preferred a horse that was a good jumper and would challenge the rider. People who rarely rode, beginner to intermediate riders, non-competitors and all but show jumpers were not interested in a horse with a high "jumping suitability." Only more experienced riders expected the horse to possess high capabilities and extensive training in dressage. Challenging animals were desirable to men but were avoided by leisure riders. The present study shows that ease of handling and maintenance, along 379 AnthrozoösThe respondents, who all volunteered to participate, were animal husbandry students, clients of riding centers, individual horse owners, and visitors to the stand of the Polish Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) at an agricultural show. The participants were recruited by the authors either after classes (students) or after riding lessons (clients of riding clubs). The visitors of the stand were Looking for an Ideal Horse: Rider Preferences 380 Anthrozoös ❖ Downloaded by [Florida Atlantic University] at 15