Validation of the Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ): A New Survey Instrument for Exploring and Monitoring the Domestic Equine Triad

The Equine Behaviour Assessment and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) was developed to obtain quantitative data on the domestic equine triad: training, management and behaviour. It can be taken repeatedly, thus collecting longitudinal data to enable evaluation of how changes in a horse&rsquo
s training and management are reflected in that horse&rsquo
s behaviour over time and how these changes can impact horse welfare in the longer term. Questionnaire validation and reliability were tested by determining (a) whether an owner&rsquo
s subjective ratings of their horse&rsquo
s problematic behaviours or undesirable temperament traits were reflected in the questionnaire scores obtained for that horse (construct validity), (b) whether two respondents, equally familiar with a particular horse, reported comparable scores for that horse through the questionnaire (inter-rater reliability), and (c) whether the same respondent, scoring the same horse after a known interval of time, recorded similar responses (intra-rater reliability). Construct validity testing of 1923 responses showed significant alignment between owners&rsquo
reported experience of focal horses&rsquo
behaviour and those horses&rsquo
E-BARQ scores, with scores varying from 1.13 to 1.34 for ridden horse behaviour (all p <
0.001) and from 1.06 to 1.43 for non-ridden horse behaviour (all p <
0.001). Inter-rater reliability testing of ten horse&ndash
rider pairs revealed that 203 of the 215 question items were significantly aligned (p <
0.001) when tested by two independent raters. Of the remaining 19 items, four had fair alignment (ĸ = 0.174&ndash
0.316
p = 0.281) and ten items, largely related to whether the horse shows behavioural signs related to anxiety when taken away from home, did not align (ĸ = 0
p = 1). Intra-rater reliability tests showed that the responses significantly aligned on all 215 question items tested (p <
0.001). The results of these tests confirmed the construct validity and reliability of E-BARQ as a standardised behavioural assessment tool for horses.