Mikayla Washburn

The Effect of Color Worn by a Handler on the Heart Rate of a Horse

Some stimuli that affect horses stress levels are transport and a change in routine. A few expressions of reactions to stress when presented with these stimuli are hesitation, refusal to move and other reactions of panic to visual features. Elevations in heart rate during a study can suggest an emotional response such as stress towards the subject being tested. The aim of this research is to test if specific colors worn by a handler has an effect on the horse’s heart rate. The plan for this study was to strap a heart rate monitor on the horse and record its heart rate while 8 shirts of different colors worn by a handler were introduced to the horses. Their heart rate was recorded every 15 seconds for 1 minute. Red and yellow had the greatest increase in all three of the horse’s heart rates, pink was associated with a greater increase of heart rate in horse two than horse one and three, and white and black had the least effect on all three horses heart rates. A paired t-test was done to determine whether there was a statistical difference between the means of resting versus color, red having a p value of 0.0001 and yellow having a p value of 0.03. Due to the small sample size, more tests should be done in order to support the results found in this study.