Dressage horses tended to be more stressed than show jumpers at a baseline level. | Photo: Chefsna/Wikimedia Commons

If you’ve ever gotten the feeling your horse is stressed at a competition venue, you’re probably right. While previous study results have suggested horses don’t get stressed by the competition itself, a recent study indicates that they tend to become stressed in the novel environment. New barn, new stall, new neighbors, new people, new sounds and smells—all far away from home—could be the reason horses’ stress parameters rise during off-site competitions.

But, for better or worse, stress levels don’t seem to be associated with competition results—at least not in this Danish study. Salivary cortisol (the ”stress hormone”) concentrations weren’t associated with scores in dressage and show jumping horses during three national events in Denmark, said Rikke Munk, PhD candidate in the Aarhus University Department of Animal Science, in Tjele, Denmark. Munk carried out her study under the guidance of Janne Winther Christensen, PhD, also of Aarhus University.

In their study, Munk, Christensen, and colleagues collected saliva samples from 126 dressage horses and show jumpers before they left home for one of three events (two national stallion shows and one national young horse championship). They took more samples throughout the day while the horses stayed at the event. The sample collection timing was not always identical every day due to practical reasons, but the researchers made efforts to respect important factors such as before and after meals and/or exercise