The influence of equine personality on police horse selection

In active police work, horses are primarily used to monitor urban environments and perform specialized responsibilities such as riot and crowd control. The process of selecting horses for police work requires consideration of both the physical and emotional qualities of the horse, as personality traits contribute to a horse’s ability to learn, work and interact with humans. Personality encompasses four personality dimensions – Extroversion, Neuroticism, Gregariousness and Agreeableness – exemplified by positive and negative personality traits in each dimension. The purpose of this study was to evaluate mounted police horse personality traits. Using 129 responses from a 16-item online survey, this study examined the personality traits and roles of current mounts, traits considered important for police horses and dealbreaker traits for future potential police horses. Using descriptive and Chi-squared analyses with two-tailed Fischer’s Exact Tests, results showed that current police horses possess the same four personality dimensions that are considered important for police work – Positive Gregariousness, Positive Extroversion, Positive Agreeableness and Negative Neuroticism. Most current mounts did not present with any of the top five dealbreaker traits (Aggressive, Fearful, Uncooperative, Nervous and Unreliable, p > 0.30). Current mounts typically possessed the traits considered important (Confident, Trusting, Willing and Reliable, p > 0.17), but Calm appeared less frequently in current mounts than anticipated (p = 0.0229). Mount primary role impacted what respondents felt were dealbreaker traits, with Fearful more undesirable in horses working in Neighbourhood Patrol and Park or Wilderness Patrol than the other roles (p < 0.05). However, traits considered important were consistent regardless of mount primary role (p > 0.06). Breed and sex did not appear to influence traits present in current mounts, with the exceptions of draft crosses being reported as less approachable than other breeds (p = 0.0266) and geldings being bolder than mares (p = 0.0127). These findings provide a greater understanding of what mounted police officers value in their mounts and will assist in the development of police horse testing protocols, potentially improving the success of future police horse candidate selection. • This study evaluated personality traits relevant to mounted police horse selection. • Surveyed police officers identified present, desired and unacceptable horse traits. • Desired traits include Calm, Confident, Trusting, Willing, and Reliable. • Dealbreaker traits include Aggressive, Fearful, Uncooperative, Nervous, and Unreliable. • Findings inform evidence-based protocols for police horse selection.