Date

12-4-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

James C Guy

Keywords

Personality, horse trainer, horse, equine, horse-human relationship

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

The relationship between horses and humans has evolved and now horses are a part of therapy, leisure activities, competitions, and companionship with humans, and this evolution beckons further research into aspects that contribute to positivity in this relationship. This research examined the themes of personality among professional horse trainers by utilizing the Riso-Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI), the Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI), and semi-structured interviews. To be included in the study, participants needed to be at least 18 years of age, live in the United States, and receive at least half of their yearly income from training horses. There were 26 participants that participated in the study. The results of the study were that the Big Five personality traits of Openness to Experiences and Conscientiousness had a higher frequency than the other traits, with mean scores of 5.89 (SD=0.94) and 5.83 (SD=0.90), respectively. There was also a higher frequency of the Enneagram Type Eight (30.77%), Type Six (23.08%), and Type Three (19.23%) when compared to the other types. Through the semi-structured interviews, personality themes emerged to identify four themes (1) Professional horse trainers described their personalities as being introvert, (2) Professional horse trainers described their personalities as being calm, (3) Professional horse trainers described their personalities as being conscientious, and (4) Professional horse trainers described their personalities as being characterized by openness. Lastly, the results of research question four show that 66.67% of the sample of professional horse trainers believe that personality does matter to the success of a professional horse trainer.

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