Implementation of the Assessment Guide
Four assessment tools are included within this guide:
- Basic ground skills assessment (BGSA)
- Advanced ground skills assessment (AGSA)
- Independent riding skills assessment (IRSA)
- Lead-line riding skills assessment (LRSA)
Each assessment includes a set of skills, a description of how and why to assess the skill, a scoring rubric, and a scoring sheet. An evaluation section follows the assessment tools, providing guidance on how to interpret and apply the scores to provide your safety and suitability recommendations.
For each skill, the horse receives a score on a scale of zero to three using a horse safety and suitability rating. Each point on the scale has a written description that explains which behaviors fall under that score. Generally recommended interpretations of the scores are presented in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Assessment Tool Scoring Scale: Horse Safety and Suitability
| Score | Label | Interpretation |
| 0 | Unsuitable (automatic failure) | A horse receives this score for two reasons:
1. They behave dangerously and/or 2. They exhibit signs of pain, poor health, and discomfort. The horse is currently unsafe and unsuitable for participation in a lesson program and thus will receive an automatic failure. Further assessment should be halted until the dangerous behaviors and health issues are addressed. Veterinarian evaluation is recommended to address health issues and rule out pain as a cause for the dangerous behaviors. Only experienced trainers and handlers should work with this horse. The horse may need to be permanently removed from the lesson program due to the safety risks they pose and the ethical responsibility to avoid requiring a horse in pain to work. Example: A horse rears when asked to lead forward. A horse is unsound. |
| 1 | Developing | A horse receives this score when they are still developing skills and behaviors that would make them suitable for a low-level student. They will demonstrate some safe behaviors and skills, but also be inconsistent in their responses with various handlers and environments, and need significant support. This horse is not currently appropriate for an adaptive or beginner student. Because this score encompasses a wide range of horse abilities, they may be appropriate for intermediate to advanced students with significant professional oversight and guidance.
Example: A horse stands at the tie rail without pulling back, but moves back and forth, and the handler needs to correct their positioning multiple times. A horse is overly tense with sidewalkers. |
| 2 | Satisfactory | A horse receives this score when they reliably perform skills appropriate for most beginner and adaptive students to a satisfactory level. Their behavior is safe and predictable. With coaching, students can perform the skill to the desired or nearly the desired result. They will be suitable for most lessons with standard supervision and support. Due to the wide range of beginner and adaptive students, there may be some types of students with whom the horse performs well and others with whom it may not perform as well. Notes should be made in the horse’s assessment if there are specific types of students with whom the horse performs substandard (e.g., a horse performs well with low-tone riders but is more tense with high-tone riders, a horse is responsive to adults but not to children).
Example: A horse halts when cued. A horse walks over a bridge well, but if the handler is not clear with their steering and directions, they may choose to walk next to it rather than over it, though they are easily corrected. |
| 3 | Proficient | A horse receives this score when they demonstrate proficiency by consistently performing skills at a level appropriate for beginner and adaptive students. Their behavior is not only safe, reliable, and predictable, but they are also generous in responding to beginner students (e.g., they perform skills even when cues are not exact). They are suitable for a variety of students and environments due to their dependability, responsiveness, and quiet composure.
Example: A horse stands still and is relaxed at a mounting ramp as an adaptive rider is lifted onto their back using a crest mount technique. A horse matches a young student’s pace with minimal to no corrections as they lead through an obstacle course. |
These scores are designed to give you a more objective understanding of a horse’s ability. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the equine professional and instructor to ensure horses and students are appropriately paired.
We must never forget that horses are sentient beings with preferences and may react differently to different individuals. To help a horse’s longevity and happiness, we would do well to consider what types of students and lessons the horse enjoys and what ones they find taxing. For example, a horse may behave safely and reliably in both lead-line and independent riding lessons, although they are more engaged and responsive in independent lessons, indicating a preference for these types of experiences.
Throughout the assessments, you will find that horses will score differently for different skills. The assessments are intentionally designed for this. Not all horses are suitable for beginners to canter on, so they may receive a score of one on their canter, but twos and threes on the rest of their mounted skills. We will later discuss how to give an overall evaluation of a horse when they score differently across skills.
Evaluators & Evaluation Frequency
Now that we have discussed how the assessments are laid out, the big question remains: who should perform the assessments, and how often should they be completed? PATH Intl. centers have reported that a variety of individuals function as the primary evaluators of horse behavior, including barn/equine staff, directors, managers, instructors, staff, and volunteers. 6 It is imperative that the individuals assessing prospective and current lesson horses are trained to understand and interpret horse behavior. Additionally, they should be familiar with the program and clients. This will give them the perspective needed to determine if the horse is adequately prepared for program use.
It is highly recommended that more than one individual evaluates each horse before they participate in the program to reduce bias. More than 70% of PATH Intl. centers have reported that they have more than one individual evaluate each horse. 6 The evaluator does not need to be the handler. In fact, having a trained evaluator guide a novice or beginner handler through the assessments can provide valuable insight regarding the horse’s suitability for interacting with beginners. Thus, it is recommended that horses be evaluated by two different trained evaluators on two separate days, once with a more experienced handler and, if they perform well, once with a novice handler if the horse will be used in beginner lessons.
Upon completing the assessments, the evaluators should make their overall evaluation recommendation. If they disagree with each other’s recommendations, they should discuss their reasons and reach a mutual agreement. If an agreement cannot be reached, a third individual should complete the assessments and provide an evaluation to break the tie. When in doubt, it is always safer to underestimate a horse’s ability rather than overestimate their ability.
Once a horse has been evaluated and cleared to participate in the program, ongoing assessments should be made. Every time the horse is used, instructors, trainers, and handlers should complete informal assessments during which they observe the horse’s behavior and movement, ensuring it is behaving appropriately and is healthy on that day.
A full assessment and evaluation should be completed annually to recheck the horse’s skills. You may find the horse has progressed and can take on more programming duties, or that they have regressed and need to reduce their load. This annual recheck can be completed by one or more evaluators. Since the horse has already undergone the initial evaluation with at least two evaluators, it would be appropriate to recheck it with a single evaluator.
An exception should be made if the horse has had a significant amount of time off, especially if the time off was due to a health or behavioral issue. If a horse has been temporarily removed from the program for a significant amount of time, such as a month or longer, they should be re-evaluated by two individuals. If their removal was due to a health issue, you must receive veterinary clearance before re-integrating the horse into the program.
Always remember that it is the responsibility of the evaluator and instructor to determine whether the horse can safely participate in an activity with a specific handler or rider, regardless of the horse’s score on the assessment tools. This is an assessment guide designed to help you make an informed, objective recommendation and decision.
Terminology and Additional Instructions
Assessment Tool Terminology
- Movement: All four of the horse’s feet leave the ground and step down in a new spot. One step of movement is when each foot lifts and sets down on the ground one time.
- Calm: Signs of a calm horse include cocked hind foot, consistent head carriage (i.e., head at or below withers), consistent tempo, gentle blowing, loose tail that swings freely while in motion, low energy, relaxed nostrils, relaxed stance, soft eyes.
- Tense: Signs of a tense horse include flared or widened nostrils, head raised above withers, inconsistent head carriage (i.e., head raising and lowering repeatedly), inconsistent tempo, pawing or stomping, pinned ears, stiff stance, tail that is tucked or flagged, tight or pinched muzzle, wide eyes.
- Dangerous Behaviors: Dangerous behaviors included biting, bucking, charging, crow hopping, kicking, pulling away from the handler, pulling back when tied, rearing, running over the handler, and striking.
- Pain: Grimace face (i.e., mouth strained and pronounced chin, orbital tightening, prominent streamlined chewing muscles, stiffly backward ears, strained nostrils and flattening of the profile, tension above the eye area),21 palpates sore (i.e., on back, limb, or other body part), repetitive tail swishing, shaking, tensed/tucked up abdomen.
- Unsound: Abnormal or irregular movement, asymmetrical movement (i.e., hips, limbs, shoulders), head bob present, limited range of motion in a limb, refusal to bear weight on a limb.
Additional Instructions
Evaluators should understand horse behavior and be familiar with the grading scale of zero through three for each skill. They should review the definitions of terms, the skill testing recommendations, and the scoring rubric prior to starting the assessment.
The evaluator must pick a location to assess the skills (e.g., indoor arena, outdoor arena). The location and environment chosen should follow the environment of a typical lesson as closely as possible (i.e., if lessons are group lessons, you should have other horses in the arena). If multiple locations are used in the lesson program, an assessment should be completed in each area.
For each skill, there an explanation of how and why to assess it. Follow similar procedures during each assessment to ensure a consistent, reliable assessment of all lesson horses in your program. Once the testing phase (how) is complete, the evaluator will score the horse on the skill according to the descriptions written in the scoring rubric for each skill. Scores should be recorded on the scoring sheet. Notes should be recorded that include information about the environment, skill, and horse behavior as applicable.
If the skill does not apply to your lesson program (i.e., you do not use that skill) or the horse is not needed to perform that skill at this time (e.g., the horse is only suitable for walk/trot) mark the skill as not assessed (NA).
