The bond between humans and horses dates back thousands of years, and horses occupy a unique position in human life, falling somewhere between working animals and companion animals.

Humans have for long described strong relationships with their horses, but until now, there has been no validated method for assessing the attachment styles in the context of human–horse relationships.

In a recently published study, researchers from the University of Turku and the University of Helsinki in Finland used a specific survey to measure how people form an emotional attachment to their horse, and evaluated its effectiveness.

The questionnaire developed for the study, the Horse Attachment Questionnaire (HAQ), adapts an existing measure used for pets like dogs and cats, allowing researchers to examine the unique human–horse relationship through the lens of attachment theory. Attachment theory describes how individuals form and maintain emotional bonds with others. Traditionally used to study parent–child and adult relationships, it has also been applied to the bonds people have with companion animals.

These relationships are often characterised along two dimensions: attachment-related anxiety, which reflects fears of not being worthy of love, and attachment-related avoidance, which reflects reluctance to rely on or get too close to others.

The study gathered responses from 2,287 horse owners across 21 countries, with the largest groups being from France and Finland. Participants answered an adapted version of the Pet Attachment Questionnaire, modified to reflect horses instead of pets in general.

Statistical analyses confirmed that most statements worked well in describing the human–horse relationship, revealing the same two-dimensional structure of anxiety and avoidance that has been observed in human and human–pet relationships.

In addition, the results shed light on who is most likely to report anxious or avoidant bonds with their horses. Younger owners and individuals with higher levels of neuroticism were more likely to score high on anxious attachment, meaning they worry about losing closeness with their horse or feel they need extra reassurance that their horse likes or needs them. Male owners, on the other hand, showed higher levels of avoidant attachment, suggesting a tendency to keep emotional distance from their horse.

“Our findings demonstrate that horses can act as meaningful attachment figures for people, much like pets and other humans. By validating this questionnaire, we now have a reliable way to measure those bonds and explore how they are shaped by factors such as personality and culture,” says Doctoral Researcher Aada Ståhl, the lead author of the study from the University of Helsinki.

Cultural differences also emerged: the model fit slightly better for French horse owners compared to Finnish ones. The researchers speculate this may be linked to differences in riding practices. For instance, French owners in the sample were more often the sole riders of their horses, potentially spending more exclusive time with them compared to Finnish owners, who more frequently shared their horses with others. Such differences could affect how attachment bonds are recognised.

According to Postdoctoral Researcher Océane Liehrmann from the University of Turku, who initiated the study, this Horse Attachment Questionnaire offers many possibilities for future research.

“It provides a robust foundation for studying how attachment influences not only the wellbeing of horse owners but also the care and training of horses. Previous work has shown that insecure attachment styles in pet owners can impact the way animals are treated and even their behaviour. Applying these insights to horses could improve understanding of how human psychology shapes equine welfare,” says Liehrmann.

The researchers emphasise that this tool could also prove valuable in applied settings such as equine-assisted therapy, where horses are incorporated into therapeutic work with humans. Being able to measure individual differences in attachment could help tailor such interventions more effectively. Trainers and professionals may also benefit from understanding how attachment styles influence communication, handling, and training outcomes.