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. 2023 Oct 20:5:1232428.
doi: 10.3389/fspor.2023.1232428. eCollection 2023.

Finnish and Swedish riding school pupils' motivation towards participation in non-riding education

Lina Nyberg  1 , Tanja Linnavalli  1   2 , Elke Hartmann  3 , Mirjam Kalland  1   2
Affiliations

Finnish and Swedish riding school pupils' motivation towards participation in non-riding education

Lina Nyberg et al. Front Sports Act Living. .

Abstract

Many horse enthusiasts have insufficient knowledge about horse behavior and welfare (BW) and learning and human-horse communication (LC), which poses a risk for both horse welfare and human safety. The main objective of this study was to investigate why riding school pupils participate or do not participate in non-riding education in BW and LC, using Self-determination theory (SDT). SDT posits that the quality of motivation is related to the individual's basic psychological needs. A convenience sample of 568 riding school pupils from Finland and Sweden completed an online questionnaire. The results showed that forty percent of the riding schools offered education in BW, and thirty-two in LC. Twenty-seven percent of the respondents participated in education in BW, and twenty-five in LC at their riding school. The respondents were autonomously motivated to participate in education, i.e., they would participate because it is interesting and personally important. Perceived needs satisfaction at the riding school predicted autonomous motivation to participate. Education was offered to a greater extent in Swedish riding schools and Swedish respondents participated more often, as well as experienced more autonomous motivation, relatedness and competence satisfaction compared with Finnish respondents. To our knowledge, this study is the first to explore riding school pupils' motivation towards non-riding education.

Keywords: basic psychological needs; equestrian education; horsemanship; motivation; riding school; self-determination theory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The continuum of motivation in line with Self-determination theory.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of education in BW and LC offered at the riding school. Numbers are presented in percent (%).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Illustration of participation in education in BW and LC during the last two semesters. Numbers are presented in percent (%).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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