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There are studies on the relationship between the position and shape of hair whorls on bovine forehead and phenotypic traits. According to anecdotal beliefs by horse users and handlers, temperamental traits may be related to the position of hair whorls in horses. No previous research on the mechanisms of inheritance of hair whorls has been performed, so the aim of the present study was to determine the heritability of the position of the hair whorl on the forehead of Konik horses. The horses (n = 362) were classified into five groups based on the whorl position on forehead with respect to the top and bottom eye lines. The estimated heritability of hair whorl position was 0.753 (SE = 0.056). Heritability adjusted for the discontinuity of the trait was 0.836. The results show that hair whorl position in Konik Polski horses is highly heritable. The possible relationship between position of hair whorls on the forehead and other morphological traits needs further research and should be interpreted with caution.

The aims of the present study were as follows: (1) to identify the particular characteristics of a horse that are important to riders, and (2) to examine which of these properties are significant for different categories of riders. The participants (197; 78.7% females) were surveyed using the Ideal Horse Questionnaire (IHQ), which contains items that are categorized as "physical make-up," "behavior during riding and handling," "training level," and "maintenance." "Behavior during riding and handling" (43.6% of respondents) and "physical make-up" (32.8%) were selected most frequently as the most important category, followed by "training level" (16.9%) and "maintenance" (6.7%). The responses for the questionnaire were subjected to factor analysis (FA). The first four factors of the FA, labeled "ease of handling and maintenance/sociability," "jumping suitability," "dressage suitability," and "challenge" accounted for 13.7%, 11.7%, 8.6%, and 5.9% of the variance, respectively. The highest values on the 0-3 scale were obtained for items related to "ease of handling and maintenance/sociability" (mean ± SD = 1.97 ± 0.48) and "jumping suitability" (1.86 ± 0.62), followed by "dressage suitability" (1.64 ± 0.41) and "challenge" (1.20 ± 0.62). All participants desired a manageable, healthy and non-problematic horse. Men preferred a horse that was a good jumper and would challenge the rider. People who rarely rode, beginner to intermediate riders, non-competitors and all but show jumpers were not interested in a horse with a high "jumping suitability." Only more experienced riders expected the horse to possess high capabilities and extensive training in dressage. Challenging animals were desirable to men but were avoided by leisure riders. The present study shows that ease of handling and maintenance, along 379 AnthrozoösThe respondents, who all volunteered to participate, were animal husbandry students, clients of riding centers, individual horse owners, and visitors to the stand of the Polish Horse Breeders Association (PHBA) at an agricultural show. The participants were recruited by the authors either after classes (students) or after riding lessons (clients of riding clubs). The visitors of the stand were Looking for an Ideal Horse: Rider Preferences 380 Anthrozoös ❖ Downloaded by [Florida Atlantic University] at 15

The aim of this study was to examine the risk of postpartum depression (PPD) and its relationship with confidence in breastfeeding (BF) in women under the care of general practitioners in Krakow. Materials and Methods: The study among Polish women was performed in seven primary care out-patient clinics in Krakow in 2015. Each participant completed a personal questionnaire which included the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form (BSES-SF). Results: The authors examined 273 women of which 13% of participants were at risk of developing PPD. Women who are more likely to develop PPD are less satisfied with their BF or do not feed their children naturally at all. There was a statistically significant correlation between the risk of developing PPD and mothers' chronic diseases and occurrence of PPD after previous labours. Conclusion: After childbirth in women living in Krakow, the prevalence of the risk of PPD did not differ from other European countries and was higher in those with low BF self-efficacy scores.

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