After the portable arena was built each horse was allowed to familiarize itself with the setup [Figure 1] before the start of the test. The owner was then asked by the experimenter to position the horse inside the arena facing the entrance, which was closed with fencing tape. The cameras were turned on to record contact-seeking and stress-related behaviours [Figure 2] during the test and the experimenter then entered the arena and positioned herself at the opposite end, facing the middle of the arena.

The owner was asked to release the horse and exit the arena to stand by the left camera, facing away from the arena. The experimenter turned on a stopwatch and timed two minutes while standing completely motionless and not interacting with the horse in any way. After two minutes, the owner was asked to return and lead the horse out of the arena.