Eye Wrinkles... thoughts?!

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TwiggyL

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I’ve been reading about facial expressions in horses and eye wrinkles... my 19 yr old has some (they are always there) and he also suffers from chronic back problems.

I wonder if they are, as studies say, linked to pain (as he has experienced pain) or if they are also something horses get with age, perhaps?! Or just more sensitive types...

I suppose it’s a bit like us! The 5D543181-8F8C-435F-BA33-84291B982971.jpegworriers frown more!
 
What a gorgeous pony! Is he a Welshy?

Yes, I have also been told that eye wrinkles are a sign of pain/anxiety. In the photo, you can also see his nostrils are 'hard' around the edge, together with his lower lip being slightly back from his upper lip. These are both also subtle signs of stress/anxiety. I know a photo doesn't show the whole picture though...

I just stand and stare at mine for ages watching these little things, I find it all so fascinating!
 
I had a mare who noticeably had wrinkled 'triangles' above her eyes. We found out later that she had an internal tumour, poor girl. She was only 11!
 
Its a fascinating topic - Sue Dyson has some great articles about using it as a diagnostic tool & certainly in hindsight we could see that our Ulcer sufferer had that pained expression which I would say from the above photo your pony has although you have to take into account other factors that may have a bearing ie at a show, heat, stress, etc etc.
 
HeyMich said:
In the photo, you can also see his nostrils are 'hard' around the edge, together with his lower lip being slightly back from his upper lip. These are both also subtle signs of stress/anxiety. I know a photo doesn't show the whole picture though...
Click to expand...

yep I have a worrier. She gets the same tight bottom lip and wrinkly eyes when she's fretting about something. Seeing that she has a relaxed muzzle and soft eyes lets me know she's feeling relaxed and happy :)
 
I saw a post on Facebook saying that Sue Dyson's whole presentation on the ridden horse pain study will be available to watch this month. It was very good and I spent a lot of time checking my horse in mirrors when I rode after seeing it. Just waiting for the May newsletter to come out for details.
 
I do a lot of Masterson method with my horse and it has really helped me to learn and pay attention to his facial expressions. It is pretty easy to learn the basics and is a really powerful method - I would recommend it to any horse owner.
 
To be fair we were at a show... however, he is a stressy type, I will be studying him every day to see when his nostrils eventually drop!
 
HeyMich said:
What a gorgeous pony! Is he a Welshy?

Yes, I have also been told that eye wrinkles are a sign of pain/anxiety. In the photo, you can also see his nostrils are 'hard' around the edge, together with his lower lip being slightly back from his upper lip. These are both also subtle signs of stress/anxiety. I know a photo doesn't show the whole picture though...

I just stand and stare at mine for ages watching these little things, I find it all so fascinating!
Click to expand...
Yes he is a welsh c, a real worrier, I have only had him just under 2 years but he is a stressy old man! I am slowly but surely working on getting him to relax (and sorting his back out)!
 
I was wondering if the animal has felt pain for a while, that even when that pain is alleviated, the facial signs may remain??
 
I would say not going by looking at our ulcer sufferer then to now he does not show any facial signs.
If you think about is its like when we are ill we hold our bodies differently & our faces grimace, then once the pain has gone we return to normal.
However, I think there are cases of pain association remaining for certain things.
 
My mare has a some very obvious pain expressions including wrinkly eyes. In fact when we did one of the lameness work-ups earlier this year the vet was telling me she looked ok, and I pointed out that her face was saying quite strongly 'not OK'. Bilateral hind limb lameness.
 
It's fascinating. I think very photogenic horses are the most relaxed and confident. Their gaze is so secure and their face so relaxed!
 
milliepops said:
yep I have a worrier. She gets the same tight bottom lip and wrinkly eyes when she's fretting about something. Seeing that she has a relaxed muzzle and soft eyes lets me know she's feeling relaxed and happy :)
Click to expand...

I have one of these too. You can literally see him relax when he stops worrying & realises something is ok.
 
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