How to tell if your horse is in pain

[ozpoz]

https://files.constantcontact.com/5053f732801/b9329bf3-b527-4cd7-a204-ea1f8da25d6d.pdf

I received this yesterday. A simple picture guide for ridden horse pain. 8 or more, seek vet advice.
I think this should be learned by every horse owner and pro.

 

[Trouper]

Fabulous - thank you for posting it .

 

[milliepops]

definitely a lot of warning signs there.
however IMO they require a bit more interpretation than just a "you're over the 8 threshold so your horse is in pain" thing. it's slightly problematic because many many of them will be displayed by a horse that is learning stuff and doesn't know how to answer the questions yet.

the opening para says the indicators are more likely to be expressed by a horse in pain, not that they automatically mean the horse is in pain.

it's definitely important to be aware of signs horses may be giving though, goes without saying.

 

[Widgeon]

This is interesting. It's so easy to get wrapped up in worrying that a really simple guide like this is useful. Although I have to say if my horse pulled out number 23 I would probably have the vet out the next day - but then as MP says, "know your horse" has to be the starting point for this kind of thing.

 

[ozpoz]

definitely a lot of warning signs there.
however IMO they require a bit more interpretation than just a "you're over the 8 threshold so your horse is in pain" thing. it's slightly problematic because many many of them will be displayed by a horse that is learning stuff and doesn't know how to answer the questions yet.

the opening para says the indicators are more likely to be expressed by a horse in pain, not that they automatically mean the horse is in pain.

it's definitely important to be aware of signs horses may be giving though, goes without saying.

Actually it says “likely to be lame or suffering from another source of musculoskeletal pain “ not “more likely”

Likely to be lame or in pain. To me that spells out clearly that at this point it is time to call the vet.
I think the recent eurodressage article on how poor horse owners are at recognising that their ridden horse is in pain supports the need for a simple visual guide like this.

 

[milliepops]

I was taking this from the first para

The majority of the following 24 behaviours are 10 times more likely to be seen in a horse that may be experiencing discomfort or pain, compared with a pain-free horse.

I'm not arguing with what you are saying, that lots of people don't recognise pain in their horses. However i think there's a difference between a horse that, say, tilts its head because it's got some dental or MS pain and one that does it because it's not through and stops when it accepts the contact or straightness or whatever it was. I have one that flicks her tail every time I touch her with the whip, or changes leg randomly because she's been learning 1 tempis. therefore "know your horse" is still important IMO. Context is still relevant.

If you watch a horse going for 30 mins and it's constantly exhibiting a bucket load of signs then I totally agree that it's time to call the vet, but momentary things are to me, sometimes part and parcel of a horse learning what you want from it.

also some of these may have the rider at the root of them...

 

[Meowy Catkin]

It's definitely useful in that it makes you think which is always a good thing. Some of the points won't count for all horses so i definitely agree with 'know your horse' and also gut feeling.

For example the white sclera point. The two arabs have 'human eyes' where you can see the white sclera all the time. Due to the size of the eyelid opening and the size of the irises they would really have to squint (or close) to cover the white of their eyes. ETA - I could maybe replace this one with tension around the eyes?

Also araby types do love snaking and waving their heads about when they are excited, so again you need to know what is normal for them.

I have learnt their base lines and some of the other points would definitely be very abnormal for them, so really good indicators that something is wrong. I have also had a few times where I've gone to check them and from the other side of the field thought 'what is wrong with XXXX?' purely because they just look off just in the way they are standing or react to me differently (disinterested when they are normally happy for example).

I once had CM standing with her downhill hind leg resting and that was very odd. Normally which ever way she faces on the hillside it is the uphill hind leg that is rested. That was an abscess forming.

ETA - I know a couple of my points don't relate to being under saddle specifically but they are pain related so hopefully pertinent enough for this conversation.

 

[Green Bean]

Agree with the 'know your horse' baseline. There are many not mentioned on this list that are also indicators of pain. I really wish (as with all animals) they could just point to the area that is in pain and say 'I have an owwy'. Internal pain is just the hardest thing to pin point unless you have a raft of scans and x-rays done, but even then you don't always have a clear answer.

 

[ozpoz]

I believe the ethogram shows the most reliable indicators for specifically ridden horse pain.
Know your horse and know these pain indicators and not conflicting. I wouldn’t hesitate to act if my horse should 8 or more of these indicators, after 45 years of horse ownership I’m excited to learn something new, forward and helpful.

 

[Bernster]

definitely a lot of warning signs there.
however IMO they require a bit more interpretation than just a "you're over the 8 threshold so your horse is in pain" thing. it's slightly problematic because many many of them will be displayed by a horse that is learning stuff and doesn't know how to answer the questions yet.

the opening para says the indicators are more likely to be expressed by a horse in pain, not that they automatically mean the horse is in pain.

it's definitely important to be aware of signs horses may be giving though, goes without saying.

This. I think education and information for horses owners is always welcome and this gives some useful indicators to think about. I’m dealing with this dilemma at the moment. Horse has/had an ouch and it’s tricky trying to work out where and what it is. It’s a case of knowing his baseline (and being happy that baseline isn’t pain related), looking at what’s different, and then working through various changes to see if they make a difference.

Fortunately in my case he’s improved loads and we’re back to mild baseline issues which we get when he’s not been in regular work, and which are improving rapidly with proper work. This has been via a combination of vet work up, dentist, physio, saddler, change in exercise regime, and working closely with my instructor. who knows which if any of these have helped, but this just shows how complex (and expensive!) horses can be!

 

[Wheels]

I'm very happy that this research is finally out and a simple photo gallery is available for people to refer to.

I went to a talk by Sue Dyson when she was just finishing this study but before findings were published and it was extremely informative.

The narrative below most of the pictures does say 'repeatedly' or talk about a number of seconds that the horse might display the behaviours. Personally if my horse displayed 8 of those behaviours in one single session I would be worried whether I was teaching him something new or not.

Know your horse is all well and good but just look at the amount of threads on here where people dont seem to know that their horses bad behaviour is not bad at all but a reaction to pain.

This research should be celebrated and shared all over, even if it makes a few people stop and think it will be worth it

 

[bubsqueaks]

Very illustrating pain recognition thank you
Reckon 90% of horses around our way exhibit lot of those signs & Im often left pitying the poor horses Im afraid.

 

[ycbm]

I can't open it, can anyone copy it or point to a version that can be read on an android tablet?
.

 

[ozpoz]

There is a link on the Saddle Research Trust Facebook page ybcm