12/09/2022
In a new six-phase study spanning three years, and over 400 horses, Dr. Sue Dyson and colleagues developed The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE), a tool to reliably predict lameness before the condition worsens into limping and other obvious signs of injuries.
The RHpE is a catalogue of 24 behaviours which scientific studies have demonstrated can be associated with pain in the ridden horse.
The majority of these behaviours are at least ten times more likely to be seen in lame horses compared with non-lame horses.
I can't urge you all enough - stop playing the "this is just they are" card and get your vet, chiropractor, saddle fitter, or body worker out to look at things.
A good practitioner should be able to link your complaint with what they see and feel in your horse and have a plan on how they are going to address the issue.
If you have any questions about any new or chronic behaviours you are having with your horse, shoot me a DM and we will see what we can do to get you to the next level!!
Here is a link to the article covering the 24 behavioural signs.
https://beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/eve.13468?af=R