Individual reactions
Pain may manifest itself as unwillingness to go forwards freely, tension, or occasional bolting, although each horse is different in the way that he adapts to pain. Therefore the behaviours are not specific for the underlying cause(s) of pain, but merely ref lect the likely presence of pain.
Some people say “my horse is becoming increasingly difficult to work on the f lat, but he jumps fine, so he must be OK”, but this is an incorrect conclusion. Many horses genuinely enjoy jumping and the excitement and adrenaline surge help to overcome underlying discomfort. However, when working on the flat, repeatedly being on a turn or doing repetitive movements, horses become much more aware of discomfort and may react by trying to evade the aids.
Tail swishing
A normal horse swings his tail from side to side in trot. Some horses hold their tail consistently to one side. This may be more obvious when the horse is ridden than when he is walked in-hand. Crooked tails are seen about six times more often in lame horses than in non-lame ones. A normal horse may swish his tail when a strong leg aid is applied, but repeated tail swishing is not normal unless flies are bothering him.
Likewise, when a leg aid is applied, one or both ears may flick backwards and then forwards again. If both ears are constantly
pinned back for more than five seconds this isn’t normal and I don’t believe that the horse is listening for the rider’s aids by keeping his ears back. It is, instead, a sign of underlying discomfort.
When considering the 24 behaviours of the Ridden Horse Ethogram, each horse is an individual and will react in different ways. One horse with a hindlimb suspensory injury may constantly have his ears back, while another keeps his ears forwards. Stoical horses, or those with intermittent discomfort, may show few abnormal behaviours. For some, pain may only be present in one gait. A horse may be comfortable in trot, but feel pain in canter and alter his behaviour accordingly. The absence of lameness in trot doesn’t preclude pain in canter.
Ultimately, we must listen to our horses. If you think your horse may have pain-related problems, seek advice from a lameness specialist vet who is also used to looking at ridden horses. Investigation of such problems is a relatively specialist job and not all equine vets will have had the required training.
“Each ach horse is an individual and will react in different ways. One horse with a hindlimb suspensory injury may constantly have his ears back, while another will keep his ears forwards”