In a new study, ridden horses showing at least one-third of the behaviors listed in a recently developed ethogram (behavior chart) had gait abnormalities and/or subtle lameness. | Photo: iStock

In a new study, ridden horses showing at least one-third of the behaviors listed in a recently developed ethogram (behavior chart) had gait abnormalities and/or subtle lameness.

The ridden horse pain ethogram (RHpE) includes 24 behaviors that have been scientifically validated as associated with pain, said study author Sue Dyson, MA, Vet MB, PhD, DEO, Dipl. ECVSMR, FRCVS. The behaviors include pain-related facial expressions in ridden horses as well as full-body language. Examples include pinning the ears back for at least five seconds or opening the mouth and separating the teeth for at least 10 seconds. Designed specifically for riders and owners, it’s meant to give horse people a relatively simple way to recognize signs of pain in their horses under saddle.

“We have very strongly validated that the behaviors in our ethogram are pain-related,” Dyson said. “And we know that if you take away the pain, those behaviors go away. So it’s a very strong tool