Application of a ridden horse ethogram to video recordings of 21 horses before and after diagnostic analgesia: Reduction in behaviour scores
Authors: Dyson S., Van Dijk J.
Journal: Equine Veterinary Education
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Ridden Horse Ethogram as a Pain Assessment Tool Diagnosing subtle lameness remains one of equine practice's greatest challenges, prompting Dyson and Van Dijk to evaluate whether a standardised ridden ethogram—a systematic behavioural scoring system describing 24 specific markers—could reliably detect musculoskeletal pain before and after diagnostic analgesia. Twenty-one lame horses (predominantly grade 2/8 lameness) were video recorded at trot and canter both whilst lame and after diagnostic analgesia had substantially improved their performance; a trained assessor and ten untrained observers then independently scored the recordings using the ethogram. The trained assessor identified a median of 10 behavioural markers in lame horses, dropping to a median of 3 after analgesia—a highly significant reduction (P<0.0001)—with all assessor groups showing the same pattern. However, agreement between the trained assessor and untrained observers was moderate before analgesia and essentially absent afterwards when individual behaviours were scrutinised, highlighting that application requires careful training. For practitioners, this work suggests the ethogram could serve as a useful longitudinal monitoring tool to document improvement in previously identified lame horses, though its value for initial diagnosis may require specialist training to maintain consistency and validity.
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Practical Takeaways
- •A standardized 24-behaviour ethogram can objectively identify low-grade lameness that may be missed by conventional assessment; look for ≥8 markers as an indicator of pain
- •This tool is useful for longitudinal monitoring to assess whether treatment interventions (farrier work, injections, physiotherapy) are actually improving the horse's movement quality
- •Untrained observers can apply the ethogram with consistency, though training improves reliability—consider using video-based assessment as part of lameness diagnosis and management decisions
Key Findings
- •Lame horses exhibited median 10 behavioural markers before diagnostic analgesia, reducing to median 3 after analgesia (P<0.0001)
- •Presence of ≥8 behavioural markers likely reflects musculoskeletal pain based on ethogram application
- •Trained assessor showed moderate agreement with untrained assessors before analgesia (Kappa 0.49) but no agreement after analgesia
- •The 24-marker ridden horse ethogram is potentially valuable for detecting and monitoring musculoskeletal pain in lame horses