Application of the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram to 150 Horses with Musculoskeletal Pain before and after Diagnostic Anaesthesia.
Authors: Dyson Sue, Pollard Danica
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Dyson and Pollard's 2023 investigation evaluated the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE)—a systematic behavioural assessment tool—in 150 horses presenting with poor performance, documenting pain-related indicators before and after diagnostic anaesthesia and saddle intervention. The cohort displayed considerable variation in pain presentation: whilst 35.3% exhibited episodic lameness and 30% showed continuous lameness, notably 34.7% demonstrated only subtle gait deficits (bilateral short stride and reduced hindlimb engagement) with minimal overt lameness grades (median 2/8). Following diagnostic blocks and saddle correction, median RHpE scores dropped dramatically from 9/24 to 2/24 (p < 0.001), yet critically, baseline RHpE scores showed no correlation with lameness grades, indicating that absence of measurable lameness masked significant underlying musculoskeletal pain. For equine practitioners, these findings underscore that the RHpE captures pain-associated postural and movement compensations invisible to traditional lameness evaluation, and that performance issues in apparently sound or subtly lame horses warrant diagnostic investigation rather than dismissal; saddle fit also warrant attention, with 37.3% of horses having ill-fitting equipment that contributed to their clinical presentation.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Horses with poor performance may have underlying musculoskeletal pain even without overt lameness signs; use RHpE to identify subtle pain indicators during ridden work
- •Saddle fit should be routinely evaluated as a significant contributor to performance issues—37% of poor performers in this study had ill-fitting saddles
- •Diagnostic anaesthesia combined with saddle adjustment can substantially improve ridden gait quality and reduce pain-related behavioural signs, making it a valuable diagnostic and therapeutic approach
Key Findings
- •Median RHpE scores decreased significantly from 9/24 before intervention to 2/24 after diagnostic anaesthesia and saddle change (p < 0.001)
- •34.7% of horses showed bilaterally symmetrical short step length and/or restricted hindlimb impulsion despite only 30% being continuously lame
- •No correlation existed between RHpE score and maximum lameness grade before diagnostic anaesthesia (Spearman's rho = 0.09, p = 0.262)
- •37.3% of horses had ill-fitting saddles considered likely to influence performance