Application of a Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram and Its Relationship with Gait in a Convenience Sample of 60 Riding Horses.
Authors: Dyson Sue, Pollard Danica
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary Researchers applied a standardised 24-behaviour pain assessment tool (the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram) to video recordings of 60 sports and riding school horses performing a dressage-type test under saddle, examining how pain behaviours relate to objective gait measurements and rider characteristics. Despite owners assuming their horses were working comfortably, 73% exhibited lameness (≤grade 2/8) and 47% showed canter gait abnormalities; pain ethogram scores varied considerably (3–16/24, median 9), with scores of 8 or higher proving reliable indicators of underlying musculoskeletal pain. When multiple factors were analysed simultaneously—including horse age, breed, saddle fit and epaxial muscle tension—only two variables remained statistically significant: rider skill level (p < 0.001) and the presence of lameness (p = 0.008), suggesting that poorer rider balance and stability may mask or exacerbate pain expression, whilst subtle lameness remains a consistent correlate of pain behaviours. For equine professionals, this work demonstrates that systematic observation of ridden pain behaviours can identify musculoskeletal compromise that owners may overlook, and underscores the importance of rider competency in allowing horses to move freely and express their true biomechanical status. The finding that most "comfortable" working horses carry undiagnosed lameness or gait dysfunction highlights the value of gait assessment and pain screening as routine components of veterinary and performance evaluations.
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Practical Takeaways
- •The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram is a practical tool for identifying musculoskeletal pain in working horses; an RHpE score of 8 or higher warrants veterinary evaluation even when lameness appears subtle
- •Owner/rider perception of horse comfort is unreliable—over 70% of horses in this 'comfortable' sample showed detectable lameness, emphasizing the need for objective assessment methods
- •Rider skill significantly influences pain expression; investment in rider training may improve both horse welfare outcomes and the reliability of pain assessments during ridden work
Key Findings
- •73% of horses assumed to be working comfortably were lame (≤grade 2/8) on one or more limbs
- •47% of horses demonstrated gait abnormalities in canter despite owner assumptions of comfort
- •RHpE scores ranged from 3-16/24 with median of 9, and a score ≥8 was a good indicator of musculoskeletal pain
- •Rider skill score (p<0.001) and presence of lameness (p=0.008) were the only significant variables retained in multivariable analysis for predicting RHpE score