There’s a relatively new tool for identifying subtle signs of musculoskeletal pain in horses, shares Christine Barakat. The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram is a compilation of 24 behaviors, such as “head tilting,” “tail swishing” and “spontaneous changes of gait” that have been proven to correlate with musculoskeletal pain. If a horse exhibits eight or more of the behaviors, chances are good he is lame.
Source: EQUUS, November 1, 2020. Link.
The behaviors that had the strongest statistical correlation with lameness were ears being pinned back for five seconds or more, an intense stare for five seconds or more and repeated stumbling or dragging of both hind toes.”