A documentary from Sue Dyson, Vet MB PhD, challenges the way to look at bad behaviors in horses and promotes the notion that lameness doesn’t start at the head bob. The film follows Dyson and Jim Myers, DVM, as they examine and diagnose a show jumper mare Galina, who not obviously lame, seemed increasingly unhappy under saddle.
The film educates horse lovers on how to spot the early signs of pain while taking viewers on an emotional “ride” through the eyes of a young girl who loves her horse and will stop at nothing to try to figure out how to make her comfortable.”
Source: YouTube, September 29, 2022. Link. (35 minutes) Through a six-phase study, spanning three years, and over 400 horses, Dyson and colleagues developed The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram, a tool to reliably predict lameness before the condition worsens into limping and other obvious signs of injuries. The RHpE is a catalogue of 24 behaviors, which scientific studies have demonstrated can be associated with pain in the ridden horse.
Most of these 24 behaviors are at least ten times more likely to be seen in lame horses compared with non-lame horses.” – Sue Dyson, Vet MB PhD
INSIGHTS: In addition to sharing this with individual horse owners, consider this film as part of a program for groups of riders in the horse community.
NOTE: Beware of possible visceral reactions from persons watching the video. One horse owner commented, “Maybe horses are not designed to do many of thing we make them do so we shouldn’t be surprised when they become injured.”