By Sue Dyson
Copyright 2024
Gillian asked me to write an article ahead of the ‘Prevention is Better than Cure’ webinar series we are doing in October. There are many myths in the equine world and many excuses are made for a horse not progressing in training as potentially expected. I have heard countless times that the horse ‘is only young (despite being 7 years of age) – not yet mature – weak - and I thought that I should give the horse time’ or that the horse has a ‘lazy leg’ or has ‘bridle lameness’.
Within the equine industry there has been a tendency for normalisation of abnormal behaviour – so that these behaviours are either ignored or not recognised. Horses are often labelled as grumpy, unwilling, uncooperative, naughty, tense or difficult, employing anthropomorphic interpretations, and without the reasons for horses exhibiting these behaviours being questioned. There may be a general lack of awareness and / or failure of observation. There is generally a poor understanding of why a horse may toss its head, tilt the head, work with the head in front of or behind a vertical position, open the mouth, grind the teeth, or repeatedly swish the tail. Too often riders are told to ‘ride the horse through it’.
Historically veterinarians have wrongly ascribed ‘bad behaviour’ to faults in training, riding or the horse’s temperament without asking the question, why? There has been a failure to acknowledge/ recognise pain as an underlying cause. There has also been a failure of the equestrian world to recognise how pain can influence the quality of paces, especially canter, and the effect of removal of pain on quality of paces, responsiveness to rider’s cues (‘rideability’), trainability, rein tension, rider position, rider comfort, rider confidence and rider safety.
Lameness is not always manifest as asymmetry of gait; horses are prey animals and need to conceal pain and therefore adapt their gaits in a variety of ways. These include reduced step length, increased duty factor (the proportion of the stride time that a limb is on the ground), reduced range of motion of the thoracolumbosacral region (‘stiffness’ of the back), reduced hindlimb impulsion and engagement, reduced suspension or absence of suspension and changes in speed (going slower or faster [‘rushing’]). Other factors which may reflect pain include asymmetrical rein tension (the horse ‘hanging’ on one rein), lack of rein tension (not ‘taking a contact’), excessive rein tension (the horse ‘leaning on the bit’); teeth grinding; increased respiratory rate and delayed post exercise recovery; the presence of an abnormal respiratory noise; prolonged recovery of resting heart rate; increased blink rate; excessive sweating; ‘tension’, reduced rideability (responsiveness to a rider’s cues), and an abnormal posture after exercise (for example, shifting weight constantly between the hindlimbs, or standing with the hindlimbs ‘camped out’ and the back extended).
There is a limited knowledge of equine learning theory among the horse owning public at all levels and also among professional coaches. The equine industry is traditional, somewhat slow to evolve and there are many unsubstantiated myths, for example that mares, especially chestnut mares are more difficult to train than chestnut geldings or mares of other colours. There is a tendency for riding coaches to focus on exercises to attempt to improve quality of movements and if a horse is non-compliant to encourage the use of stronger cues (a longer whip, spurs, a bit with a different action).
Although many coaches evaluate rider position and recognise the enormous influence a change in position can have on equine performance, it is relatively unusual for coaches to evaluate riders from all angles or to assess non-ridden posture and consider how this may influence a horse. There is a frequent failure of non-elite riders to recognise their own limitations with respect to their position, symmetry, fitness, balance and coordination, and size relative to the horse, although may ascribe, for example, asymmetrical rein tension on their own handedness. Riders therefore often fail to take ownership of the role they have as an athlete in creating a harmonious relationship with their horses and optimising performance potential.
Many riders and trainers are poor at recognising lameness or other pain-associated abnormalities of gait. Studies in Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom have shown that more than 50% of the sports and leisure horses considered by their riders to be working comfortably are lame. There is a lack of awareness that a horse can appear non-lame when trotted in hand in a straight line or when lunged but may show lameness when ridden, which may be influenced by a rider’s position. The term ‘bridle lameness’ has been used to describe forelimb lameness that is only apparent when ridden and is said to be induced by the rider. While unquestionably a bad rider can induce abnormal movement of a horse’s head, which may be in synchrony with the rhythm of trot, if a head nod persists on a loose rein, it is likely to reflect a genuine lameness, despite only being apparent when a horse is ridden. Abnormalities of canter (short stepping; stiff and stilted; canter lacking suspension [a so-called 4-beat canter]; becoming disunited; being on the forehand) are often ascribed to training rather than recognising that discomfort may be the underlying cause.
With the widespread availability of a variety of technologies to assess symmetry of equine movement, it has become increasingly apparent that the original thresholds designed to differentiate lame and non-lame horses may not be accurate. There is growing awareness that innate asymmetry may be present which is not pain-induced, although could potentially predispose to subsequent development of pain-induced lameness. Moreover, there are many horses with bilateral lameness which move symmetrically when assessed either subjectively or objectively, but their quality of performance is compromised. While unquestionably objective gait analysis has an important role in the assessment of lameness it has inherent limitations, which highlight the need to evaluate horses during ridden exercise. There is a growing body of evidence that changes in ridden horse behaviour may be a sensitive indicator of the presence of musculoskeletal pain or other sources of pain.
It is therefore important that all involved in equestrianism become more aware of equine behaviour during ridden work and as far as is possible people describe what is observed in a consistent manner. Within equestrianism there is a tendency to develop equine-specific terms that rapidly develop their own meaning which may be removed from their original definitions, for example learned helplessness and conflict behaviour. Terminology is often misleading and/or confusing and often does not look broadly enough at the reasons why the behaviours occur. It is generally accepted that alterations in the behaviours of horses are a method of communication, but it does not necessarily follow that we can easily distinguish between behaviours in ridden horses that reflect anxiety, fear, stress induced by multiple potential stressors (for example, conflicting cues, the rider being out of balance or positioned asymmetrically, the environment and pain). Nonetheless, repetitive displays of abnormal behaviours are not normal for pain-free, non-stressed, appropriately trained horses. It is also important to recognise that the cognitive power of humans and horses is different.
Conflict behaviours as applied to ridden horses are, according to the definition proposed by the Internation Society for Equitation Science (ISES), those behaviours ‘caused by application of simultaneous opposing signals (conflicting cues such as go and stop/slow) such that a horse is unable to offer any learned responses sufficiently and is forced to endure discomfort from relentless rein and leg pressures. Similarly, conflict behaviour may result from incorrect negative reinforcement, such as the reinforcement of inconsistent responses or lack of removal of pressure.’ Conflict behaviours were further described as a set of unwelcomed responses of varying duration that may be characterized by hyper-reactivity and arise largely through confusion. They include but are not limited to, champing the bit, tail-swishing, biting, kicking, rearing and bucking and are thought to have their origins in intraspecific antagonistic behaviours and counter-predator responses. There is considerable cross-over between these behaviours and those that are often observed in ridden horses with musculoskeletal pain. Differentiation between pain, rider errors and tack-related problems is not always straightforward – it is a process of elimination
In the equine world the terms ‘evasion’, ‘resistance’ or ‘disobedience’ are used to describe unwelcome responses, arguably because they assume the horse knows better. This reflects a failure to recognise that this thought process is human, not equine. Evasion (or to evade) is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “to escape or avoid (someone or something), especially by guile or trickery”. Resistance (or to resist) is defined “as the dislike of or opposition to a plan, an idea, etc.; refusal to obey”. Disobedience is also defined as a “refusal to obey”. These are not accurate terms for describing a horse’s motivation, with the assumption of cunningness and premeditation. These terms imply malevolent and calculated behaviour on the part of the horse, failing to acknowledge that horses lack the ability to reason. Frequently there is another plausible explanation for the behaviour exhibited and punishment for this is not justified.
It is strongly recommended that the terms disobedience, evasion and resistance should be discarded to avoid anthropomorphic inference. Moreover, it is suggested that each behaviour should be described, and careful consideration given to the possible causes, given that there are usually several different reasons, depending on the circumstances in which each behaviour is observed. In ridden and driven horses there is constant interaction between the horse, the tack and the rider or driver, any or all of which may be responsible. It is recommended that the term conflict behaviour is reserved for those circumstances in which pain or confusion induced by a rider or driver are the likely cause of a horse’s behaviour, rather than primary musculoskeletal pain.
So, ultimately we need to learn better how to watch horses, to observe their behaviours and to understand what they are trying to communicate. We need to know what normal should look like. In a recent study1 of more than 800 non-lame, comfortable horses evaluated at competitions in the majority the head was still, the front of the head was in a vertical position or behind the vertical, the ears were erect, rotated to the side or forward, the eyes were open with no exposure of the sclera (the white of the eye), all of the tongue remained within the oral cavity, the bit was symmetrically positioned, and the tail was held straight and carried freely. Horses maintained a regular rhythm and speed in all paces, moving straight on two tracks. Non-lame horses initiated canter with the correct leading forelimb and did not change legs in front or behind; there were no spontaneous changes of gait, no repeated forelimb or hindlimb stumbling, and an absence of bilateral hindlimb toe drag. Horses followed the direction of the rider’s cues, with no spooking, and went forward willingly, with an absence of bucking or rearing.
Recognition of how a non-lame comfortable horse usually behaves may enhance equine welfare and improve training practices.
1. Dyson, S.; Pollard, D. Determination of equine behaviour in subjectively non-lame ridden sports horses and comparison with lame sports horses evaluated at competitions. Animals 2024, 14: 1831. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14121831
If you enjoyed this article join Sue on her series of webinars Prevention is Better than Cure In this series of three webinars, independent consultant and lameness specialist, Dr. Sue Dyson hosted by Gillian Higgins will explore what makes a 'good’ horse. Packed with scientific, evidence based facts, these talks will prove to be interesting, informative and invaluable.
Assessing ConformationWhat Does Good Look Like? with Dr Sue Dyson
6.30pm (BST) Wednesday 9th October 2024
In this webinar, Sue will consider what makes a good horse in terms of temperament, conformation, suitability and sustainability. It is of interest to all riders who would like to understand more about their horse as well as those wishing for some pointers to consider when looking to purchase the horse of their dreams. Because no horse is perfect, Sue will examine which issues are manageable for purpose and which are best avoided.
Promoting Longevity Maintaining Soundness and Optimising Performance with Dr Sue Dyson
6.30pm (BST) Wednesday 16th October 2024
This webinar will examine how to keep your horse in the best possible condition appropriate to his role in life. Sue will explore how, through careful management, astute observation, prompt intervention and a good understanding of anatomy and biomechanics, we can reduce the risk of injury whilst maintaining soundness, good posture and optimal performance.
Not Quite Right?? Improving Poor Performance with Dr Sue Dyson
6.30pm (BST) Wednesday 9th October 2024
This evening will consider how to recognise, and what to do, if we feel our horse is, ´not quite right!´ How do we decide if a problem is caused by pain, weakness, behaviour or habit? What actions do we need to take? When do we need to bring in outside help or expert assistance? How do we find the best person to consult? What can be done to manage the situation? Sue will look at a selection of scenarios and discuss how to decide on and how to manage a variety of problems.
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