12/04/2024
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In my equine world pain is all. Pain affects not only the horse's training and athletic performance but also everyday life, from standing in the stall to playing in the pasture. When something changes in your horse, be it physical, emotional, or behavioural, always suspect pain. When, and if, found, pay close attention to it so you may do something about it. Too often I hear, "itβs a training issue", βit's a matter of respect", ''or ''heβs just in a bad mood", "or it's just a mare thing" when ninety-nine times out of a hundred the horse is in pain somewhere and is just trying to let you know.
If the horse trusts you and understands you, he will by nature comply, as long as doing so does not hurt him. If it does hurt him to comply, or he is scared it will hurt him, and you force the issue, he will lose trust in you. Making a trusting horse do something when he is reluctant to do so, whether from pain or fear, will dismantle that trust.
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Pain gives you feedback on how your horseβs body is currently working and warns you that things are not going well for the animal. Pain is an important sign that must be paid attention to. The horse may spend weeks, sometimes months, giving you signals, then one day you may find yourself wondering why you are lying flat on the ground waiting for a doctor, or your horse flat on the ground wating for the vet.
One must remember that the horse as the ultimate prey animal, so will do everything possible not to show that he is lame or sore in any way. A sore or lame horse in the wild is simply called dinner, so by the time the horse reveals the slightest visual un-soundness he is already well down the track and unless acute, the problem has been there for a long, long time.
Soft tissue palpation however can negate the βdisguiseβ syndrome, the horse is a reactionary animal. If your investigating hands locate a pain spot or in some cases even approach a pain spot the horse will react in the βowieβ manner; tail swishing, eyes bulging, ears back, striking, kicking, and moving away. Very often these reflexes or reactions can turn in seconds that which you thought was a friendly horse into an animal that could cause you injury or worse.
Experience has shown us that pain is very often a primary cause in bad behaviour, and if the horse associates pain with humans that association will remain until humans remove it. How many horse owners have attended a clinic where the trainer has βconqueredβ a behavioural problem with your horse and then you have taken the horse home and the very next day the problem is back. Who do you blame? The trainer of course, his βstuffβ did not last, so what do you do, but try, try, try again and again, when the answer may be lying right before you just under the skin. Pain!
With training it is possible to work through the horseβs pain response which can manifest itself as bad behaviour, the horse always looking for safety is a follower, but no amount of training will remove an injury or the pain that surrounds it, and other than veterinary intervention, that can only be done with caring hands showing the correct integrity and intent.
(from the Equine Touch Archives)
