24 Ways To Tell if Your Horse is in Pain Under Saddle

The Saddle Research Trust, a registered charity in the UK whose focus is on education and the advancement of animal welfare, has produced an easy-to-use, illustrated version of the ridden horse ethogram to provide a simple and informative guide. Every horse owner, rider, coach, saddle fitter and professional practitioner can now use the guide to quickly and confidently identify signs of pain or discomfort in the ridden horse.

The illustrated ethogram gives clear examples of the 24 behaviours that scientific research has identified as most likely to be present in ridden horses that are experiencing pain. The latest evidence has shown that a horse showing 8 or more of these behaviours is highly likely to have musculoskeletal pain.

The ridden horse ethogram is now an essential part of everyone’s toolkit to help improve ridden horse welfare and performance. Use of the ethogram will help to identify potential problems early, improving career longevity and reducing wastage in the sports horse population.

Access the full ethogram here.

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