How do you know if a horse is in pain?

Even though the horse does not speak, it can talk. Thanks to its developed body language, our partner can clearly tell us when it is angry, afraid, or in pain. But how do we understand him?

On our website you can already find articles about fear. Today we will talk about pain.

Common signs of pain

A horse can experience pain for a variety of reasons: internal or external. But the general "picture" of behavior will be similar:

loss of appetite;

unusual behavior (the horse is always active, but today slumped, and vice versa);

general restlessness or apathy;

frequent twitching of the ears;

lack of desire for human or other animal contact (in a herd, the horse may stay away from the group).

If you spend a lot of time with your horse and know his normal states, you can easily notice even the slightest change in them.

It is not always possible to see all the signs at once. Sometimes the pain experienced may be expressed in only one sign. Still, we should not forget that the horse is a victim animal, so it tends to hide its discomfort until it becomes intolerable. Nevertheless, pain is a very vivid feeling, so it will distort the horse's facial expression anyway.

Pain Mimicry

Eyes

Tension appears under the eyes, and the muscles around the contrary are stretched - the eye takes on an angular, "house" appearance. The gaze becomes detached and strained. There may also be characteristic dimples and a more prominent sclera (protein) in the inner corner of the eye. The horse will either blink frequently or, conversely, not close his eyes all the way (half blinking).

Nose

Typically the nostrils are dilated, have a "square" open shape, which may cause wrinkles to appear between the nostrils. The horse will either breathe deeply slowly or too shallowly and often. In addition, breathing may be accompanied by wheezing, whistling or moaning.

Mouth

If the horse is in pain you will notice an increased lip tone and tension in the chin area. Thus the muzzle as a whole becomes more fringed in shape.

Pain from an iron, mouthpiece or a rider's stiff hand manifests itself through an open, tense mouth that is often accompanied by sticking out and flipping of the tongue.

If your horse is bothered by oral problems (teeth, gums), he is more likely to spit out food, be malnourished, and chew it poorly. As a consequence, weight loss will occur. The horse may also begin to refuse to put on the bridle or halter.

The sharp pain will immediately cause tension in the chewing muscles, which means the mouth will be hard pressed. A characteristic creaking sound may occur. It is not uncommon to see this kind of reaction at unleashes during brushing or saddling.

Head and Neck.

Pain in the forelegs usually provokes the horse to suddenly throw up and throw back the head. This happens when the horse steps on the leg while moving.

Head and neck shaking and yanking on the reins can indicate mouth pain, which then most often develops into a habit.

Legs

It is worth noting that if a horse is limping, then the pain is already severe. It usually starts with "guarding" the leg. The horse may also refuse to lean on a particular leg or hold its weight. Sometimes innocuous "pulling" of the hind legs at the separations (back and to the side) may also indicate discomfort being experienced.

Ears

The final "marker" of pain is the ears. The distance between the ear canal will become larger: the ears will droop to the sides and at the same time unfold outward. Their trajectory will be multidirectional and asymmetrical.

Maintaining a decent level of horse welfare is the responsibility of any equestrian.

A good knowledge of pain mimicry will help you spot even the smallest changes in your horse's condition so that you can then relieve the pressure in training in time, and provide timely help in the event of an ailment.