Is your horse in pain? Are you sure of that answer?
"We've been conditioned that many behaviors exhibited by ridden horses are normal for horses. But in fact, they're not. They are often a reflection of underlying musculoskeletal pain. And if we resolve that musculoskeletal pain, those behaviors will disappear. Dr. Sue Dyson"
Dr. Sue Dyson has worked hard to learn the signs of a horse in pain, and this documentary, The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness, showcases how she uses her expertise to diagnose a horse with mystery pain.
At only 35 minutes in length and streaming on YouTube, this documentary is something every horse lover should take the time to watch and rewatch. In a week I have already watched it twice, and I plan to watch it more in the future.
I must admit, I went into this documentary thinking it would teach me what the 24 behaviors are rather than walking me through Dr. Dyson's diagnostic process. The 24 behaviors are shown in the documentary, but they are not all talked about in equal measure. The focus of the film is not on the behaviors but on diagnosing a horse in pain. They are still working on "A Field Guide to the 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain" so make sure to keep up to date with them to find out when it is ready. I will be sharing it on my social media when it is ready as well so make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
"The unique thing about horse behavior is that it often needs to serve dual purposes. The performance that we want from them and the expression of what they're feeling. And sometimes those two things are in conflict with each other. The majority of the time they're choosing cooperation over flight, over aggression. And when we're conscious of the degree to which they are buying in to try and make us happy and we can return that level of commitment, it deepens our level of connection."
Lauren McMahon's mare Galina is the horse featured in this documentary. From the start, it is easy to see that Galina is not happy, but Lauren and her vet could not find what was causing her pain because she was not obviously lame.
Sometimes horses show they are in pain subtly and sometimes not. Sometimes the signs horses have to show pain are not what we have been taught in the past as signs of pain.
This is something that needs to be taught better.
"I think that we all need to learn to listen to horses because they are trying to communicate with us, albeit in a rather subtle way."
Dr. Dyson watched Galina moving on ground, on lunge, and under saddle to access where she was feeling pain. Dr. Dyson also took the horse, rider, and tack fit into consideration. With a combination of addressing the pain Galina showed and saddle fit, they were able to transform Galina almost back into the horse she once was.
Tack fit is another area I think needs to be taught better. I have been riding horses for twenty years and I don't really know much about how a saddle should fit on a horse's back. This is something I am trying to learn more about.
"I think horses are really, really good at protecting themselves and minimize their range of motion in order to minimize their discomfort."
This is such an important film for the horse world. It does have a sombering feeling because no one who loves horses wants to see a horse in as much pain as Galina, and even though they are not able to find a way to clear her of all pain and get back to working at her top level, they did find solutions to relieve her pain.
If you love horses, please watch this film.
Watch the documentary here.
Please check out the 24 Behaviors website for more information about everyone involved. You can find it here.