Because horses are herd and flight animals they often have a stoic nature, enabling them to hide their pain from predators. This often means subtle pain signs may go unnoticed. Pain is also often misinterpreted as behaviour such as pushy, hard-mouthed, stubborn, cold backed, lazy.

Acute Vs Chronic 

Acute pain is characterised by a sudden onset, such as a sharp pain caused by an injury.

Chronic pain is longer lasting and develops over time, this type of pain can easily go unnoticed. Although chronic pain has a slower onset, sudden deteriorations or changes in behaviour or gait may also be experienced when your horse reaches a ‘breaking point’ during the development of the condition.

It’s important to learn the subtle movement changes that lead up to a lameness because often when a horse shows a lameness the issue is already severe and physical, irreversible damage may have already been done.

Subtle movement changes could include: 

• Increased weight shifting between legs 

• Less forward and slower to get going

Signs of lameness:

• Uneven footfall

• Head nod

• Reluctant to move forward

• Reduced weight bearing on one limb 

• May also notice an area of heat, swelling, or discomfort

When your horse shows any of these signs of pain it could be due to something simple like bruise or tight muscle that may go away on its own. However, it could also be caused by something more serious like a tendon issue, foot issue or fracture, so if you’re worried and your horse is deteriorating contact your vet right away.

Tightening of eyes

If your horse is not relaxed and sleepy they may partially close their eyes as a way of showing they’re in pain. If your horse looks uncomfortable and has their eyes half closed it could be a sign they’re in pain because of a serious reason so it may be best to contact your vet.

Strained chewing muscles

This can be identified by increased tension above the mouth. This could indicate your horse has dental discomfort or sometimes your horse may strain these muscles when they’re experiencing fear.

Tension above the eye

The muscles above the eye may tighten and appear v-shaped, exposing the white inner corners. The bones above the eye may also look more prominent than usual.

What to do?

Speak to your vet

Your vet will be able to treat the illness or injury that is causing the pain. They will also be able to prescribe painkillers or refer your horse to a physiotherapist or acupuncturist if appropriate. If the pain is suspected because of a subtle movement change you could contact a physiotherapist directly and they may be able to help with support from your vet.

However, be cautious when it comes to medicating to fix pain because painkillers can conceal or disguise the pain, leading to the primary cause of the pain being ignored and causing further damage