17/01/2018
HOW TO CHECK YOUR HORSE'S BACK FOR PAIN by SUE PALMER
My first GUEST POST comes from Chartered Physiotherapist SUE PALMER MCSP BHSAI and Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer. Sue also put together "Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?"
Sue will be following the post and be able to respond to comments and questions!
Woody is a lovely, gentle Thoroughbred, an ex racehorse now retired from racing and bought by Henry to enjoy. He seemed ideal for the first couple of months, not too lazy and not too forward going, pleasant to be around, and generally easy to do. Then one day he suddenly objected to being mounted. He took off, and deposited his rider half way up the field. This happened three times within a week, and Henry decided something must be wrong. He called his local vets, and asked for a recommendation for a physio to come and check Woody's back, figuring that a sore back was most likely to be the problem.
You can find your local ACPAT Chartered Physiotherapist at www.acpat.co.uk, and if you'd like to have a go at checking your horse's back before the physio gets to you, you could try this technique.
Slowly run your fingers along your horse's spine, from withers to tail, and then back in the other direction. Assuming your horse was ok with you doing this, press a bit harder, about as hard as you would press to dent a football, and repeat in both directions. Have someone hold his head while you do this in case you find a sore spot. Work slowly, taking about 5-10 seconds to get from withers to tail, and about 5-10 seconds to move back from tail to withers. Repeat the same exercise about a hands width from the spine, feeling along the muscles on one side of the back and then the other, from wither pocket to top of tail.
There shouldn't be any reaction from your horse. If he twitches, moves away, pulls a face, swishes a tail, or does anything else that indicates discomfort, then he's telling you that there's an element of pain for him. From just that one basic assessment technique it's impossible to tell whether that pain affects his behaviour or performance, but it should at the very least be noted by you, and ideally assessed further by your vet or Chartered Physiotherapist.
Assessing whether a horse's change in behaviour is because he’s being naughty, is in pain, or doesn’t understand what you’re asking, is a bit like a detective game, looking for individual clues then piecing them together to make the most likely story. The only way to know for sure whether you've got it right is to seek a resolution on the basis of that most likely story, and see what results you get. So if you think your horse is being difficult to mount because he's being naughty, then you need to become more competent at explaining to him what you'd like from him, so that the naughty behaviour goes away. If you think he's moving away from the mounting block because he doesn't understand what's being asked of him, you need to train him so that he does understand. If you think he's fidgeting when you go to get on because his back is sore, his saddle doesn't fit, or his teeth are sharp, then you need to find the best professional to help you resolve this for your horse.
In the majority of ridden behavioural problems, any discomfort should be removed first of all, as far as is possible. Horses, like humans, each have a different pain tolerance, and so what seems like nothing much to us may be a big deal to the horse, or vice versa.
Sue Palmer MCSP is author of several books and two DVDs, including ‘Horse Massage for Horse Owners’, and ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’. To find more tips like this, follow Sue on Facebook at Ethical Horsemanship Association, or through her blog at www.ethicalhorsemanshipassociation.co.uk.
