Page 163 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• mouth – closed, opening and shutting, consistently open, teeth showing?

• tongue – not visible, visible or hanging out?
VetBooks.ir • head position – normal, above the bit, behind the bit, tilted to one side?

The facial expressions were compared between lame and sound horses. Each of the facial
expressions was given a pain score between 0 (no sign of pain) (Figure 4.10a) and 3, and this

allowed a pain score to be calculated for each area of the face and overall. The study showed
that facial expression can be a clear indicator of pain in the ridden horse (Figure 4.10b–g).

Figure 4.10a A relaxed and comfortable horse