Page 165 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• spookiness

• tail swishing
VetBooks.ir • tail clamping

•
ears back
• mouth opening

• tongue hanging out

• change in eye posture and expression

• flaring nostrils
• leaning on the bit

• tension

• going above or behind the bit

• head tilting
• head tossing

• resisting

• crookedness

• hurrying

• spontaneous change of gait
• bucking

• rearing

• bolting

• poor quality canter (incorrect strike-off, changing legs, disunited)

• stumbling
• toe dragging

• more sweating than expected

When pain scores of 1–3 were applied to each of the above behaviours, lame horses

consistently had a higher pain behaviour score than sound horses. If the lameness was
improved or eliminated by diagnostic analgesia, the pain behaviour score reduced.

It is anticipated that further development of this system will help to identify horses that

need lameness investigation rather than continue being ridden in discomfort.

ADDITIONAL TESTS

Assessing the horse on a slope