Abstract
Simple SummaryA Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) was developed comprising 24 behaviours; a score of ≥8/24 is likely to reflect the presence of musculoskeletal pain. The aim of the study was to apply the RHpE to elite dressage horses, competing at World Cup Grand Prix qualifying competitions or finals. It was hypothesised that this should be a group of horses with a low incidence of musculoskeletal pain; thus, RHpE scores would be consistently <8. Additional aims were to compare RHpE scores with judges’ scores and to compare these and other observations concerning gait with the guidelines for judging Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) dressage. The RHpE was applied by a trained assessor to video recordings of 147 competitors at nine venues. Freehand notes described additional observations. The median RHpE score for all competitors was 3/24 (range 0, 7). There was a moderate negative correlation between the RHpE score and the judges’ score. There was a high frequency of occurrence of head behind vertical ≥10° ≥10 s, mouth open with separation of the teeth ≥10 s and repeated tail swishing, behaviours that should be penalised according to FEI rules. It was nonetheless concluded that most horses appeared to work comfortably for the majority of the test.There is considerable debate about the social license to compete with horses and controversy about training methods for dressage horses. The objectives were to: 1. apply the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) to dressage horses competing at elite Grand Prix level; 2. compare RHpE and judges’ scores; and 3. document deviations in gaits from Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) guidelines. Video recordings of 147 competitors from nine World Cup competitions were assessed. Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient tested the correlation between RHpE and judges’ scores. The median RHpE score was 3 (IQR 1, 4; range 0, 7). There was a moderate negative correlation (Spearman rho −0.40, p < 0.001) between the RHpE scores and the judges’ scores. Mouth open with separation of the teeth for ≥10 s (68%), head behind vertical ≥10° ≥10 s (67%), an intense stare for ≥5 s (30%) and repeated tail swishing (29%) were the most frequent RHpE behaviours. Deviations from FEI guidelines were most frequent in passage, piaffe, canter flying-changes, canter pirouettes and “halt-immobility-rein back five steps-collected trot”. In conclusion, most horses appeared to work comfortably for the majority of the test. Further investigation of the influence of a double bridle compared with a snaffle bridle on head position and mouth opening is merited.
Highlights
A Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) comprising 24 behaviours, the majority of which are at least 10 times more likely to be seen in lame versus non-lame horses, has previously been developed [1]
As hypothesised the median RHpE score was low, consistent with the absence of many of the signs associated with musculoskeletal pain in the majority of horses, and a relatively narrow spectrum of behaviours was observed compared with lame horses [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]
In the initial development of the RHpE the incidence of the front of the head being behind a vertical position was lower in lame horses compared with non-lame dressage and showjumping horses which had been trained to work with their heads in this position [1]
Summary
A Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) comprising 24 behaviours, the majority of which are at least 10 times more likely to be seen in lame versus non-lame horses, has previously been developed [1]. Rider skill did not alter RHpE scores, different behaviours may be manifest when a horse is ridden by two riders of varying skill [7]. 4* ( 5*) three-day event in 2018, horses that had a RHpE score ≥7 were more likely to be eliminated or retire in the cross-country phase than horses with a RHpE score
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