We’re always looking for ways to care for our horses better, to understand them more and listen to what they’re trying to say. I have definitely been someone who only involves a vet if the horse is lame. I use Physio’s and Farriers to give their opinion on anything of course, I assess the horses regularly myself and I would like to think that I’m pretty good at noticing if something is wrong. But when I heard about the Pain ethogram and the 24 behaviours of the ridden horse in pain I was keen to know more.
Here is the link to see the documentary explaining the tool: https://youtu.be/hrZgtrqbMVI
I thought I would give the ethogram a go myself. So I set up the camera, my aim was a 30minute session, 5-10mins walk, the same for trot and 5mins canter. Alongside completing a ridden, dressage like, test that they advise you can use as part of the assessment. This was Roo’s first session back in the school in 5 months so I wasn’t expecting anything exceptional and I wanted to use this as a baseline measurement to compare to as our rehab progresses.
I then re-watched the footage at home several times looking out for any of the 24 behaviors. There were a few I wasn’t quite sure on and would need more clarification on what I’m looking for, but that’s because I lack experience in this kind of thing and I’m not a vet. Despite that, I found it straightforward and easy to implement and I think it will serve as a great assessment tool to add to my arsenal.
I have included the score sheet, guide and test below so you can also give it a go:
Beth Endurance 