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What got you interested?
What got you interested in the links between pain and behaviour in horses? Perhaps there is a particular horse that has come into your life, or a past situation that you would like to understand better? Maybe you wish that you’d known then what you know now, so that you could do things differently? Here, I explain how and why I came to write Harmonious Horsemanship with Dr Sue Dyson. In this informative book, we explain how the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram is essential in recognising pain in ridden horses. To hear more from me, subscribe to my free newsletter.
“He had a history of bolting…”
He had a history of bolting. That’s why I was called to help. Little did I know how that call would steer the course of my career.
After asking numerous questions, I began by watching the owner tack up and lunge the handsome bay gelding. I was in my early twenties, a British Horse Society Assistant Instructor (BHSAI, now known as BHS Stage 3 Coach in Complete Horsemanship) and an Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer. I had no experience or qualifications in terms of veterinary or physical therapy for horses. But I’d ridden since I was three years old. I’d been through Pony Club and Riding Club. I’d lived with and worked for a horse dealer. I had taught at a riding school for several years. I’d worked in polo and in racing. I’d competed at British Eventing, British Dressage and British Show Jumping. I’d seen a good few horses in my years, and this one didn’t look right to me. On the lunge, his quarters were sloping to the inside far more on the right rein than they were on the left rein. I didn’t know the specifics, but I figured that he ought to look the same on both reins. I explained to his owner what I was seeing and recommended that she get in touch with a vet or a physical therapist to check her horse out, before we approached the problem from a behavioural or training perspective. I felt that if the horse wasn’t right physically, maybe this could contribute to or cause the bolting behaviour when he was ridden.
“…journey of studying the links between pain and behaviour.”
Right there, on that cold, damp day in Berkshire, began my journey of studying the links between pain and behaviour. I continued working as a rider, an instructor and an equine behaviourist. My A-levels and my studies with the Open University gave me the relevant grounding and I got a place at Kings College London to study a BSc (Hons) in Physiotherapy. I worked as a Physiotherapist in the National Health Service in the West Midlands and spent evenings and weekends working with horses. I went on to qualify as a human and equine Massage Therapist and then to study an MSc in Veterinary Physiotherapy at the Royal Veterinary College in London. Once qualified, I registered with the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Animal Therapy (ACPAT) and the Register of Animal Musculoskeletal Practitioners (RAMP).
I remember asking a lecturer at the Royal Veterinary College whether I could do my dissertation on how to recognise pain in horses. I wanted to put together a guide and tick list on how owners could recognise back pain in their horse. How naive I was in terms of scientific research! The lecturer told me that the subject area was much too big for an MSc dissertation. The desire to help owners recognise pain in their horses has never left me, though, and in 2016 I wrote ‘Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?’. That book is based on my professional experience, and is validated by 27 guest contributions, but as yet there is no peer reviewed, published research to back up the work (give me time!).
Brain, Pain, or Training?
You can imagine how excited I was when I attended a Horses Inside Out Conference and listened to a lecture from Dr Sue Dyson titled ‘Brain or Pain?’! Of course, I knew of Sue and her work as an expert in the diagnosis and treatment of lameness in the horse. Indeed, I had shadowed her previously in her work at the Animal Health Trust. I gave Sue a copy of my book, and we kept in touch. The germs of an idea finally coalesced in my mind into a book when the paper on the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) was published in 2018. Some traumatic life experiences have slowed my writing and the publication of this book. It turns out, as is so often the case when fate intervenes, that this delay is beneficial to you, the reader, since the science supporting the RHpE continues to grow. This means that we’re able to share more evidence-based knowledge with you now than we could have done a few years ago. Meanwhile, I continue to treat horses daily in my work as an ACPAT and RAMP Registered Chartered Physiotherapist, and to discuss the links between pain and behaviour with owners, trainers, and riders.
You know that a horse can only communicate pain or discomfort through their behaviour or performance. If your horse has been in discomfort ever since you have known the horse, then you might not see any changes in that behaviour or performance. This doesn’t mean the problem is not pain-related. It simply means that the pain has been there since you first met that horse. I hope that one day, to overcome performance and behaviour problems, riders, trainers, coaches and all other equestrian professionals will first look for physical problems in the horse, rather than simply training the horse or the rider whilst ignoring the horse’s attempts to communicate. Only once pain and discomfort have been ruled out, with the RHpE as one of the tools used to do this, should the problem be dealt with through training.
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Meet Sue Palmer
Sue Palmer MCSP, aka The Horse Physio, is an award-winning author, educator, and Chartered Physiotherapist. Sue specialises in understanding the links between equine pain and behaviour, focusing on prevention, partnership and performance. She promotes the kind and fair treatment of horses through empathetic education, and is registered with the RAMP, the ACPAT, the IHA, the CSP and the HCPC.
Thank you
Thank you for your interest in this post; I appreciate your time and am grateful you chose to spend it with me. If you found value in this article, please support me by liking, subscribing, following, and sharing it on your favourite social media platform, and turn on the relevant notifications for future content from The Horse Physio. Please also take a moment to subscribe to my newsletter. Your support means the world to me, and it helps me continue creating content that matters to you.
You can find The Horse Physio on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on YouTube.
Sue’s offerings include:
Head to Hoof: An Introduction to Horse Massage
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy
Books
Harmonious Horsemanship, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson
Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
