Certified Horsemanship Association offers online tools featuring University of Denver Equine Director
As prey animals, horses are pre-wired to hide pain, weakness, and illness. While some acute episodes of lameness and injury may be obvious, more subtle cues can be tricky to read. New research and published tools can help us better recognize the smaller signs. Body language, facial expressions, and particularly the sensitive orbital triangle are all addressed.
The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) has a new blog posted – Tools and Tips to Identify Subtle Signs of Pain in Lesson Horses. This blog has online tools available to use to determine possible pain in your horses. Sources include the Lameness Grading Scale from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), The Equine Pain and Welfare Assessment App from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Utrecht University, and more.
This blog article is written by Jill Montgomery, who is a CHA Riding Instructor, Equine Facility Manager, and Certifier. Also featured in the online article is Nina Ekholm-Fry, the Director of Equine Programs at University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection and Adjunct Professor in the Graduate School of Professional Psychology and the Graduate School of Social Work. Ekholm-Fry’s work focuses on therapeutic human-horse interactions and on equine behavior and welfare.
Read the full article HERE and learn how to observe and and identify signs of pain in your horse.
RELATED: Progress in Pain Recognition
The Colorado Horse Source is an independently owned and operated print and online magazine for horse owners and enthusiasts of all breeds and disciplines in Colorado and surrounding areas. Our contemporary editorial columns are predominantly written by experts in the region, covering the care, training, keeping and enjoyment of horses, with an eye to the specific concerns in our region.