A recent study conducted by Janne Winther Christensen und Mette Uldahl examined the welfare of sports horses, focusing on the problem of mouth injuries (oral lesions) often seen in dressage horses. Such injuries can be caused by poorly fitted equipment or harsh training methods. By noticing subtle signs that horses show when they’re in pain or frustrated -referred to as “conflict behaviors”- riders, trainers, and competition officials can help prevent these injuries.
The study looked at 11 upper-level dressage horses, randomly selected for a mouth check right after being ridden. Out of these 11 horses, 5 had injuries on the inside or corners of their mouths. The researchers then watched videos of each horse’s performance to look for specific behaviors, like how often the horse opened its mouth.
The findings showed that horses with mouth injuries opened their mouths much more often than those without injuries, suggesting that mouth-opening behavior could be an early indicator of pain or discomfort. Other behaviors, like tail swishing, weren’t significantly different between horses with and without injuries.
Despite the arguably small number of participating horses in this study, the results suggest that watching for specific behaviors, like frequent mouth opening, could help identify horses experiencing discomfort, improving their welfare. The study calls for more research on behavioral signs of discomfort in sports horses so that riders and officials can recognize these signs early and take action to protect the horses’ well-being.
Link to study:
Oral behaviour during riding is associated with oral lesions in dressage horses – A field study - ScienceDirect
Tanja Schnuderl is the Director of International Services with The Equine Expert LLC, a multi-discipline equine expert witness and consulting firm with expert equestrians offering legal expert witness and consulting services in court cases and legal matters. Tanja is an expert on Barn Management and Horse Behavior and Senior Equine Appraiser with the American Society of Equine Appraisers. Tanja grew up in Germany and was a paralegal for many years. For more information on Tanja Schnuderl email [email protected] or visit www.theequineexpert.com
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