How Horses Communicate Pain

of the soreness.
Then theres my bigboned guy Major a PaintBelgiancross. Nothing seemed to bother him. He is thickskinned and never cranky as long as his belly is full.
One day while being groomed he began to nip or headbutt me whenever I walked in front of his chest area. I knew he was trying to tell me something but I couldnt figure it out.
After a visit from the massage therapist it was revealed that he was sore in the sternum area. We had recently started him on small cavalletti training and crossrails which was causing muscle strain in that area.
The diagnosis from my equine masseuse in consultation with the veterinarian
Majors snappiness around his sternum originated from the pectoralis and belly muscles being torn slightly from jumping. Due to his size and conformation these muscles were overtaxed when he stretched out to clear the jumps.
A follow up with my equine chiropractor revealed the following
Musculoskeletal variations spinal misalignments. Tight bilateral pectorals. Decreased lateral flexion of the cervical spine right. Sternocostal ribs restricted left 4 and right 3.
Communicating Pain Under Saddle
This made me think about how many other ways horses communicate pain. Signs under saddle like tail swishing head tossing skin twitching hesitating or refusing fences trouble bending in one direction or trouble picking up or holding a lead can be construed as stubbornness but perhaps we need to slow down and take a deeper look.
Linda Hauck a lifelong horse woman and designer of the patented Spursuader Spur and Tapestry Comfort Girth took pain in horses seriously.
I invented the products to make horses more comfortable when being ridden she says. They are talking all the time about what we do with them and what we put on them. I thought about how to make the spur kinder but still effective and how to make

the girth more comfortable than a tight leather belt so it could breathe with the horse but hold the saddle on securely.
When a horse dances at the crossties or mounting block he is anticipating pain Hauck continues. Holding his head and neck higher than usual helps with the discomfort. Choppy uneven movement throughout the ride holding their breath at a canter and having difficulty picking up a lead are all ways of communicating pain or discomfort. Rushing is often a key that they are running away from the discomfort of a saddle or girth.
Keeping an Eye Out for Horses Communicating
Pain
When not under saddle horses can communicate pain by pacing pawing rolling or kicking at their sides but less obvious signals such as an unusual posture depressed facial expression pinched nostrils sunken eyes or blinking or staring at a particular area can all be signs of pain.
In order to realize your horses early attempts to communicate pain its a good idea to study his daily activity and normal routine. If your horse stops rolling in his favorite dirt pile stands in the paddock with a lowered head and decreases his normal activity these can all be early signs of discomfort.