An important new documentary from world-renowned equine orthopedic specialist Dr. Sue Dyson has just been released for free on YouTube. The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness introduces the viewer to 24 observable behaviors of a ridden horse that Dr. Dyson’s research has found to be indicative of musculoskeletal pain in horses.
Those behaviors make up the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE), a tool developed by Dr. Dyson and colleagues to reliably predict lameness in horses before overt unsoundness is observed. These behaviors are ten times more prevalent in lame horses than in sound horses — even if the horse does not look traditionally un-sound. The ethogram and the 35-minute film are the result of six study phases over three years and over 400 observed horses, and build upon Dr. Dyson’s already enormous body of work on equine lameness.
Dr. Dyson specializes in lameness and poor performance in sport horses and has over 40 years of experience in clinical work and research, has published over 370 peer-reviewed papers on lameness and diagnostic imaging, and has co-authored several veterinary textbooks. She also knows a thing or two about managing top-level horses from a practical standpoint, having ridden and produced horses to the top levels of eventing and show jumping herself. Additionally, Dr. Dyson will be this year’s USEA Annual Meeting & Convention keynote speaker.
This film, produced by Padma Video in association with the Train With Trust Project, will take you on an emotional ride through the eyes of a young show jumper and her beloved mare, as she employs Dr. Dyson and Dr. Jim Myers of Gold Coast Equine to find the root cause of why her mare has become increasingly unhappy under saddle.
Does this film make make you look at your own “naughty” or “lazy” horse in a different light? More information can be found at 24horsebehaviors.org and a Field Guide to the 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain is coming soon.
