A review of The Ridden Horse pain Ethogram and its potential to improve ridden horse welfare

Ladewig, Jan; McLean, Andrew N.; Wilkins, Cristina; Fenner, Kate; Christensen, Janne Winther; McGreevy, Paul

doi:10.1016/j.jveb.2022.07.003

Cited by 15 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…The narrative description of undesirable behaviours within E-BARQ was brief but it is possible, that in doing so, we left some behaviours open to interpretation. Many owners are poor at recognising subtle signs of pain, confusion, or fear [4,[35][36][37][38][39][40], so the numbers reported here probably represent a lower limit to the proportion of horses displaying agonistic behaviours. The current data probably reflect the observations of amateurs more than professionals, and thus reflect the proportion of both communities in the equestrian population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

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Reported Agonistic Behaviours in Domestic Horses Cluster According to Context

Fenner,

Wilson,

Ermers

et al. 2024

Animals

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Agonistic behaviours are often directed at other animals for self-defence or to increase distance from valued resources, such as food. Examples include aggression and counter-predator behaviours. Contemporary diets may boost the value of food as a resource and create unanticipated associations with the humans who deliver it. At the same time the domestic horse is asked to carry the weight of riders and perform manoeuvres that, ethologically, are out-of-context and may be associated with instances of pain, confusion, or fear. Agonistic responses can endanger personnel and conspecifics. They are traditionally grouped along with so-called vices as being undesirable and worthy of punishment; a response that can often make horses more dangerous. The current study used data from the validated online Equine Behavioural and Research Questionnaire (E-BARQ) to explore the agonistic behaviours (as reported by the owners) of 2734 horses. With a focus on ridden horses, the behaviours of interest in the current study ranged from biting and bite threats and kicking and kick threats to tail swishing as an accompaniment to signs of escalating irritation when horses are approached, prepared for ridden work, ridden, and hosed down (e.g., after work). Analysis of the responses according to the context in which they arise included a dendrographic analysis that identified five clusters of agonistic behaviours among certain groups of horses and a principal component analysis that revealed six components, strongly related to the five clusters. Taken together, these results highlight the prospect that the motivation to show these responses differs with context. The clusters with common characteristics were those observed in the context of: locomotion under saddle; saddling; reactions in a familiar environment, inter-specific threats, and intra-specific threats. These findings highlight the potential roles of fear and pain in such unwelcome responses and challenge the simplistic view that the problems lie with the nature of the horses themselves rather than historic or current management practices. Improved understanding of agonistic responses in horses will reduce the inclination of owners to label horses that show such context-specific responses as being generally aggressive.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…From an equine welfare perspective, the most important cause of agonistic responses is pain, which is often undiagnosed [4]. Pain associated with being handled and ridden (potentially with flawed techniques) is thought to prompt some horses to be aggressive and motivate them to increase the distance between themselves and humans [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reported Agonistic Behaviours in Domestic Horses Cluster According to Context

Fenner,

Wilson,

Ermers

et al. 2024

Animals

Self Cite

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“…A recent review on the RHE looked at the fact that there is a risk when using the RHE as a standalone technique as there are many more aspects that may contribute to suboptimal welfare in the ridden horse. Another flaw is the equal weighting of the parameters without an evidence-base for that [ 43 ]. In this study, the results clearly showed the reliability in visible stress and coping mechanisms when horses were subjected to stressors such as tight nosebands or an overground endoscope.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The RHE score can range from 0–24, where a score of ≥8 is likely to indicate musculoskeletal pain [ 14 ]. Apart from musculoskeletal pain, stress and other suboptimal welfare conditions can result in the same behaviors listed in the RHE [ 43 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Substance P as a New Stress Parameter in Horses in a Stress Model Involving Four Different Stress Levels

Scholler¹,

Zablotski²,

May³

2023

Animals

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Stress has a significant impact on equine welfare. There are some studies on the stress response in horses ridden with tight nosebands, but little is known about other stress parameters than cortisol, which potentially could address an emotional component. In this study, blood samples of a total of 74 warmblood horses were used to establish reference values for plasma substance P (SP) concentrations. Moreover, 16 of these warmblood horses were included in a stress model. Four different stress levels (level 1: horses ridden with loose noseband, level 2: tight noseband, level 3: loose noseband and overground endoscope, level 4: tight noseband and overground endoscope) were applied to evaluate SP as a potential stress parameter in horses. Blood samples were taken at rest (t0) and directly after inducing stress (noseband tightening, insertion of endoscope; t1), as well as after 20 min of riding at all gaits (t2). A ridden horse ethogram was applied and showed that horses in the tight noseband group resorted to other stress-related behavioral issues than horses with loose nosebands. Serum cortisol showed a linear increase concurrent with the increase in stress levels with a significant difference between level 1 and level 4 (p = 0.043), proving that stress factors were adequate to evaluate the stress response, whereas SP did not show a correlation with the stress levels. Furthermore, concentrations of SP differed widely between horses but stayed within more narrow limits in the individual horse. As a conclusion, SP might not be a reliable stress parameter in horses in the applied minor stress model.

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“…While the ridden horse pain ethogram (RHpE) by Dyson et al. ( 2018 ) has been developed to rule out pain or lameness in ridden horses, it has been found that many other aspects of riding can contribute to suboptimal welfare in ridden horses and result in the same behaviours listed in the RHpE (Dyson et al., 2018 , Ladewig et al., 2022 ). According to reviews, the RHpE is impaired by some flaws that limit its use in diagnosing pain as behaviours can be a result of many aspects such as equipment, rider skills, lateralization, and conflict behaviours (Ladewig et al., 2022 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do tight nosebands have an effect on the upper airways of horses?

Scholler,

Wittenberg,

Zablotski

et al. 2024

Veterinary Medicine & Sci

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Background/ObjectivesThe public perception relating to the welfare of horses involved with equestrian sports is associated with training methods used and the presentation of horses at events. In this context, very tight nosebands, which are intended to prevent the horse from opening its mouth, also attract a lot of attention. Various studies have evaluated the impact of tight nosebands on stress parameters, whereas the effect of tight nosebands on upper airway function is unknown. Therefore, the aim of the study was to use overground endoscopy to evaluate changes in pharyngeal and laryngeal function when a tight noseband is fitted. Moreover, the ridden horse pain ethogram (RHpE) was applied to investigate signs of discomfort (Dyson et al., 2018).Study designA randomized, blinded, and prospective study was performed.MethodsSixteen warmblood horses consisting of twelve mares and four geldings with a mean age of 11.63 ± 3.53 years were ridden on 2 consecutive days with either loose or tight nosebands (two fingers or no space between bridge of the nose and noseband, respectively) and inserted endoscope in a random order. Videos were taken in a riding arena during a standardized exercise protocol involving beginner level tasks for 30 min in all gaits. For video analysis, freeze frames were prepared and analyzed at the beginning of the expiration phase. Pharyngeal diameter was measured using the pharynx‐epiglottis ratio. Other findings (swallowing, pharyngeal collapse, soft palate movements, and secretion) were also evaluated. Moreover, the RHpE was applied. Descriptive statistics and generalized linear mixed effects models were used. Results with a p‐value < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.ResultsWhile the pharynx‐epiglottis ratio did not change significantly in horses ridden with loose versus tight nosebands, there was an increase in mean grade and total counts of parameters assessed in the pharyngeal region, for example, grade of secretion (1.5 [±SD 0.89] vs. 3.13 [±SD 0.96]; p = 0.0001), axial deviation of the aryepiglottic folds (0.29 [±SD 0.73] vs. 1.33 [±SD 1.44]; p = 0.01), and pharyngeal collapse (0.69 [±SD 0.87] vs. 1.88 [±SD 1.54]; p = 0.005) in horses ridden with tight nosebands. There was no RHpE score above 8 indicating musculoskeletal pain, but the RHpE scores were significantly higher in horses ridden with tight nosebands (p < 0.001).Main limitationsVideo quality was limited when horses showed large amounts of secretion. Another limitation was the small number of horses.ConclusionsResults add to the evidence obtained in other studies that tight nosebands do not only cause adverse reactions based on the RHpE score such as head behind the vertical or intense staring but also contribute to changes in the pharyngeal region, such as increased secretion and collapse of pharyngeal structures. This may provide further support for future decisions regarding regulations on nosebands.

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A review of The Ridden Horse pain Ethogram and its potential to improve ridden horse welfare

Cited by 15 publications

References 38 publications

Reported Agonistic Behaviours in Domestic Horses Cluster According to Context

Reported Agonistic Behaviours in Domestic Horses Cluster According to Context

Evaluation of Substance P as a New Stress Parameter in Horses in a Stress Model Involving Four Different Stress Levels

Do tight nosebands have an effect on the upper airways of horses?

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