The two non-negotiables every rider needs to know
The more we as riders know about our horses, the better decisions we can make. Here are the two essential topics that all riders should be educated on.
Horses will show discomfort – not with sounds, but with facial expressions, posture and behaviour. On the right we see a horse that is comfortable. On the left, the same horse experiencing pain. If you look, the difference is obvious.
Rider and horse owner education is crucial for long term improvement in global equine welfare, but just how much education and on what topics should we consider essential? In a perfect world, every rider and horse owner would know the basics of pretty much everything: from hoof balance, to biomechanics, basic veterinary care, saddle fit, behaviour, diet... The list becomes pretty long if you really think about it. Realistically, not every rider will have the time and willpower to learn all these things. A team of high-quality equine professionals can help a rider make sure his horse is happy and healthy. The hoof care provider will come once every 4-8 weeks and make sure the hooves are ok, the dentist will come out once a year to make sure there are no dental problems, the saddle fitter will come once or twice a year to check for proper fit... Because we have the support from our experts, it's not absolutely crucial for success that we know everything there is to know about these subjects. But what is absolutely crucial for success?
In my opinion, every rider needs to familiarise themselves with two things – how the horse should move under the rider and how to tell if a horse is in pain. If you are familiar with those two things, then you can more easily make decisions like when to call the saddle fitter, when to have the bodyworker out, when to ask the hoof care provider if there had been any changes in hoof balance and so on. Let's look at why I find these two topics so essential (in fairness, the first one is really only a requirement for horses that are ridden).
Most people own horses so they can ride them. And while horses are capable of carrying a rider without any negative effects on their health, they need to first learn how to do it. An uneducated horse who does not know how to properly carry a rider will not remain healthy. So, in order for our horses to stay healthy, they need to carry us properly. This is why it's so crucial to understand what needs to happen in the horse's body to carry the extra weight in a healthy way. If we don't know what healthy posture looks like, we can't know if we are harming the horse or not.
The second non-negotiable is being able to tell when the horse is in pain. Horses are prey animals who naturally like to hide any discomfort or pain. They don't cry out or whimper, but they do tell us in their own way when they are not feeling well. Many horses are suffering in silence, not because their riders don't care, but because their riders don't know what a horse in pain looks like. But, once you know and you look for it, it becomes very obvious. From behavioural changes, to facial expressions to body posture, horses do communicate if we are willing to listen. There have been many publications devoted to recognising signs of pain in horses. Most notably, there is the Equine Discomfort Ethogram and the Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram, both of which are absolutely fantastic. They offer a very detailed account of pain and discomfort signals to look out for. Familiarising yourself with the behaviours described in these publications is crucial for every horse owner and rider.
If you are a horse owner, make a plan to learn about these two topics regularly. Commit to reading one book on the subject a year, or maybe watch a webinar every couple of months. If you are a riding instructor or a riding school owner, implement these two subjects into your riding programme. I bet that if every riding school taught these two topics to their young riders, we would see massive improvements in equine welfare in the future.