A Voice for Horses - Issue 6 (Pain) - Online

EDITORIAL

Suffering in Silence

Many years ago, a horseman said to me: “If horses cried out in pain the way dogs and cats do, competition arenas would be empty because spectators simply couldn’t bear to listen.” This doesn’t apply only to competition arenas, but to most places where people work with horses.

Just because horses, as prey animals, instinctively suppress every cry of pain doesn’t mean they are free from pain. Studies show that up to 73% of ridden horses suffer from pain or lameness.

Around 50% of riders interpret their horse’s pain response as behavioural issues, for which the horse is then punished. I think of horses that cannot stand still while being saddled because their backs hurt. Studies have shown that every second saddle does not fit properly. Yet the horses are then ridden with these ill-fitting saddles—and are expected to concentrate and perform. How is that supposed to work?

At this point, every horse owner should be asking themselves some honest questions. What about my own horse? We need to take the time to observe our horses more closely. What are they trying to tell us, for example, when they tighten their nostrils, refuse to cooperate, swish their tail, or show other changes in behaviour?

And what if the pain is emotional rather than physical? A stable companion leaves; a horse feels stressed because it is alone; it experiences chronic stress or frustration because it is unable to live according to its natural needs. Are we willing to look at that, too? Sooner or later, emotional pain also manifests in the body—for example, as a stomach ulcer or cribbing.

I believe that many people carry deep pain within themselves. Because they are not willing to look at their own pain, they are unable to recognize pain in other living beings—for doing so would awaken memories of their own unhealed wounds.