When trying to understand horses and have a better relationship with them, I find it very important to remember one simple concept:  A horse is always a horse. They don’t have a brain that allows them to be deceptive or lie. Every behavior or reaction from a horse comes from a true and honest place that can be sourced. Horses are the ultimate truth tellers if we know how to speak their language.

Horses cannot be expected to perform their best when they are experiencing discomfort or pain with the equipment or tack we use on them.

Horses should never be in pain 

Even a non-demanding job like a trail ride should be free of pain to the horse. Understanding signs of pain and discomfort allows us to become truth seekers in what is and isn’t working for the horse.

I managed a horse that began to toss its head when going down hills. He eventually became head shy and reluctant to put a headstall on. I tried probably 6 different types of bits and hackamores for this horse before discovering he actually had a tumor in his eye socket that had grown down into some nerves and was causing the majority of his discomfort. When the eye and tumor were removed, the head shyness and head tossing ceased. I had another horse that would refuse to walk forward when a saddle was on, so I spent countless sessions trying different saddles and saddle pad combinations in order to find the perfect fit for him to feel comfortable and capable of doing his job. 

The responsibility of a horse owner or manager is that of a detective- observing behavior and finding the cause of that behavior, then implementing changes or practices that result in favorable behaviors in the horse. 

Listen to your horse 

Horse’s can communicate discomfort and pain very loudly, like bucking, rearing, biting, or tail swishing, or they can communicate these signs very subtly, such as asymmetrical ears, a furrowed upper eyelid, teeth grinding, or tight lips. Sometimes it's simply a change in their normal behavior or pattern that is the communication to us that something isn’t right.

When focusing on the tack we use on horses, it’s crucial to remember that it’s a cause and effect situation. If a saddle is causing the horse pain, the effect is a pain response in the horse. When the saddle fits the horse and rider comfortably, the effect is a horse willing to move forward. Once you’ve figured out the right saddle fit, you need to keep in mind that the saddle might not work for the horse in a year or so because the horse’s back changes throughout its career. Although saddles are an expensive part of riding horses, they can also cause the most damage to the horse when it doesn’t fit right so behavior associated with saddle issues should not be taken lightly.

Bits, on the other hand, are a less expensive item to change. Signs of bit discomfort include mouth gaping, biting the mouthpiece, sticking the tongue out or over the mouthpiece, or avoidance of having the bridle put on. When you can conceptualize how a bit functions in the mouth and compare that to the observed behavior in the horse, you can narrow down the types of bits that might not work for the horse. I like to keep an open mind when it comes to bits and try as many as I can to find the most comfortable style for the horse and the job it has. When in doubt, I default to a simple hackamore or double jointed snaffle and go from there. A top priority for working with horses is to keep them comfortable and pain free. 

Look for subtle cues 

However, signs of discomfort can be more subtle than a buck or a bite. Sometimes all a horse is capable of communicating is a tight mouth or a wrinkled eye. We have to train our eyes to find the small details in equine behavior in order to be the best horsemen we can be. Knowing horses from a broad perspective is only the beginning. Understanding horses from the finer details is a lifelong pursuit. Recognizing an unobvious change in a horse’s behavior allows for deeper communication and understanding of that particular horse.

Being humble enough to question tack and equipment even though that particular combination of equipment has “always worked for the horse” can never make you less of a horseman; in my opinion it can make you an excellent participant in the equine industry. You don’t have to be a skilled rider or trainer to understand signs of equine pain- you just have to be willing to listen to the horse.