Signs That Your Performance Horse Might Be Sore

Description

Many performance horses work hard for a living. And since horses don't have the ability to vocally voice their complaints, it is 100% up to us as owners, riders, and trainers to make sure they are truly comfortable in their jobs. While an obvious lameness is usually fairly easy to see, it becomes a whole lot more tricky when the horse isn't outright lame, yet is NQR, or "not quite right." 

Sometimes this is due to a bilateral lameness, meaning both front feet or both hocks hurt equally, which creates a situation where the horse might not actually "limp," because both sides hurt. And sometimes the horse has soreness somewhere in his body, that is unlikely to make him limp, even if it is quite sore. This is a tough situation for some horses, if their owners are the type to say, "If he's not limping, he's fine." Not only is it unfair to the horse to be made to work when he's sore, very often when minor problems are overlooked, they can turn into big problems down the road. 

Here are some things to think about, and 15 different signs to watch for, to help you make sure your horse isn't working with pain in his body: