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I plant my feet, I spin around, I spook. I am trying to tell you I don’t want to leave the yard. I’m sore, and I don’t want to go out for a hack or trot around in circles. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
“I don’t want to buck you off. There’s a sharp pain every time I go into canter when you’re riding me, and I can’t help but react to it.”
I don’t want to buck you off. There’s a sharp pain every time I go into canter when you’re riding me, and I can’t help but react to it. I don’t understand it, it doesn’t happen if I canter in the field. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
When I rear, it’s because I’ve run out of other options. I’ve tried to show you that there’s a problem, but I feel as though you haven’t understood. Each time I’ve resisted, you’ve caused me more pain, and I’ve had no choice but to do what you’re telling me. Those spurs, that whip, they hurt more than the pain that I was trying to tell you about, and so I did what you asked. But now it’s become too much. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
“I’m not moody! I put my ears back when you come towards me with the saddle because it hurts when it’s on my back!”
I’m not moody! I put my ears back when you come towards me with the saddle because it hurts when it’s on my back! I threaten to bite you when you do the girth up because I get a sharp pain in my ribcage. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. But I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
The reason I tilt my head isn’t that you’re sitting crooked, or that I’m too weak to support myself. It’s because I’m hurting. You twist your body to try and correct me, you push against my side with your leg, you pull on the reins, you use gadgets to force me to hold my head and neck in a certain position. But none of that takes away the pain. The only way to ease it is to tilt my head. I try to do what you’re asking of me, but it’s so hard. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
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“I’m not lazy. I’m sore. I go slowly because that way, I can put my feet down just a little bit more gently.”
I’m not lazy. I’m sore. I go slowly because that way, I can put my feet down just a little bit more gently. The spurs you use to encourage me to go faster just create more pain. They don’t solve the problem. I really want to be more forward and to have fun, but it’s so hard when I’m uncomfortable. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
I know I throw my head up and down. I wish I didn’t need to. There’s something that hurts in my neck. I can’t describe it, I don’t even know where it starts, or what triggers it. It’s irritating, and the only way I can get away from it seems to be to throw my head around. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
I heard you telling your friend how your shoulders are aching after you’ve ridden me. My mouth is sore with how you’ve pulled on one side. Have you thought about how I might be feeling? I wish you’d let go, so I could find my own balance. I promise you, if I could support myself evenly on both reins, I would do. I don’t choose to lean on one rein, but I can’t seem to make my body go straight. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
“When I put my ears back, it’s not because I’m being rude. I’m not just a ‘grumpy old man’, or a ‘moody mare’. I’m trying to tell you that something isn’t right.”
When I put my ears back, it’s not because I’m being rude. I’m not just a ‘grumpy old man’, or a ‘moody mare’. I’m trying to tell you that something isn’t right. It’s a form of communication that us horses have used forever, and I don’t understand why you smack me for it. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
“Ask your friend to look at my expression when you’re riding me. I used to be bright eyed and enthusiastic. Since my back has started hurting, I’m not enjoying my work. Surely it must show in my eyes?”
Ask your friend to look at my expression when you’re riding me. I used to be bright eyed and enthusiastic. Since my back has started hurting, I’m not enjoying my work. Surely it must show in my eyes? Sometimes I find it easier to have my eyes half closed for a while, it seems to dull the pain. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
Please don’t strap my mouth shut. I open it so that I can cope with what you’re asking of me. Ridden work aggravates my pain, and opening my mouth gives me something else to think about. There must be a better way than simply shutting down my escape route. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
I know you moan about my hanging my tongue out, but I can’t help it. To be honest, I don’t even know I’m doing it. How can I change something that I’m not even aware of? Perhaps it means that something’s wrong? Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
You pull at the reins to try and hold my head in a certain position, but I find it really hard to work that way. It’s much easier to keep my balance if I stick my nose out a bit. I can’t see what the problem is with doing that. Surely it’s better to keep going and to be comfortable, rather than struggling? Losing my balance is no fun. Could we find a better way of strengthening my body, that’s not so uncomfortable for me? Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
You think that it’s great when I tuck my nose into my chest, but I’m only doing it because I don’t have any other option. It’s horribly uncomfortable to hold for any length of time. I can’t breathe properly, and it feels like I lose the power from my back end. Let alone the aching from my tired neck muscles! Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
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“You’re absolutely right, when I swish my tail, it means I’m not happy about something.”
You’re absolutely right, when I swish my tail, it means I’m not happy about something. You don’t see a happy horse continuing to swish his tail vigorously on an ongoing basis. My tail should swing in a rhythm with my movement. To swish my tail that much in an effort to show you something’s wrong, I have to hold my back really tight. It can’t be comfortable for you as a rider. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
I try my best to run away from the pain, but it doesn’t work because you hold me back. No matter how fast I move my feet in the walk, in the trot, or in the canter, the ache is still there. I’d hoped that with enough adrenaline, I wouldn’t hurt so much. But it doesn’t work. I want to work calmly, with a relaxed and even stride, but I can’t do that until I’m more comfortable. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
Please, please take notice when I stumble and trip. I’m so scared that I’m going to hurt us both. Some days, my feet just won’t pick up enough. It’s like I’m aching all over, and if I make big movements, everything hurts more. If I just keep trudging along, I can cope, but then I stumble. I wish I felt young again. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
I know what you’re asking for when you ask me to canter. I know you want me to be balanced, and that I lead with the right fore on the right rein, and the left fore on the left rein. When I refuse to pick up the correct lead on the left rein sometimes, it’s not because I don’t understand what you’re asking. It’s not because you aren’t asking correctly. It’s not because you’re not a strong enough rider, or you just need to be more forceful, or you just need to get better. It’s because I hurt if I pick up the left lead. It’s not a problem on the right lead on the right rein. If the problem was you, then I’d struggle on both reins. Please listen to me. I know you love me and want the best for me. I don’t know how else to tell you I’m hurting.
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Sue Palmer, MCSP, The Horse Physio, is an award-winning author, educator, and Chartered Physiotherapist. Sue specialises in understanding the links between equine pain and behaviour, focusing on prevention, partnership and performance. She promotes the kind and fair treatment of horses through empathetic education, and is registered with the RAMP, the ACPAT, the IHA, the CSP and the HCPC.
You can find The Horse Physio on the web, on Facebook, on Instagram, and YouTube, book an online consultation, or take a look at Sue’s online courses.
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Horse Health Check: The 10-Point Plan for Physical Wellness
Head to Hoof: An Introduction to Horse Massage
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy
Harmonious Horsemanship, co-authored with Dr Sue Dyson
Understanding Horse Performance: Brain, Pain or Training?
Horse Massage for Horse Owners
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