SOURCE OF POTENTIALLY DEVASTATING PAIN IDENTIFIED

A tenet of good horseman-ship has long held that if a horse chronically misbehaves, your first step must be to determine whether physical pain is the cause. A study from Colorado State University not onlyvalidates this approach but identifies a specific type of neuropathic pain that can lead to behaviors so dangerous that euthanasia may be the kindest option.

The Colorado researchers reviewed the cases of 14 horses referred to the University veterinary clinic for “severe performance limitations resulting in euthanasia.”The horses were generally well-behaved and easy to handle around the barn, but became extremely dangerous under saddle—bucking, rearing and refusing