Can you recognise when a horse is in pain – or are you missing the signs?

Pain is one of the most common causes of behavioural problems in horses, yet it is frequently overlooked, misinterpreted, or dismissed as ‘bad behaviour’. Research has shown that many horse owners, riders, and equine professionals struggle to recognise discomfort – particularly when it is subtle or chronic. 


While obvious injuries are easy to identify, low-grade or persistent pain often goes unnoticed. Horses may continue to work while experiencing discomfort that is incorrectly attributed to training issues, temperament, or rider error.


This comprehensive course will help you see what others miss. Through a combination of behavioural science, veterinary insight, and physiotherapy perspectives, you will develop the knowledge and observational skills needed to recognise pain, understand its impact on behaviour, and make more informed decisions about horse welfare and performance.
 
Veterinary behaviourist Roxane Kirton, equine behaviour consultant Justine Harrison, and veterinary physiotherapist Holly Gallacher will guide you through how pain presents – both physically and behaviourally – and how it can be assessed in a practical, real-world context. 


You will learn how to:


• Understand what pain is and how it affects the horse


• Understand how pain affects behaviour and performance


• Recognise the relationship between pain and behaviour


• Identify both obvious and subtle  behavioural indicators of discomfort


• Recognise pain in the ridden horse


• Understand how pain is assessed in a clinical context


• Identify forelimb and hindlimb lameness


• Recognise biomechanical dysfunction and its impact on movement


• Understand the biomechanics of engagement


You will also be introduced to a range of tools, pain scales, and ethograms to help structure your observations and build confidence in your assessments.



This course is aimed at horse owners, students and equestrian professionals interested in learning about equine pain. You don't need any prior knowledge to take this course, it is open to everyone.


Once enrolled you have 60 days to complete the course.

Who is this course for?

  • HORSE OWNERS

  • EQUINE STUDENTS

  • EQUINE PROFESSIONALS

Continuing Professional Development (CPD/CEU)

  • Course Contents

    14 x individual video lessons and 4 x quizzes to test your knowledge

  • Course Duration

    9 hours

  • CPD/CEU Certificate

    You can download a personalised CPD/CEU certificate after completing the course material and the final quiz.

  • KPA

    This course has been approved for 9 Continuing Education Units (CEU) by the Karen Pryor Association (KPA). Once you have completed the course you can contact us for an event code, then email both code and CEU certificate to the KPA.

  • IAAT

    Understand Horses is a trusted partner of the International Association of Animal Therapists, offering external CPD courses for its members.

Course curriculum

    1. Reading List

    1. Part 1: Understanding Equine Pain

    2. Part 2: The Relationship Between Pain and Behaviour

    1. Part 1: Introduction

    2. Part 2: How Does Pain Affect Behaviour?

    3. Part 3: Body Language Indicators of Pain

    4. Part 4: Body Language Indicators of Pain

    5. Part 5: Pain When Ridden

    6. BONUS: Recognising Behavioural Signs of Pain in Horses

    1. Part 1: Identifying Pain and Dysfunction

    2. Part 2: The Clinical Assessment

    3. Part 3: The Clinical Assessment

    4. Part 4: Case Study

    1. Assessing Pain in Practice

    2. BONUS: Recognising Lameness in Horses

    3. Quiz 1: Understanding Equine Pain (Roxane Kirton)

    4. Quiz 2: Behavioural Indicators of Pain (Justine Harrison)

    5. Quiz 3: Identifying Pain and Dysfunction (Holly Gallacher)

    6. Quiz 4: Recognising Lameness in Horses

About this course

  • £190.00
  • 19 lessons

REVIEWS

5 star rating

Understanding and Assessing Equine Pain

Helen Glen

I viewed this course content because of the day to day work I am involved in. This has added to my tool box in having more awareness of pain indicators and a...

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I viewed this course content because of the day to day work I am involved in. This has added to my tool box in having more awareness of pain indicators and aiding me to how I explain what I see to Guardians of Redwings horses/ponies on the Rehoming scheme to issues they either haven’t recognised or who have questions to why something is happening and they haven’t figured out that the behaviour could be related to pain. So looking forward to using the information learnt to support the Guardians moving forward to encourage more investment in the overall health of their horses/ponies. Thanks to you all for the presentation of this subject - Helen Glen

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5 star rating

Fantastic Course. I am excited to learn more

Fiona Graham

This is a brilliant course given by 3 impressive professionals. I have always been frustrated by the fact that I can spot lameness but often identify the wr...

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This is a brilliant course given by 3 impressive professionals. I have always been frustrated by the fact that I can spot lameness but often identify the wrong leg/legs. I run a sanctuary with 28 equines and I now know a lot more than I did before the course but have so much more to learn. I am keen to learn more. I am a little frustrated though that there seem to be very few equine behaviorists in or near Berkshire, if I wasn’t 66 I would love to study and become qualified as I care very much about horses.

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Learn how to recognise and assess equine pain and discomfort

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Your Instructors

ROXANE KIRTON

Roxane Kirton BVMS MSc MRCVS graduated as an equine vet from the University of Glasgow in 2005. She has spent most of her career working in the equine charity sector and it was the challenges of working with horses and ponies with histories of cruelty and neglect that started Roxane’s interest in equine behaviour. This led to her obtaining a MSc in Clinical Animal Behaviour with Distinction from the University of Lincoln in 2020. Her MSc research project was investigating the welfare impact of different grazing systems on outdoor living ponies. Roxane has a particular professional interest in the relationship between unwanted behaviours and physical health. In addition to continuing to work in the charity sector to improve the welfare of horses, Roxane also offers private behaviour and acupuncture consultations.

JUSTINE HARRISON

Justine is passionate about improving horse welfare and founded Understand Horses to provide practical, evidence-based education for the equine community. She has worked as an equine behaviour consultant since 2007 and is an IAABC Certified Equine Behaviour Consultant, member of the IAABC Application Review Team, ABTC Accredited Animal Behaviourist, and Fear Free Certified Equine Professional. She is also a visiting lecturer in equine behavioural science at several UK universities, a welfare consultant for equestrian organisations, and an expert consultant in court cases involving equine behaviour. In addition to consulting on equine behaviour and welfare internationally, she mentors students and professionals, delivers lectures and workshops, presents at conferences, and regularly contributes articles and expert commentary to international publications.

HOLLY GALLACHER

Holly Gallacher is an Equine Veterinary Physiotherapist, registered with the National Association of Veterinary Physiotherapists (NAVP). Holly received a BSc (Hons) in Equine Science, followed by a PgDip in Veterinary Physiotherapy from Harper Adams University in 2016. She has been around horses since the age of four and owned her lovely mare Roxy (above) for over 15 years. Professionally she enjoys working both in the field with her own private clients as well as being a university lecturer and teaching the next generation. Holly is passionate about improving horse welfare and has a particular interest in the link between pain and behaviour in equines.

INTRODUCTORY COURSE PRICE

Standard Price £270

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