Unfortunately, they are so sensitive that what you think may be a pain issue in your horse, could just be a normal reaction to a stimulus or, sad to say, even a reaction to your inadequate riding ability! You may be spending unnecessary money on chiropractic treatments, equine massages, herbal remedies etc. etc. etc. and not even know it!
Even more unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people out there these days, who call themselves Professional, who take advantage of ignorant horse owners. They will come and assess your horse, poke here and prod there, and your horses’ reaction will be enough for you to have them coming back once a week for a month, handing out all that cash you have saved for a new saddle!
Be very careful who you employ to treat your horse. Ask them for their qualifications and how long they have been working in their field as a minimum. Also learn as much as you can about your horse, so you know what is normal for them.
So here is something you can to do next time you are with your horse: print out the following horse map, get a hoof pick or a pen or something a bit pointy LIKE YOUR FINGERS and poke them in the places on the horse map. Be careful, some horses are more sensitive than others. Some will react quite strongly to minimal stimulus, some will take quite a lot to react, or may have even been desensitized, but whatever the case, it is important for you to know what is normal for YOUR horse. That way when a ‘professional‘ comes along and pokes your horse on the top of the head and when your horse ducks away, tells you that means your horse is ‘out at the poll’ you will know that it could be a load of rubbish! And tell them that your horse normally does this when poked in the head :) Some other common ones are when your horse tucks it’s butt under when you poke it’s backside (sometimes happens when you are washing them and they get a wet butt), or when you touch them in the flanks and they kick out. These are all automatic responses to stimuli, not necessarily pain.
There are lots more spots that can cause quite a reaction from the smallest amount of stimuli. So take the map to your horse and poke and prod away until you know your horse and it’s reactions. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of. Sadly these days, there are far too many people out there willing to do it.
Oh and the bit about inadequate riding? That comes from personal experience. My horse suddenly started falling out on circles. She had never done it before, so I thought there must be something wrong. Spent a truck load on the Chiro, only to discover through a good coach that I was not guarding her back end with my outside leg. She had realised it and was mucking about with me :) She didn’t need a Chiro, I needed a good coach!
You can also have a look at this saddle fitting video which shows a horse reacting to being poked in the withers:
Have fun with your horses!
