Harmonious Horsemanship

All too often, pain in ridden horses is labelled as 'bad' behaviour. The apparently ‘sound’ horse is 'naughty', 'lazy', 'difficult', 'explosive', 'spooky', 'nappy', and more. These labels are wrong.Pain impacts all aspects of a horse's performance, including its partnership with the rider, and its potential to progress.

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All too often, pain in ridden horses is labelled as 'bad' behaviour. The apparently ‘sound’ horse is 'naughty', 'lazy', 'difficult', 'explosive', 'spooky', 'nappy', and more. These labels are wrong. Pain impacts all aspects of a horse's performance, including its partnership with the rider, and its potential to progress. It does not always create lameness. Relieving pain can lead to greater potential, a deeper partnership, and improved performance.


In ‘Harmonious Horsemanship: Use of the Ridden Horse Ethogram to Optimise Potential, Partnership and Performance', Sue Dyson and Sue Palmer share their professional knowledge and experience. You will learn how to use a checklist of 24 behaviours to check for musculoskeletal pain in ridden horses. The book includes a gripping mix of research studies, contributions from industry experts, and real-life case studies. Only by first recognising pain can we then address it through accurate assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.


This book, full of practical tools and backed by solid robust science, teaches you how to use ridden behaviour to recognise the subtle signs of pain, even in horses that appear to be sound. It is for anyone who cares about the horse, whether you are an interested amateur owner or an experienced equestrian professional. Together, we can make the world a better place for horses.