Pain assessment during equestrian competition is increasingly recognized as a welfare priority, with behavioral indicators helping identify horses competing in pain.
Horses competing in pain represent a significant and underaddressed welfare challenge in equestrian sport. The competitive incentive to present sound horses encourages use of treatments that manage pain symptoms without addressing underlying causes, allowing horses to compete in states of welfare compromise that should preclude them from work. The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram provides an evidence-based tool for identifying behavioral pain indicators that ground judges and veterinarians can use to remove compromised horses from competition.