Is my horse being naughty, or are they in pain?

Your horse is doing something worrying, and you've probably been told he's just being difficult. But why might a horse behave in ways we don't like? Is being naughty one of these reasons?

What is a naughty horse?

When we use the term 'naughty', it is usually to describe bad behaviour, often in a child or animal. With horses, this sort of bad behaviour might occur when we handle them on the ground, when we ride them, or even when they are just in their stall or paddock. For example, horses that behave aggressively towards people, that buck when ridden, or that kick the stall wall may be described as being naughty. Or, even stronger words might be used to describe their behaviour.

This way of defining behaviour - using a descriptive label based on our observations of what is occurring - can feel helpful in the short-term. However, if we think about bad behaviour from the perspective of the animal that performs it, using labels like this can prevent or delay getting appropriate help to address the real issue.

Causes of behaviour problems in horses

When thinking about horse behaviour problems, there's a great phrase to keep in mind: 'behaviour doesn't occur in a vacuum'. This means that there are always things triggering the horse to behave badly. Thinking back to the examples of bad behaviour above, those horses could be behaving in those ways because they feel fear, frustration, or have unmet needs. Or, they could be in pain.

Horses in pain

Pain is a very common cause of unwanted behaviours in horses.

Pain is both a sensory and emotional experience that occurs when an animal is exposed to things that can damage their body. When specialized pain-sensing nerves detect harmful stimuli, two things happen very rapidly: a signal is sent to the brain; the brain processes that signal.

As every horse is different, some brains may ignore or endure the pain, while others will prompt the horse to react to try and minimize any harm or damage. This variation in response is what leads to horses appearing to have different levels of tolerance to painful stimuli.

When pain is detected and then processed in the brain, the processing occurs in regions of the brain devoted to the regulation of emotions and behavioural responses that help keep the horse alive, with minimal injury. This means that when pain is triggered it also triggers an emotion. Some horses may feel anxiety or fear. Others will become irritable or even enraged. We can tell what emotions a horse might be feeling by their behaviour.

All animals must be able to feel pain, or they wouldn't survive to adulthood. But feeling pain - whether in the short- or long-term - can compromise a horse’s health and welfare, inhibit learning and decrease performance, and cause them to behave in undesirable ways.

Because of this, when horses are behaving badly, the first step is always determining if pain is an underlying cause. There are now several pain-assessment tools that can be used by professionals to look for signs of pain in horses. If pain appears to be present, your equine veterinarian is the best professional to help start addressing your horse's behaviour problem.

'Pain memories' in horses

Once pain has been assessed and addressed, unwanted behaviour caused by pain can often get better. But in some instances, the horse may be left with a 'pain memory'.

To better understand this, imagine that you go to a dentist for a root canal and they don't use enough local anaesthetic. Six months later, when the office sends an email reminder for your upcoming cleaning appointment, it triggers in you an immediate, negative emotion. Your strong memory of feeling pain in the dental chair causes you to feel immediate anxiety, just at the thought of going back for a routine cleaning. 

Horses who have experienced pain in certain contexts previously may show fear, anxiety or stress when put in those same contexts, even after pain has seemingly been addressed. If your horse is behaving in ways that worry or frustrate you, pain could be at the root of it,  and that's not something to push through or train around. The good news is that once pain has been dealt with, a horse's behaviour often improves significantly. And if your horse has been left with a pain memory that's keeping them stuck, that's something a qualified behaviour professional can help with too: kindly, effectively, and in a way that rebuilds rather than damages your relationship with your horse. You don't have to figure this out alone.

Learn more about signs of pain in horses