Equine Fear Score By Susi Cienciala DVM
“Just get ‘er done Doc” is what equine veterinarians hear from their clients but, it is probably not in the best interest for the horse. As veterinarians, we pressure ourselves to fulfill this perceived expectation. It is standard practice to bring out the twitch, apply the gum chain or put the horse in stocks to just “get ‘er done,” regardless of the mental and emotional state of the horse.
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n the small animal veterinary world low-stress handling techniques have become mainstream in most hospitals thanks to the work of Dr. Sophia Yin, who was the pioneer of low-stress handling in the veterinary world. Now we need to adopt this same attitude in the equine veterinary world. Veterinarians are busy people and usually under time constraints. It is easy for a simple and painless procedure to become a stressful event for equines, which may or may not escalate into a potentially dangerous situation for everyone involved due to the size and strength of a fearful horse. It is not uncommon for small animal veterinarians to have owners administer mild sedatives or anxiolytic medications to the patients prior to coming into the vet hospital. The staff are also trained to use low-stress handling methods and to give food rewards to encourage patients to be relaxed while at the hospital. This is not only a positive experience for the animals and their owners but also for the staff of the veterinary hospital. The number of injuries to staff from fearful animals is reduced significantly. Most horses allow routine procedures such as vaccinating, deworming and physical exams without difficulty. There are a few, however, either through prior history or personality that can be a potential problem. Properly dealing with these individuals is critical to everyone's safety including the horse. Through the understanding of learning theory and a handful of simple techniques, most of these horses can be convinced to allow veterinary procedures to occur without fear or stress. Veterinarians need to be able to read the horse's behavioural
signs and quickly assess the horse's level of fear. They may even have to come back another day or leave the owners with oral sedation that can be given prior to a subsequent visit. It can be difficult to tell an owner that the procedure should not be performed as planned, but most owners are happy to have their horse’s welfare preserved. Owners can also be shown how to use some desensitization training (injections) or habituation (i.e. clippers and picking up hooves) if they are willing to put in the time required. There are distinctive changes in a horse’s behaviour as it goes from a relaxed state to a state of extreme fear. I have developed the Equine Fear Assessment Scale to categorize the signs of escalating fear on a score from 1 to 5. The scale provides information on how to avoid escalating fear responses, make an ongoing risk assessment, and offers clear guidelines about how to proceed when a horse does become fearful. If the horse scores a 1 or 2, then procedures may be performed. If the horse scores 3 or higher, then steps need to be taken to modify behaviour before continuing with the intervention. Hopefully, this offers a significant improvement over the “get ‘er done” strategy.
SCORE 1: relaxed body language Standing still and resting one leg, head in natural outline, eyes normal, ears quiet, tail flat, eating readily (either treats or hay) and focused on food, responds promptly to handler. 20 • APRIL 2023
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