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Home / Equine Research Bank / BMC Vet Res / Comparison of clinical examinations of back disorders and hu...
BMC veterinary research2013; 9; 209; doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-209

Comparison of clinical examinations of back disorders and humans’ evaluation of back pain in riding school horses.

Abstract: Questionnaires are a common tool to assess people's opinion on a large scale or to sound them out about their subjective views. The caretakers' opinion about animals' "personality" has been used in many studies. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the owners' subjective evaluation was effective to detect back disorders. Back disorders have been shown to have a high prevalence in working horses. Caretakers from 17 riding schools (1 caretaker/school, 161 horses) were given a questionnaire about their horses' health status, including back disorders. Out of these 161 horses, 59 were subjected to manual palpation of the spine and 102 were subjected to sEMG examination all along the spine. Results: The results showed that subjective caretaker-reported evaluation via questionnaire survey was not efficient to detect back disorders: only 19 horses (11.8%) were reported as suffering from back pain, whereas the experimenters' evaluation detected 80 of them (49.7%) as suffering from back disorders. While most caretakers under-evaluated back disorders, a few "over-evaluated" it (more horses reported as affected than found via clinical evaluations). Horses were less prone to present back disorders when under the care of these "over-attentive" caretakers. Conclusions: This study showed that back pain is difficult to evaluate, even for professionals, and that subjective evaluations using a questionnaire is not valid in this case. The results also highlighted the real need for observational training (behaviours, postures) outside and during riding.
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Publication Date: 2013-10-15 PubMed ID: 24128080PubMed Central: PMC4015870DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-9-209Google Scholar: Lookup
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  • Comparative Study
  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

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The research paper explores whether horse caretakers’ subjective evaluations effectively detect back disorders in horses. The study finds that such evaluations are largely inefficient and calls for observational training to improve this assessment.

Objective of the Research

  • The primary goal of this research was to assure the efficiency of subjective evaluations by the owners to discover back disorders in horses.
  • The researcher endeavored to compare this casual evaluation method to professional examinations of back disorders in horses at riding schools.

Methodology

  • A questionnaire about horses’ health status, including back health, was given to the caretakers of 17 different riding schools. This covered a total of 161 horses.
  • From these 161, 59 horses underwent a manual palpation of the spine, while 102 were examined using a sEMG examination along the spine, two standard methods of detecting back disorders in horses.

Findings

  • The research found that caretaker evaluations were inadequate to detect back disorders. Only 19 horses (11.8%) were identified as suffering from back pain by the caretaker reports, whereas 80 of them (49.7%) were found to have back disorders through clinical methods.
  • The study also found a discrepancy in reporting with some caretakers “over-evaluating” back disorders – i.e., identifying more horses as affected than found through clinical evaluations.
  • Interestingly, the horses under the care of “over-attentive” caretakers were less likely to present back disorders.

Implications

  • The result suggests that the assessment of back pain is a complex process, challenging even for professionals. Therefore, subjective evaluations using a questionnaire should not be solely relied upon.
  • The research underlines the urgent need for observational training, which includes understanding horses’ behaviors and postures, both outside and during riding.

Cite This Article

APA
Lesimple C, Fureix C, Biquand V, Hausberger M. (2013). Comparison of clinical examinations of back disorders and humans’ evaluation of back pain in riding school horses. BMC Vet Res, 9, 209. https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-6148-9-209

Publication

BMC veterinary research
ISSN: 1746-6148
NlmUniqueID: 101249759
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 9
Pages: 209

Researcher Affiliations

Lesimple, Clémence
  • Université de Rennes1, UMR CNRS 6552 Ethologie Animale et Humaine 263 avenue du général Leclerc, Rennes cedex 35042, France. lesimple.c@gmail.com.
Fureix, Carole
    Biquand, Véronique
      Hausberger, Martine

        MeSH Terms

        • Animals
        • Back Pain / diagnosis
        • Back Pain / epidemiology
        • Back Pain / veterinary
        • Electromyography / veterinary
        • Female
        • Horse Diseases / diagnosis
        • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
        • Horses
        • Humans
        • Male
        • Pain Measurement / methods
        • Pain Measurement / veterinary
        • Palpation / veterinary
        • Physical Examination / methods
        • Physical Examination / veterinary
        • Prevalence
        • Surveys and Questionnaires

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