This is T: An equine pain face

This is T. During a consultation, I took this picture of T standing by his stable as I saw some facial expressions I recognise...

His owner called me out to address aggressive behaviour during certain activities. I suspected T was in pain and after a veterinary consultation and gastroscopy, it was confirmed he had ulcers in the glandular AND non-glandular regions.

As humans, we have the evolutionary skill to recognise human emotions through changes in facial expressions, including pain. In many species, including humans, facial expressions are considered to be the most consistent pain expression.

Being able to create and utilise reliable assessments and tools that can help us recognise mild to chronic pain-related behaviour in horses and animals will minimise the likelihood of prolonged pain and maximise welfare. And recognising these subtle forms of communication will help us detect possible painful conditions that can be tackled in the early stages.

The owner is now treating T along with improving some management factors we discussed.