SPORT

From comfort under saddle to performance.

Understanding what actually drives performance starts with the horse's functional experience under the rider.

The Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram (RHpE) — also known as the Ridden Horse Performance Checklist in sport and monitoring contexts — is a validated 24-marker behavioural assessment developed by Dr. Sue Dyson. In a clinical context, it quantifies pain-related behaviours to guide veterinary investigation. In a sport and performance context, it serves as a longitudinal monitoring tool: a score taken at regular intervals that detects early changes in ridden comfort before they become visible — or irreversible.

Explore the science Read testimonials ↓

THE CENTRAL QUESTION

Is it training - or is it pain?

These are the situations the RHpE was built for.

Behaviour

Resistances, spooking, tension, explosive reactions — in specific exercises or contexts.

Performance

Loss of impulsion, asymmetry, refusals — the horse that competed well and no longer does.

Rider instinct

Something is not right — but the horse is not lame on the lunge or in hand.

Conditions the RHpE can reveal

These conditions do not necessarily cause obvious lameness in hand. Each has been identified following a high RHpE score:

Explore the riders' testimonials

How the RHpE is used in sport

01

Riders & trainers

Is it training — or pain? Contextualise resistances or performance decline. Distinguish training response from potential discomfort. Improve communication with veterinarians.

02

Performance monitoring

Track the horse's functional evolution over time. Before and after training changes. Rehabilitation progress. Impact of management or equipment adjustments.

03

Veterinary integration — the sport angle

Integrate ridden performance into clinical discussions in a competition context. Provide ridden evidence to complement in-hand findings. Guide the next diagnostic step from a sport-specific perspective.

Comfort is not separate from performance.

Ridden performance is not just a matter of training, fitness or technique. It is also strongly influenced by the horse's functional comfort under the rider. In multiple observational studies, RHpE scores have shown a significant association with competition results across disciplines — from amateur to 5* level eventing and Grand Prix dressage. Lower scores are consistently associated with better placings and better rideability.

What the data show

RHPE SCORE COMPETITION RANKING high low better worse

Fewer markers, better odds of success. Observed across >1,400 horses — all Olympic disciplines — from novice to 5* elite level.

Dyson & Pollard, 2021–2022 Dyson & Ellis, 2022

2×

A horse showing more than 7 RHpE markers at warm-up is twice as likely not to complete the cross-country.

Dyson & Ellis — Equine Veterinary Education, 2022

This relationship has been observed consistently across disciplines, levels and countries. These data are not exploratory — they converge.

1× / month

Dr. Sue Dyson recommends scoring your horse once a month — providing reassurance that your horse is probably comfortable — to establish a personal baseline and detect early changes before they become clinical. This is what distinguishes a reactive approach from a preventive one.

Riders' Testimonials

In their own words.

Margot — Show jumper, 5-year-old French Warmblood

« Isaure was tense in the contact, frequently stumbled — to the point of falling — and was not progressing like a normal 5-year-old. Four vets had examined her and found no lameness on standard examination or flexion tests. The high RHpE score was what finally justified going further. Without it, I am not sure anyone would have taken my concerns seriously. »

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RHpE score

13/24

Clinical investigation

The score, combined with the clinical picture and the horse's history, prompted a thorough investigation including radiographic examination of the cervical spine. The findings revealed cervical osteoarthritis — a condition that had gone unnoticed across multiple in-hand and lunge examinations.

Resolution

Targeted treatment was put in place. Follow-up RHpE assessments showed a marked improvement in the score alongside clinical progression. Above all, she completely stopped stumbling and is now safe to ride.

Sophie — Retired Thoroughbred, leisure horse

« He looked fine and felt fine most of the time, but under the saddle I had a persistent feeling that something was not right. When the RHpE score came back at 10/24, it gave weight to what I had been sensing. After treatment, he scored 3/24 and rides like a different horse. It reminded me to always trust my instinct — and showed me that there are tools to back it up. »

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RHpE score

10/24 — concentrated in the facial expression and global behaviour areas

Clinical investigation

The score, above the musculoskeletal pain threshold, prompted a clinical investigation covering several hypotheses. Given the behavioural profile and the horse's history, gastric ulcers were considered alongside musculoskeletal causes. A gastroscopy was performed and confirmed severe gastric ulcers.

Resolution

A course of omeprazole and management changes were introduced. The RHpE score dropped to 3/24 at follow-up.

Camille — Hanoverian eventer, 12 years old

« He was competing, passing the vet checks and moving symmetrically — but I felt something was not right. The RHpE gave him a 9/24. Without that score, I don't think anyone would have looked further. He was competing with pain invisible to standard assessment. It is a matter of welfare, but also of safety — for both of us. »

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RHpE score

9/24 — concentrated in the locomotion and global behaviour areas

Clinical investigation

An imaging work-up confirmed bilateral front foot pain — a condition that had produced no detectable lameness in hand or on the lunge, and had not been flagged at routine vet checks.

Resolution

The competition programme was suspended. A targeted management and treatment plan was established. The score provided a structured baseline to track recovery.

Julien — Pre-purchase assessment, sport horse candidate

« The horse looked perfect. Clean radiographs, no lameness, good movement. But the RHpE gave him a score of 9/24 on the ridden assessment. I decided not to purchase. Six months later I learned the horse had developed obvious bilateral forelimb lameness and had been withdrawn from competition. The score did not tell me what was wrong — but it told me something was. »

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RHpE score

9/24 — concentrated in the forelimb and locomotion areas

Clinical investigation

At the time of the pre-purchase examination, no specific diagnosis was established. The RHpE score indicated a level of ridden discomfort incompatible with a horse suited to the competition programme the buyer had in mind. No further investigation was undertaken at that stage — the purchase was declined on the basis of the ridden assessment.

Resolution

The buyer was protected from acquiring a horse with an underlying condition that had not yet shown at standard examination. This case illustrates the value of the RHpE in pre-purchase settings — not as a diagnostic tool, but as a risk-assessment instrument.

Marta — Leisure mare, 6 years old

« She was gentle and willing most of the time, but could react explosively in specific exercises — and only in those exercises. The RHpE gave her a score of 12/24. I wish I had known this tool sooner. The investigation that followed found a condition that explained everything. What I had been labelling as character was actually pain. »

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RHpE score

12/24 — with markers spread across several areas, notably head position and global behaviour

Clinical investigation

The score and the specificity of the behavioural episodes prompted a thorough clinical evaluation including a neurological assessment and an imaging work-up. The findings revealed an occipital fracture — a rare but serious condition that explained the highly specific, context-dependent behavioural reactions.

Resolution

Surgery was performed. The mare returned to ridden work and is now calm and willing under the saddle. Follow-up RHpE scores confirmed the functional improvement.

Elise — Dressage rider, warmblood gelding competing at regional level

« He was not lame. He passed all the standard checks. But he had started to feel twisted in the contact and less fluid through the lateral work. The RHpE score came back at 8/24. We investigated early, before anything became obvious. He has since progressed to 3* Grand Prix and broken his personal best. Early detection changed everything. »

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RHpE score

8/24 — at the threshold associated with musculoskeletal pain, with markers concentrated in the hindquarters and locomotion areas

Clinical investigation

The score, combined with subtle observations under the saddle, prompted a targeted imaging work-up. Early hindlimb suspensory ligament involvement was identified — at a stage where intervention was straightforward and the prognosis for a full return to sport excellent.

Resolution

A rehabilitation and treatment protocol was initiated. The horse returned to full Grand Prix competition. Serial RHpE assessments were used to track progress throughout recovery.

A shared language between health and performance.

Kairon creates a common measurement layer connecting veterinary medicine, training decisions and competition performance. It allows all stakeholders — riders, trainers and veterinarians — to speak about the same reality: how the horse functions under the rider.

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