Do Horses Feel Pain? (Find Out!)

One of my horses went through surgery recently, and my son and I have been by his side as much as possible during the recovery.

He seems to be in good spirits, but he is in a lot of pain—he twisted his ankle while on a trail, and the vets had to set it back into place.

I don’t pretend to understand the treatment, but it seemed painful, I can say that much!

My son, though, was wondering about whether they can feel pain in general—he’s young enough to still have these questions.

So, do horses feel pain?

Yes, they absolutely do. In fact, recent landmark studies have shown that horses are just as sensitive to pain as we are, particularly from things like whipping. In any case, pain is one of the most basic brain responses to indicate a problem—most animals would not get far if they couldn’t feel pain.

So, if there was any doubt in your mind for any reason, you should banish it forever.

Horses have complex central nervous systems, and pain is a very basic response that helps animals survive.

Horses can and do feel pain when we put them through certain things.

Let’s look further into this.

Can horses feel pain?

Yes, absolutely.

Indeed, there are really no vertebrates that cannot feel pain.

A creature’s sensitivity to pain is going to rely, among other things, on the complexity of its nervous system.

After all, nerves are how we sense and react to pain.

We are sensitive to pain because our skin has many, many nerve endings compared with other species.

These extra nerve endings give us extra sensitivity to the pain, which allows us to get a better idea of why some things hurt us.

Horses do not have the same level of complexity in their nervous system that we do, but it’s more than enough to make them profoundly sensitive to pain.

They can feel any kind of pain, though some parts of their body, like their hooves, are far less sensitive than softer parts of the body.

So, how can you tell if your horse is in pain?

How do you know if a horse is in pain?

Firstly, look at its gait.

If its abnormal or lame, then there is probably some pain somewhere.

Carrying their bodyweight can be challenging for horses, so any kind of pain will often manifest as a limp.

Look at how they shift their weight.

If they are constantly shifting from one leg to another, they are probably compensating for pain somewhere.

If they are lying down a lot, this too is a good indicator.

Sometimes, if the weight is just too much to bear, they will lie down—horses don’t often lie down when they aren’t sleeping.

If you notice your horse lying down a lot, this could indicate a problem.

Look for sweating, muscle tremors, and changes in temperament and mood.

These may be harder to notice, and could indicate more subtle pain, but the issue is still there.

Finally, look for changes in behavior. Lack of appetite, changes in temperament or mood—all of this could indicate a problem.

Do horseshoes hurt horses?

This is a common question, and the simple answer is no. horses’ hooves, as I said, are very thick, and it takes a great deal of pressure to really hurt them. E

ven nailed in as they are, horseshoes are really not painful for horses.

Of course, they can be very painful if not applied correctly.

If they are loose or uneven, this can be a real problem.

However, if they are fitted properly, they will actually prevent pain from walking on rough surfaces.

So, no horseshoes, applied properly, will not hurt your horse.

Does whipping hurt horses?

There is some debate about this, but it does seem like there is pain when racehorses are whipped.

For many years, the racing industry insisted that the whipping got the horses to move not via pain, but because it simulated having another horse in the herd running close behind.

However, recent studies have shown that horses absolutely feel pain from the whips.

Indeed, the studies showed that horses are just as sensitive to pain from whipping as humans are.

While it is still the standard practice in horseracing, we could see this change in years as pressure increases from animal rights groups.

Horses are, it seems, at least as sensitive to pain as we are, then.

If anything, they may be even more sensitive.

Over the millennia we have been putting horses through a lot, so I think we have an obligation to relieve them of as much pain as possible, now.

If you were in any doubt about the sensitivity of horses, I hope this has settled that.

Horses can feel pain just as we can.