The 24 Behaviors of the Ridden Horse in Pain: Shifting the Paradigm of How We See Lameness is a film that dares to challenge the way we look at reactive horses, and promotes the notion that lameness doesn’t start at the head bob.

This short documentary features world-renowned expert in equine orthopedics, Dr. Sue Dyson, and her work demonstrating that many “bad” horse behaviors frequently labeled as “resistant”, “lazy”, or even “explosive”, can actually be indicators of pain. 

“The 24 Behaviors” follows Dr. Dyson and Dr. Jim Myers of Gold Coast Equine, as they examine and diagnose show jumper Lauren McMahon’s beloved mare Galina, who was not obviously lame, yet seemed increasingly unhappy under saddle.

Unfortunately, Galina’s story is not uncommon. Through the eyes of a young girl who loves her horse and will stop at nothing to try to figure out how to make her comfortable, horse lovers will learn to better understand their own horses, and will see how it is possible to spot the early signs of pain.