Frequency and intensity of pain symptoms detected during classic massage sessions of selected body parts in purebred Arabian racing horses

Wilk, Izabela; Janczarek, Iwona; Kędzierski, Witold; Pomorska, Agnieszka

doi:10.37496/rbz4920190142

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Biometeorology and Animal Welfare • R. Bras. Zootec. 49 • 2020 • https://doi.org/10.37496/rbz4920190142 copy

Frequency and intensity of pain symptoms detected during classic massage sessions of selected body parts in purebred Arabian racing horses

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

ABSTRACT

We analysed the frequency of symptoms and degree of muscle pain in selected body parts of racing horses assessed during classic massage sessions. The influence of horse's sex on obtained results was considered. The potential for the early determination of pain in horses by analysing their behaviour and cardiac parameters during a massage session was also evaluated. The study was conducted on 20 three-year-old purebred Arabian horses during one racing season. In the racing season, cyclic classic massage sessions were performed, during which the frequency of symptoms and the degree of pain in the neck, back, croup, front limbs, and hind limbs were analysed. A behavioural assessment of the horses was conducted, and cardiac parameters were analysed. During massage, the frequency of pain symptoms in front limbs amounted to 26, while in croup, it did not exceed 6. The studied horses were most susceptible to pain in the front limbs and in the back, with greater severity in stallions than in mares. An assessment of the frequency and severity of pain symptoms should not be based on changes in behaviour of horses or on cardiac parameters (HR and LF:HF ratio) during massage sessions. However, these methods can be applied after pain reactions intensify. Meanwhile, qualified masseurs can diagnose slight muscle pain during massage sessions.

Keywords:
back lesions; behaviour; heart rate variability; horse

Score	Behavioural manifestations in horses
1	No sensibility symptoms, tissue insensitive to touch, muscles remain relaxed when palpated
2	Tissue minimally sensitive to touch, muscle tension ceases within seconds after massage is started
3	Horse has mild discomfort on palpation and may present short and rapid muscle contractions when palpated
4	Horse prevents it from being palpated by shifting its body forward, backward, or laterally
5	Horse presents attempted bite, scuttering, prancing, or other violent response in an attempt to prevent palpation

	Behavioural attitude of horses
1	Horse cannot be approached or massaged, motoric activity in response to presence of masseur (shifting the body sideways away from the person or trying to push sideways on the person, rearing), aggressive behaviour in response to the touch of the masseur (an attempt to kick and/or bite)
2	Horse hinders massaging of its whole body, defensive reactions (high head raising, shifting the body away from the hands of the masseur, horse paws the ground), or harmless negative attitude (marked neck tightness, head high, beating with the tail)
3	Horse hinders massaging of some body area, defensive reactions, or harmless negative attitude only during touching specific place; the horse looks at the masseur
4	Horse presents a harmless negative attitude when some body parts are massaged, generalized relaxation of the body, head lowered
5	Horse voluntarily approaches a masseur, loosening the whole body, head low, relaxed attitude

Body part	Frequency of pain symptoms				Degree of pain severity
	Stallions		Mares		Stallions		Mares
	lsm	SE	lsm	SE	lsm	SE	lsm	SE
	First period of the study
Neck	6.44ax	0.02	8.01ax	0.09	2.83ax	0.06	3.61ax	0.05
Back	11.98bx	0.31	9.89ax	0.21	2.81ax	0.09	2.01ax	0.08
Croup	9.31ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.25	4.63bx^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.13	3.83bx	0.06	3.77ax	0.06
Front limbs	24.63cx	0.75	18.44cx	0.62	1.36cx	0.11	2.28ax	0.08
Hind limbs	16.02bx	0.48	12.33ax	0.42	3.57bx	0.07	3.99ax	0.04
	Second period of the study
Neck	3.46ay	0.11	4.51ay	0.11	3.27axy	0.06	3.77axy	0.05
Back	8.27by	0.21	9.10bx	0.18	2.29bx	0.05	2.93ay	0.08
Croup	5.49ay^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.16	9.46by^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.22	3.52ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.06	4.65by^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.04
Front limbs	18.97cx	0.59	23.22cy	0.81	2.09bx	0.07	2.83ax	0.07
Hind limbs	10.13by	0.21	11.77bx	0.36	3.93ax	0.06	3.59ax	0.05
	Third period of the study
Neck	7.63ax	0.22	9.71ax	0.23	4.11ay	0.06	3.98ay	0.06
Back	14.32bx	0.43	15.96by	0.60	2.23bx	0.13	3.25ay	0.07
Croup	10.11ax	0.25	12.30aby	0.37	3.77ax	0.06	4.41axy	0.06
Front limbs	26.41cx	0.86	22.99cy	0.83	2.48bx	0.07	3.67ax	0.08
Hind limbs	17.09bx	0.55	14.61bx	0.49	3.65ax	0.06	4.19ax	0.07

	First period of the study	Second period of the study	Third period of the study
		Stallions
lsm	1.25x	4.01y	3.22y
SE	0.05	0.02	0.03
		Mares
lsm	2.67x	3.61y	3.63y
SE	0.05	0.02	0.03

Parameter	Hear rate (bpm)				LF:HF (%)
Body part	Stallions		Mares		Stallions		Mares
Body part	lsm	SE	lsm	SE	lsm	SE	lsm	SE
	First period of the study
Neck	55.67ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.74	44.36axy^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.59	289.45ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	7.61	467.01ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	12.18
Back	65.14bx^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.68	54.31bx^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.66	417.66ax	11.48	461.33ax	13.01
Croup	43.60cx^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.61	57.02bx^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.86	332.88ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	10.79	529.17ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	14.10
Front limbs	55.89ax	0.67	59.66bx	0.87	462.91axy	12.89	455.12ax	13.51
Hind limbs	49.81acx	0.78	54.89bx	0.59	384.54ax	11.50	387.41ax	11.43
	Second period of the study
Neck	45.06ay	0.58	49.95ax	0.59	546.40ay^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	13.54	323.03ay^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	10.58
Back	58.88by	0.56	49.22ax	0.61	683.31ay^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	16.43	448.27ax^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	12.32
Croup	44.72ax	0.47	46.47ay	0.62	504.05ax	18.24	382.11ay	11.79
Front limbs	65.08cy^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.68	42.88ay^* * comparison of stallions and mares) differ significantly at P≤0.05.	0.53	547.38ax	18.41	491.29ax	12.30
Hind limbs	45.01ax	0.57	42.11ay	0.61	590.01ay	16.97	439.45ax	12.35
	Third period of the study
Neck	43.45ay	0.58	40.31ay	0.49	368.39ax	13.22	411.11axy	10.91
Back	48.82ax	0.53	47.93bx	0.55	402.15ax	12.30	389.65ax	11.56
Croup	44.06ax	0.44	38.23az	0.32	365.88ax	13.19	354.32ay	11.43
Front limbs	50.06ax	0.43	42.67aby	0.49	321.05ay	12.29	322.03ay	10.31
Hind limbs	47.67ax	0.61	42.88aby	0.48	414.23ax	13.11	411.28ax	12.27

Period of the study	Mean frequency of pain symptoms	Mean degree of pain severity
First	−0.179	−0.032
Second	−0.183	−0.105
Third	−0.023	−0.422^* * Significant correlation at P≤0.05.

Period of the study	Mean frequency of pain symptoms		Mean degree of pain severity
Period of the study	HR (bpm)	LF:HF (%)	HR (bpm)	LF:HF (%)
First	0.152	0.199	−0.279	−0.202
Second	0.098	0.171	−0.129	−0.101
Third	0.125	0.087	−0.391^* * Significant correlation at P≤0.05.	−0.445^* * Significant correlation at P≤0.05.

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[1] * Corresponding author: iwona.janczarek@up.lublin.pl