This dataset contains scores from 125 equine students who assessed facial expressions of pain in photographs of 20 horses. Participants from Dutch further and higher equine education programmes scored individual facial features and total pain, which were compared to Gold Standard scores provided by a veterinary anesthesiologist. The dataset includes participant scores, Gold Standard scores, and derived error measures, and was used to examine agreement with the Gold Standard and the effects of education level and pain severity on scoring accuracy.