Back and Spine
Article
Head Position Impacts Kissing Spines Evaluation (AAEP 2012)
How a horse stands during X rays might influence how vets interpret images when diagnosing kissing spines.
Photo by Tracy A. Turner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS
Article
Study: Cut-Out Saddle Pads Relieve Some Saddle Pressure
A cut-out patterned English appeared to have multiple benefits when compared to not using a pad.
Photo by Photos.com
Article
New Surgical Treatment for Kissing Spines Evaluated
A new, minimally invasive kissing spines treatment method boasted a 95% success rate in a recent study.
Photo by Tracy A. Turner, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVS
Article
Head Position Impacts Kissing Spines Evaluation (AAEP 2012)
April 20, 2013
How a horse stands during X rays might influence how vets interpret images when diagnosing kissing spines. ... Read More
Article
Study: Cut-Out Saddle Pads Relieve Some Saddle Pressure
November 16, 2012
A cut-out patterned English appeared to have multiple benefits when compared to not using a pad.... Read More
Article
Could Horses' Neck Postures Indicate Back Pain?
October 26, 2012
A recently published French study suggests a horse's neck posture might indicate correlating back pain.... Read More
Article
New Surgical Treatment for Kissing Spines Evaluated
August 28, 2012
A new, minimally invasive kissing spines treatment method boasted a 95% success rate in a recent study.... Read More
Article
New Treatment for Equine Bone Fragility Disorder Evaluated
August 10, 2012
Zoledronate appears effective in improving clinical signs associated with bone fragility disorder.... Read More
Article
Exercises to Strengthen Equine Back Muscles, Reduce Pain
August 06, 2012
Exercising the multifidus muscles in addition to daily training could reduce equine back pain.... Read More
Article
CSU to Offer Horse Health Discussions for Veterinarians
August 03, 2012
The first discussion, which will cover sacroiliac pain in horses, is scheduled for Aug. 6 at 6:30 p.m.... Read More
Article
Kissing Spines: Common, But Not Career-Ending (AAEP 2011)
January 18, 2012
Kissing spines are more likely to cause clinical problems in certain breeds, disciplines, and age groups.... Read More
Article
Managing Neck and Back Pain in Sport Horses
January 11, 2012
A thorough physical examination and tailored therapeutic approach can help relieve equine neck and back pain.... Read More
Article
Neck, Back Mobilization Help Treat Equine Back Pain
November 05, 2011
Research has shown that performing carrot stretches can strengthen the muscles that stabilize a horse's back.... Read More
Article
Saddle Pads: Best Shock Absorber Identified in Study
August 02, 2011
Researchers recently examined what saddle pad material is best suited for reducing equine back pressure.... Read More
Video
Back Pain in Horses
May 16, 2011
Learn how your horse's back works and the causes of and treatments for equine back pain. ... Read More
Article
Link Between Chronic Pain and Aggression in Horses Identified
April 11, 2011
Anyone who's suffered from chronic aches and pains will likely say the ever-present irritation can put a damper on their day, possibly even making them cranky. But is the same true for horses? A group of French researchers recently completed a study ... Read More
Article
Diagnosing and Treating Back Pain in the Sport Horse (AAEP 2010)
February 01, 2011
"Back problems can be performance-limiting in the horse due to pain and reduced range of motion and flexibility," reported Kent Allen, DVM, of Virginia Equine Imaging, as he presented on equine back pain at the 2010 American Association of Equine ... Read More
Article
Genetics of Swayback in Saddlebred Horses Examined
December 20, 2010
The gene responsible for causing the swaybacked appearance of many American Saddlebred horses might be playing an advanced game of "hide and go seek," but genetic researchers at the University of Kentucky's Gluck Equine Research Center are one step ... Read More
Article
Once-Paralyzed Foal Now Walking Freely
August 03, 2010
Vitelle, the once-paralyzed filly, is finally walking, trotting, and cantering without a walker at the farm in Belgium she left more than a year ago. In June 2009, at 3 weeks old, the Boulonnais Draft horse foal developed sudden paralysis and urinary... Read More
Article
Vets Assess Back Pain, Vertebral Lesions in Trotting Horses
March 29, 2010
In a retrospective study of 118 French Trotters, a team of veterinarians found that horses with back pain had more severe and localized lesions identifiable on X ray than horses with no evidence of back pain, but even pain-free horses had lesio... Read More
Article
Rider Position, Horse Back Movement Evaluated
December 22, 2009
A rising trot is less loading to a horse's back than a sitting trot, producing less vertical force as measured through new biomechanical techniques, according to Dutch researchers. From the kinematic data of 13 riders on two horses, scientists were ... Read More
Article
Paralyzed Foal Recovering after Surgery, Therapy
August 25, 2009
A once-paralyzed foal is now up and running about with the help of an equine "walker" following a groundbreaking surgery to remove a cyst from the spinal cord, according to the treating veterinarians in Belgium. The Boulonnais draft horse... Read More
Article
Saddle Pad Research Shows Variable Changes in Rider Pressure
August 12, 2009
Saddle pads might help reduce painful pressure on a horse's back caused by ill-fitting saddles, but the ideal pad will vary from horse to horse and from saddle to saddle, according to a new study by Austrian researchers. Optimum pressure... Read More
Article
Rider Pressure Affects Horse Tack Evaluation
July 11, 2009
The force a rider exerts on the horse's back will shift depending on his or her position and should be included in any evaluation of tack pressure, researchers recently reported. "You need a force that is distributed over a certain area to... Read More
Article
Scoliosis in Adult Equines
July 01, 2009
I purchased my Thoroughbred gelding when he was 5 years old. Within the next two years we were doing really ... Read More
Article
Researchers Examine Effects of Rider Stability
May 22, 2009
Austrian researchers have reported that the stability of a rider’s seat affects the forces acting on a horse’s back. Using an electronic pressure mat placed under a dressage saddle, scientists with the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna’s... Read More
Article
Sacroiliac Joint Motion and Pelvic Deformation, AAEP 2008
March 29, 2009
An equine athlete uses the pelvis and sacroiliac (SI) joint in many different fashions: A rope horse uses the pelvis to rapidly accelerate and decelerate, a Standardbred races at high speed at a constrained gait, and a dressage horse... Read More
Article
Acquired Scoliosis in Equids, AAEP 2008
March 17, 2009
Scoliosis, a curvature of the spine, is most often attributed to congenital vertebral malformations, possibly associated with malposition of the fetus in the uterus. However, researchers have linked cases of acquired scoliosis presented at Cornell... Read More
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Farm Call: Your Questions Answered
Scoliosis in Adult Equines
Q. My gelding's back is skewed to the left, making riding uncomfortable for him. Could the crookedness in his spine be caused by overschooling with pain and incorrect muscle use? Or could the scoliosis have always been there and gotten worse?
"Swayback" In a Young Horse
Q. Q: I have a 3-year-old gelding. I bought him when he was almost 2, at which time he appeared somewhat swaybacked. He had, and still does have, very high withers. He was still growing, so I thought that as he aged and grew he would appear less swaybacked. On the contrary, the swayback has worsened as he's gotten older. I requested pictures of him as a weanling and yearling, an
