Cold backed horses survey - please fill in, much appreciated

J

jenadamson

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I am currently training with McTimoney Corley for my spinal manipulation qualification and my dissertation is on cold backed horses, so I have a small survey of just a few questions for anyone who owns or rides a cold backed horse....if you could spare a couple of minutes I would really appreciate your help, its just about symptoms and treatment, is totally anonymous and the stats will hopefully form part of my dissertation.
Thanks to anyone who can take part,
Best regards,
Jenny Adamson
link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6BRGCB2
 
I do find these questionnaires very unsatisfactory. I teach at a university with an equine facility and know what it's like setting these projects - and marking them! I have two horses who could be called cold backed, though I'm not sure what your starting point definition is, nor do I know what your premise is or what you are hoping to demonstrate. One is impeccably schooled and a dressage horse and has manners to burn, but I still lead him round the yard a few times after I've saddled him up and then do his girth tighter and he's fine. The worst he will do is walk a couple of steps forward once you're mounted.The other, which is the one I've answered the questions for, is much more of a quirky character and sometimes needs lungeing for a few minutes before you get on - not always, but you learn how he's feeling. It is literally a couple of minutes.Then, when you've either lunged or walked him round saddled up for a few minutes, all he does is dip a bit and then he's fine. Neither of them have any health or back issues, they just seem to take a couple of minutes to settle into the saddle for reasons best known to themselves. But that's ok with me.

It would just be interesting to know a bit more about the project you're doing and what you're looking for.
 
Done.
I actually did the survey about a horse that I had until she was pts aged 24. She was 'cold-backed' aged 5-10 but we then found out that she could not tolerate cereals or sugar in her diet. When these had been eliminated she was much better, although always a bit wary of being girthed/rugged. It was so long ago that we never thought of having a 'back person' to see her!
 
Done - although at the end it needed a comments box - I have mine under veterinary treatment (has had some steroid injections for a slight closeness of the spine but if I had lunged him before I got on etc he didnt need them - but cant do that at shows etc now!) and deliberatley dont use anyone one else as I had one of the top (if not the top) physio in the country treating him and one of the top osteos and all that happened was he got a lot worse and it really aggrivated the condition so after almost 7 months of fornightly treatment I gave up and went down the vet route - but then mabye I need to find the right person to treat him who knows!
 
Done - answered it for 2 horses on same survey as both similar - also posted it on facebook to hopefully boost your responses. Good luck.
 
Just answered about one of mine who walks or trots off when you get on board if you sit straight down in the saddle. If I get on and walk half a dozen steps while standing in my stirrups he is then ok. Also if I put his Activo-Med rug on before I ride he is ALWAYS fine! This is the rug does electromagnetic pulsed therapy then massage so I am guessing it warms him up!
 
Thank you very much everyone who has been responding, am getting some very useful info and different points of view, along with some causes that had not come up on my research yet.
Thank you :-)
 
Hi Jenny, Your study sounds very interesting, I have a young horse which I am backing at the moment and is a little funny with the saddle or when first sat on but much better after being lunged. It might just be his age and that he is still very green or maybe he might turn out to be a little cold backed. Could you please e-mail me at urshr@aol.com as I would really like to hear more about the thermal imaging results as this is a very interesting subject and useful. Thanks
 
have been meaning to ask for ages - any good reading on cold-backedness? Need to learn more about it to help my Arab a bit as i worry about him...
 
cariad said:
I do find these questionnaires very unsatisfactory. I teach at a university with an equine facility and know what it's like setting these projects - and marking them! I have two horses who could be called cold backed, though I'm not sure what your starting point definition is, nor do I know what your premise is or what you are hoping to demonstrate. One is impeccably schooled and a dressage horse and has manners to burn, but I still lead him round the yard a few times after I've saddled him up and then do his girth tighter and he's fine. The worst he will do is walk a couple of steps forward once you're mounted.The other, which is the one I've answered the questions for, is much more of a quirky character and sometimes needs lungeing for a few minutes before you get on - not always, but you learn how he's feeling. It is literally a couple of minutes.Then, when you've either lunged or walked him round saddled up for a few minutes, all he does is dip a bit and then he's fine. Neither of them have any health or back issues, they just seem to take a couple of minutes to settle into the saddle for reasons best known to themselves. But that's ok with me.

It would just be interesting to know a bit more about the project you're doing and what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. I am not sure that all cold backed horses are cold backed for the same reason. Mine is not sensitive when you groom him around the girth area but it is the girthing up that sets off his panic attack. I have to girth him up really slowly and lead around inbetween. He has never had a problem with me mounting, just with the saddle. I did some research and found that cold backed horses often experience a massive drop in blood pressure when girthed and that some normal, non cold backed horses have collapsed when the girth has been done up too tightly. This leads me to believe that in some horses, the girth puts pressure on the blood vessels that supply the heart and that if they are constricted too quickly, before the horse can adapt to the pressure, it causes this extreme reaction. With my boy it was the memory of the experience that has caused him to be cold backed and it took almost a year before he trusted me not to girth him up too tightly.

ETA His back has never been a problem and has been regularly checked, as have his saddles.
 
Done!

As Morgan123 has asked I would like to know if there is any decent websites/ research/ tips for dealing with cold backed horses, would love to get some use of of my 24yo TB!
 
done, but stupidly forgot to add:

my horse is manageable at home although his behaviour at times is quite extreme (when he's had a wet back, is fidgety to mount, will jog to the arena and does a lap in gallop, bucking every other stride but is then fine - have put this in my questionnaire)

however, took him on his first outing a while ago and he freaked out when the girth was done up. when saddle was just put on girth wasn't very tight, he planted himself and when asked to move forward he exploded. reared and bolted off. did the same thing when girth was tightened a bit later, but a bigger rear, almost fell over backwards. from then on his behaviour was impeccable, his girth was tightened again while being lunged but did not explode this time (warmed up a bit?) we jumped to the conclusion that it was due to an expectation of pain he remembers from his racing days but have not thought it may be cold backedness since he has never reared or reacted so violently to girthing before and didn't show any of his usual cold backed signs as he sometimes does at home. maybe it was a stronger reaction due to new surroundings and a stressful situation, i don't know. maybe it is not connected to being cold backed at all.

i don't know if any of this is of use to you, we are going out again next week and i can pm you about his behaviour if you'd like to know.
 
Done. I have just bought a cold backed horse and she is fine if she has a roller on every night. We took it off last week and then rode her the next day. She lifted her back straight away and didn't like walking forwards. After about 30 seconds she was fine. She is much happier horse if she has her roller on so will keep doing it.
we have had out back lady out and there is nothing wrong with her at all.
 
cariad said:
I do find these questionnaires very unsatisfactory. I teach at a university with an equine facility and know what it's like setting these projects - and marking them! I have two horses who could be called cold backed, though I'm not sure what your starting point definition is, nor do I know what your premise is or what you are hoping to demonstrate. One is impeccably schooled and a dressage horse and has manners to burn, but I still lead him round the yard a few times after I've saddled him up and then do his girth tighter and he's fine. The worst he will do is walk a couple of steps forward once you're mounted.The other, which is the one I've answered the questions for, is much more of a quirky character and sometimes needs lungeing for a few minutes before you get on - not always, but you learn how he's feeling. It is literally a couple of minutes.Then, when you've either lunged or walked him round saddled up for a few minutes, all he does is dip a bit and then he's fine. Neither of them have any health or back issues, they just seem to take a couple of minutes to settle into the saddle for reasons best known to themselves. But that's ok with me.

It would just be interesting to know a bit more about the project you're doing and what you're looking for.
Click to expand...

Surely if you knew what they were hoping to demonstrate when taking the survey it would bias the results?
 
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