Could it be kissing Spine??

lochpearl

lochpearl

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My horse has a very dipped back, it is not very strong and however much work I put into him he never builds topline, he is funny in his mouth and always seems to be tense when ridden, never relaxes. He also doesn't canter very well on one rein he will keep changing behind and he is very 'choppy'. He pulls faces when i put his girth on but has no issues when putting the saddle on. I can press down and groom his back without him being any different. He previously was a SJ but now panics if there is a cross pole in the school. I have been trying to re-school him for dressage but I just cannot get him to work and relax. He fell over on the lunge a few weeks ago and since then he has completely changed character when ridden and has started rearing and bucking whilst ridden. Have now had vet out from newmarket and he has said we can go the route of x-ray but he seems to think it might be behavioural - I totally disagree as he has been a saint for the past 7 months, so we are on 2 bute a day for 2 weeks then 1 bute a day for 2 weeks and if that makes a difference in him then we are going the xray route, does this sound anything like what any of your horses have had as although I want to get to the bottom of this, I am really scared at the outcome. cookies and cakes for your help x
 
My horse has kissing spine. There is no visible outward sign at all, apart from the fact that her hind end is weak to look at. I think it will vary for different horses. Her main indication of problems was that she sometimes dragged a toe on a hind, and she did start to object to being ridden. Personally I'd go all the way to finding out what is wrong with your boy now, before your insurance runs out! If it's like mine then you've got a year to diagnose and treat each condition so if it might be kissing spine your clock is ticking. Only an Xray can confirm kissing spine. My horse had all sorts of tests and scans that showed nothing before the vet asked to xray her back while he had the chance.
I know how you feel, it is a very scarey time. But take some hope, it may not be kissing spine and if it is many horses can be treated.
Good luck!
 
How old is the horse? Kissing spine usually presents in the youngish horse who is starting to do more work so round about 6-7 years.

That doesn't sound like kissing spine to me. You give a history of falling over and sounds like he is conformationally more likely to get a back injury so sounds much more like a traumatic injury. Plus the onset is sudden rather than gradual. Kissing spine tends to come on insidiously with loss of performance before the horse starts to buck etc. Does he have a long back? Long backs are more likely to get injured but short backs are more likely to get kissing spine.

I had a long backed horse who started to buck and was obviously very miserable when ridden. I had the full works done on his back (was afraid it might be KS), Xray, Ultrasound etc. We never got to the bottom of it or found out why. The horse had a week of bute, one month's box rest plus one month in a tiny paddock, then gradually brought back into work. He bucked a lot at first but more out of fear (he remembered that it hurt) but I sat it out for 2 weeks and then he was fine.

A word to the wise, if your horse has not got a great back and no topline, lunging is not necessarily the best way forward. It put a fair bit of strain on them and they're more prone to injury that way. I hacked my horse out for 6 weeks in straight lines only but made him keep an outline to build muscle. That worked much better than lunging in my opinion.
 
Have you had his teeth/tack checked? Has he been seen by a chiropractor? If not, it might be worth getting that all checked out first. Ask your vet if he thinks it would be worth a try.
 
jumpthemoon - yes tack and teeth fine, he has also been seen by a chiropractor - in fact 2, one said that he had a collapsed back and the other said he had damage to his shoulder.
kit279 - he is 12 now but i got him from a dealer who said he had won loads of SJ, from his record he has won only about £88 and was only jumped 2005-2006 - so why was he then sold to a dealer and wont go near a jump now? I assume it is pain related. the horse is very stiff to ride, I cannot get him working properly he will not work in an outline so cannot build the muscles. It's a vicious circle, he only fell over on the lunge as he was being an idiot and hasn't done since, and the problems working him were there before then. I guess I'm worried that he could have had whatever this problem is, a long time ago but due to his lovely nature he has just been working through it

Sorry just terribly worried about him but I guess I will just have to wait until he has had the last of his bute!
 
I knew something was up with mine from about 11 months old. Her first visit to the Royal Vets College was when she was about 18 months old. They bone scanned but didn't xray so didn't find it. It was eventually diagnosed when she was 5, shortly after I'd backed her and was trying to start work.
Physio recommended was longlining in straight lines in something like a chambon to encourage her round, but in the end it didn't work out, she wasn't a good candidate for the op and she is retired. Many, many horses get sorted though.
At the moment you need an idea of what's going on before you try to sort it, the wrong work could do more harm than good I guess.
 
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