Feed to aid topline without the fizz for kissing spine rehab

[equestriansecretsquirrel]

My thoroughbred mare has recently been diagnosed with kissing spine and will have the steroid injections in 7 weeks time to hopefully help her. At the moment she is being treated for PSD in both hind legs so once the farrier has been tomorrow to put on some hind shoes we can start walks out in hand. I do need to significantly improve her overall topline and to encourage her to work through her back effectively. My girl is a good doer (thankfully) but is naturally anxious so I am struggling to find a basic feed that would aid the development of topline muscles but wont turn her into Satan! Does anyone have any suggestions? I cant afford all these top end feeds/balancers without robbing a bank!

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

Having just watched a friends horse rehab following KS surgery I’d say don’t bother with any special feeds. Her horse looked brilliant just from the walking in hand and lunging.

 

[Green Bean]

Riding correctly is more important than feeds. There are plenty out there that will promise you topline but as a fellow livery said to me once, it is correct work, not feed that will build topline. I have a mare with KS so am familiar with the requirements - hill work, pole work, working in a relaxed, unforced contact. All easy to say but do take dedication

 

[sbloom]

For feed you need good amino acids https://forageplus.co.uk/five-reasons-understand-horse-protein/

But to rehab kissing spines you need to look at posture and compensatory movement patterns that caused it in the first place, not some notion of fittinening and generally "strenthening the back" or, God forbid, using a Pessoa or similar to "get the back up". Working through the back is actually unhelpful IMO, the horse needs release in the right place, to stabilise and strengthen in other places, and to work to lift the thoracic sling ie the shoulder girdle. Once the horse can do that the hind legs have somewhere to go - you start to see how KS and PSD are linked, the hind legs stab up and down too much and suffer from concussion without the joints working properly.

Have a look at https://www.nwhorsesource.com/celes...es-and-humans-through-structural-integration/ and her masterclass, and/or someone like Manolo Mendez. Some horses look muscular and we think they're good, but sometimes (often, witness how the top eventers and dressage horses are looking in their trot ups, not always a great topline) they're the wrong muscles.

Also, anxiety in horses is often down to pain issues - they're in "flight" mode perpetually. Trigeminal and vagus nerves are involved, I'm far far from an expert on this but look at https://www.facebook.com/tami.elkayam.9

 

[sunleychops]

A stud balancer, high in protein and AA to support muscle growth & repair and a basic chaff if shes a good doer.