Horse muscular back pain experiences?

[ellie11987]

Hi, also in vet as I know this isn't strictly NL/Tack Room whatever we call it these days but thought I'd get a few more responses as a lot of people come in here.

The vet has been up today for my mare on some hind lameness (which is just a strain nothing serious). While she was here, I asked about a small bump on her spine which was nothing to worry about. However, the vet did some tests on her back and found some muscular pain. She recommended a course of physio, some remedial shoeing on the fronts to even out her feet and raise her heels and a saddle check. She then gave me two options: either she is chucked out in a field for 6 months to let her rest or I can hack her out lightly for 4-6 months then start light schooling again. She said there is little difference in the healing process in both options so I am fine to ride as long as she has physio. In hindsight, little things added up to this like on/off lameness with no heat/swelling, flinch with saddle or rug being put on, struggling to canter and bend in school. I hate myself that I didn't find this sooner but she's now on a years rehab process and will never be jumped or schooled too much so she *should* come back 100% sound hopefully.

So, my questions to you helpful HHO'ers:
Has anyone gone through the rehab process of back pain and have any experiences?
What do you recommend on this situation?
Does everything I plan to do sound okay?

Dominos pizza on offer for all

 

[cptrayes]

My experience of back pain in horses is that it is very often caused by problems with the feet/legs and your vet seems to agree with this. But how she can prescribe remedial shoeing without xraying the feet to give your farrier a clear idea of what to shoe to is a bit beyond me.

 

[ellie11987]

My experience of back pain in horses is that it is very often caused by problems with the feet/legs and your vet seems to agree with this. But how she can prescribe remedial shoeing without xraying the feet to give your farrier a clear idea of what to shoe to is a bit beyond me.

I need to have a long chat with my farrier. Remedial isn't 100%, she told me she wants the feet made more even and the heel raised and shape of her hooves might mean remedial but I need to talk to my farrier as well then we can make a decision between us. If the shoeing doesn't work then it will go into x rays. I PM'd Oberon last week as I wanted to take her BF anyway but she does not agree if I'm going to be hacking and believes that taking the shoes off will lower the heel rather than raise it

**Sorry I realize original post wasn't well worded. Should read 'maybe some remedial shoeing...'

 

[philamena]

I'm just bringing my girl back into work after several months off having serious muscular problems worked on. My vet & osteo wanted her rested during treatment so that's what we did. She was treated every 2-4 weeks for the first couple of months and slightly less frequently after that. Her problems were not acute but were long established, spanned poll to tail and around chest and girth area, and had laid down subtly incorrect muscle patterns which needed time to re-educate her movement somewhat. It was all quite subtle, but gradually worsening, and the osteo thought it probably started with a fall or slip a while before I had her which didn't get noticed but started to cause problems once we started asking for more advanced flatwork.

She kept her shoes on during the treatment, partly because while I had suspicions about her hind foot shape not helping her back I hadn't really cottoned on to the whole barefoot idea, and then after that because when I did take her shoes off I wanted to be able to rehab the feet properly by putting in some in-hand roadwork from day one. So I settled for taking her shoes off just before she came back into work - she was due to start with 20 mins in hand on a tarmac surface, which sounded pretty spot on for her feet too.

She's lost all muscle tone bless her and looks like an overgrown hairy pit pony from being on such a long holiday, but is 100% more relaxed and laid back since being treated.

Neither vet nor osteo were worried that her foot conformation would be having an impact on her back, but I felt they were encouraging her to stand "camped under" at the back end. We also had some gut discomfort issues going on, and it's not clear whether gut discomfort caused back ache and stance and therefore foot shape, or foot shape caused stance caused back ache which helped cause ulcers... or any other chicken-and-egg scenario. But having gone through everything we've gone through with her, the main thing I've learned is to deal with the whole picture, rather than symptoms piecemeal.

If I found myself in your situation I would definitely go get foot x-rays BEFORE "trying" remedial shoeing. They're not expensive and what's going on inside might be somewhat different from what it looks like outside. You're about to invest a LOT of time and money in sorting her back issues, it's a complete false economy in my view to then experiment with the feet at the same time and risk a foot issue just undoing all your good work. You could end up just going round and round in expensive and frustrating circles!

 

[Norfolk Pie]

Hello

Not sure if this can be of any help, but though I'd post!
I'm very pro physio - I think a good physio can help develop a correctly muscled horse, which in turn I proves the way the horse moves, which lessens the risk of injury.
We've had a lot of success with "written off" horses with the help of an outstanding physio, and sensible work routines.

Is the light work/ rest scenario due to hind limb strain? In my experience a good physio (who gives strengthening exercises, not just letting off tight muscles for the same thing to happen again) will be very clear whether the horse is fit to work straight off - we have a lot in who do 2 - 4 weeks in hand excises (poles , stretches etc) to establish good movement, before we expect them to maintain all that with a rider. So I'd be guided by them. I would say though, get a GOOD physio, who is proactive in improving the horse, not just letting off tight areas. It's my pet peeve at the moment, I seem to see horses every other week who've "had their backs done" by some Micky mouse qualified "back person" - the owners firmly believe the horse is fine, because its been given the Ok! So an ACPAT reg physio is a good starting point.

I'd also agree that back pain is often secondary to limb problems, however I also think a huge number of soundness problems (inc arthritic changes/ suspensory problems) are caused by insufficient preparation of the ridden horse, but obviously that's going back to when all these horses are 4 yo's, and people just assume they are strong enough to carry a rider be ause they are big - they have no muscle tone, so end up using all the wrong bits of themselves to try and do what they're asked. By the time they're 12, the problems start to show

Sounds like you're really sensible, and you've got a good vet so hope that helps - good luck