kissing spines and pain threshold

[Seahorse]

Just reading another post where lots of people have mentioned kissing spines as a reason for a horse to have a bad reaction to a rider (rearing, broncking ect)

My friends horse wasn't right behind, he wasn't lame but sometimes just looked odd. She took him to the vets to have his hocks looked at which turned out to be fine, they then looked at his back and the x ray showed he has really bad KS nearly all his vertebrae are touching and yet this horse has been XC, Showjumping and hunting and has never shown any sign of pain or "bad behaviour" at all.

There's another horse at the yard that has had a KS operation and she is no different to what she was like before, she is crooked behind and is almost in shoulder in/quarters out depending what rein you're on all the time, and has built up loads of muscle on one side. She has never thrown her rider off either.

These are both TB's incidentley.


So it just got me wondering, why some horses react to being ridden and some don't?

My horse had a bad back and he showed very aggressive behaviour when he was handled to the point you couldn't even touch him without getting bitten or kicked, but he was fine to ride. It turned out he had a torn muscle fascia in his back and some steroid injections and a month off sorted him out.

Anyway just a vague wondering....

 

[fitzaud2]

Thats mad!! cant believe they didnt show any agressive/unusual behaviour. My friends mare, also tb, was diagnosed with it last year. She was fine hacking, and x-country, but beacame totally agressive when asked to come down on the bit. Turned out to be kissing spine, and when her neck bent to come down, it hurt!! Poor thing. As she was 18, and after summing up all options, they chose to have her PTS, as they have very limited grazing, and couldnt bare to sell her in case she got sold on, and someone started smacking her to "sort out" her behaviour. Think I might have done the same thing, given circumstances!! I think your friends horse is a very "yes" horse, that aims to please. My boy was like that but had degenerative disease, and jumped or me, while in pain (not lame), for about 6 mths until he went lame and found out what was wrong. Had to PTS, as the vet said, his pain, even on bute, would have been the same as our toothache. Couldn't have my boy suffering!! What is the pain level for kissing spine, or does it vary. had never heard of it until my friends mare so dont know too much.

 

[Tinypony]

My mare was never aggressive, and she would be absolutely fine to ride some days. Other days she would brace up and tell me something was wrong. It took a long time for the vets to work it out. I don't think there can be hard and fast rules with this.

 

[dominobrown]

The vet my horse went for an operation had dealt with a lot a kissing spines said a lot of horses don't show any signs and it doesn't affect them. Suppose it depends on how bad the pain is and if they have got 'used' to it. Also horses often try to please not matter how much pain they are in.
Intrestingly before my horse had it op he used to brush behind, he doesn't now.

 

[Dotilas]

I had a horse with KS in 7 places, was just funny behind, never ever did anything nasty despite how much pain he must have been in.

My personal thoughts are that it comes down to character - a horse that will continue trying for you despite pain is a very honest, good horse. My friend had a horse that was acting dangerously and was subsequently diagnosed with KS, after the surgery he was the nasty horse that he was before - the surgery did not change his attitude and so despite all of the costs, she had him PTS. My boy is doing very well, after surgery is now putting in playful bucks but still is as safe as ever.

I personally don't think its as much to do with pain threshold as character- we all read in books about horses that go that extra mile for their riders desipte pain etc.; I believe this truly happens in real life.