Kissing spines - Equilibrium pads/numnahs/pads - advice please!

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cyearsley

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Hi, my horse is currently lame bless him, he has been diagnosed with kissing spines but there is also a secondary hind limb lameness going on. We were due to go to bone scan a week ago but it was deferred as he improved quite a lot so.... we are now on a month of bute and light work and the vet will review the situation then depending on how he is. So a few questions..... I have been borrowing my friends Equilibrium pad and he seems to really like it, relaxes him but have heard negative things about vibrating pads and kissing spines, any thoughts or comments as thinking of buying one shortly.

Also, am thinking of getting my saddle widened as am thinking that more padding may be required under the saddle where as currently there is only room for a normal numnah, else the fit of the saddle will be affected. Any advice or comments on the use of pads, what products work, best numnahs etc much appreciated.

I have a feeling I will end up having his back injected, the vets just don't want to do it yet until the other lameness issue is resolved but either way I need to get his saddle sorted if I need more padding.....

Answers on a post card please, ta muchly!
 
My mare was diagnosed with kissing spine, I also have a equilibrium pad she seems to love it, so I use it on her quite regularly.

I also use a numnah that has sheepskin padding underneath it to relieve the pressure from her back. My mare was diagnosed with mild kissing spine but I was told to work her long and low on a Pessoa to strengthen her back and relieve pressure.
 
well my mare has 8 kissing spines and my horse has never really loosened off after using equilibrium pad - i have since sold it as the percussion type massage doesnt help her at all.

regards the numnah i think as long as you have a big wide gullet on saddle its ok. you dont want anything to touch the spine.
 
Hi my mare is 8wks post op of the kissing spines operation, and she has also got bone spavin. Now the stiches have healed I have been using my pad as I am hoping it will help in building her muscles in her back and also increase the blood flow. Before the op I purchased a back pad which is very thin and also acts as a shock absorber, and it seem to help. Once my mare is back in work I can then address the hocks if they are still a problem.
 
Hiya, my horse is 18months post KS surgery. He also had hindlimb lameness. The only thing that I believe will make any difference for your horses way of going is regular long and low lunging with a Pessoa or a simple lunging aid. The pad may be nice for your horse but it won't build muscle or impact on the structure of the KS. I suggest you take your vets advice about your saddle, personally I use a wider saddle with a shim pad as routine to allow muscle build up along the lines of balance saddles. I hope things resolve for you, it's a tough road,if you need any advise please shout! :o
 
cyearsley said:
Hi, my horse is currently lame bless him, he has been diagnosed with kissing spines but there is also a secondary hind limb lameness going on. We were due to go to bone scan a week ago but it was deferred as he improved quite a lot so.... we are now on a month of bute and light work and the vet will review the situation then depending on how he is. So a few questions..... I have been borrowing my friends Equilibrium pad and he seems to really like it, relaxes him but have heard negative things about vibrating pads and kissing spines, any thoughts or comments as thinking of buying one shortly.

Also, am thinking of getting my saddle widened as am thinking that more padding may be required under the saddle where as currently there is only room for a normal numnah, else the fit of the saddle will be affected. Any advice or comments on the use of pads, what products work, best numnahs etc much appreciated.

I have a feeling I will end up having his back injected, the vets just don't want to do it yet until the other lameness issue is resolved but either way I need to get his saddle sorted if I need more padding.....

Answers on a post card please, ta muchly!
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My horse had the op for KS four months ago and was doing very well indeed until I put him on a trial for a vibrating rug. Sadly all his symptoms returned within ten days of using it. However, I have heard quite the opposite too where one horse positively responded to the rug. I think it all depends on the individual horse. But after my experience, I would urge people with horses that have KS not to risk it and to stick with a human therapist.
 
Hi my boy was sent to the vets about 3 years ago to check for kissing spines and they rang to say he was lame with navicular syndrome as well as having a couple of mild kissing spines.

The navicular problem was sorted out with remedial shoeing and I still have heart bars on the front and his hind shoes weighted to the back to discourage him from stepping through too far.

He had injections into his spine which did nothing, in fact it seemed to make his back more sensitive.

My saddle guy advised me not to use a numnah because if your saddle fits well you don't need it. He has a medium wide saddle and his weight is kept well under control and I use the Pessoa to stretch him and to try and tighten up his stomach muslces.

I do however use a sheepskin numnah because he is also cold backed and it seems to help him. We bunny hop for a while when I first get on and sometimes if going downhill (which I try to avoid) but other than that once he's warmed up his back doesn't seem to bother him and he still jumps like a stag.

I think each horse is different and some KS are worse than others so you just have to play around and see what suits your boy best, once you have the lameness under control. My vets were far more concerned about the navicular problem than the KS but that problem was caused by him trying to compensate for the pain in his back.

Good luck - there seems to be so much of KS these days, imagine how many horses had it 20 years ago !
 
tallyho! said:
Anyone tried a suber pad?
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These end up quite firm and will sit directly on the spine, I'd have thought using one wouldn't be a good idea. I fit a brand of flexi panel saddle and they can be a really good option for some KS horses - in the one I fit you can set the panels ie the whole gullet as wide as you like, plus the edge is non-weight bearing and flexible so can really help.
 
tallyho! said:
Anyone tried a suber pad?
Click to expand...

I was involved in trialing the prototype of this pad around 10 years ago and it was actually a pretty good product.

However in my opinion it is now too thick. The originals were better, but the designers got carried away with the concept. I helped them design a thinner saddle shaped pad which was pretty good, but it never went into production.

The thick rectangular pad actually caused some white hairs to grow either side of my horse's wither. I was horrified and never used it again.
 
Would like to say thank you all for your advice, much appreciated. Sorry for not thanking you earlier, first opportunity to get on here since I put the post on. Thanks again
 
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