Kissing spines?

LauraElise

LauraElise

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I am desperately worried and would really appreciate some advice.

My 17hh, 15 year old Tb has recently started displaying the following when asked for canter;

Head down, back arched as if he is going to buck but doesn't, extremely disunited behind.

He has never had any back problems diagnosed ( I have only had him on loan since June but have known him for 2 years) but has always been very cold backed.

I have suspicions that his saddle isn't fitting him too well and had intended to get a new one asap.

Should I have the back man look at him or just get the vet? He previously had an unrelated problem with his leg, I had wondered if it was his back then, the vet said he "didn't like his back" and that I should have x rays. The back person then said he was out of alignment, that's all, and did not need x rays.

I am worried he has kissing spines and am just hoping someone can re assure me
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Thanks for your time
 
I would question the back mans assumption that the horse does not need x-rays as unless he is psychic he really cannot quarantee that something else is not going on. At the same time vets can get carried away looking for things which aren't there. IMO as an equine sports massage therapist I would always recomend having the problems looked at by the vet. If however you feel the saddle is not fitting correctly I would address this ASAP and around the same time (with vets permission) get a good therapist to work on him. If he is sore and tight just getting one done without the other will have limited benefit! It is impossible to know at this stage whether there is anything underlying but If it were me I would want to make the horse as comfortable with the saddle etc and then see if there are any improvements. Often with clients of mine with cold backed horses it is possible to give the owner some massage tips to use before saddling the horse. This can assist in loosening the back muscles and relaxing the horse.

Often things aren't as bad as they seem try not to worry. However I would definately advise following the vets advice rather than the back man.
 
I would get the vet to xray first and eliminate that as a cause of the problem. Xrays are the only way to confirm whether kissing spine is a problem or not. Once that has been addressed I would then look into saddle fitting.
 
I too would get vet out first and rule it out. no point getting a new saddle if it does then turn out to be KS as you wont be riding for a few months! I made that mistake....wasted time so Id just get back xrayed...doesnt cost much to get that done then you will know what you are dealing with! if xrays are out... obviously then you'll need to sort back/teeth/chiro etc!

x
 
P.S I would stop riding now if you dont think the saddle fits....but keep him moving to try and save the muscle from disappearing! so lunging and long reining until the vets been out!
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dont worry too much about pinning his head down!
 
get saddle checked asap, also may be nothing to do with his back. sometimes a hind suspensory ligament injury can cause them to struggle in canter and go disunited. get vet to assess as they will advise you whether to investigate further at all (and if so whether to concentrate on back or leg), and on good therapists that they work well with - you need all professionals involved with him to work together on this!
 
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