Racehorses back - no topline (bumpy spine)

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Victoria25

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Hi guys

Please take a look at this horses back ... ex racer, not been reschooled, no topline etc but spine is a very unusual shape ... vet claims its because he has no topline as yet but surely its a 'wrong' shape?

No pain if pressure appplied ... :confused: is hacked about but just starting his summer schooling - not at all lame and showing beautiful paces.

579572_10151694466635464_763485463_23459589_1584656125_a.jpg
 
don't know if its any help , my mare lost all her top line due to being boxed with laminitis.

I bought an equilibrium massage pad and now she has some muscle back, not all obviously cos she is still inside but a definite improvement.

I would say swimming would help apart from the feeds you can get .
 
Hi guys and thanks so much for your replies :0)
We’re using an aerolite combi-riser to raise saddle off his ‘spiny back’until he grows a bit of muscle!
I thought roach back was the whole back raised is an arc … can it be just in a small area with the rest of the back ‘normal’?? xxx
 
Hmm will go and google that one now as never heard of it ... what's it caused by? Does it restrict the horse in any way? xx
 
My ex-racer is the same, it's nothing to worry about. Once he is muscled up and has a correct topline you won't notice it. It's only prominant because there is no coverage across the back. :)
 
Ohh Scarlet thats music to my ears ... it doesnt seem to effect him working at all as also found 'hunters bump' which I thought it could be too. Hopefully with a lot of hard work this summer, we'll get there in the end! The rehoming centre he came from (not to me but I contacted her once I bought him) said he'd jump a house and sent me photos to prove it! :eek:Think we'll leave that for quite a while ;)
 
Not the clearest pic ever, but it looks to me rather like what's often called "A jumping bump". Depending who you talk to, this is either an indication that the horse CAN jump, or has been OVER JUMPED.

I have two mares like it, both have been in competition, in their youth, they seem none the worse for it, and when they carry weight, it seems to either disappear, or gets covered in flesh and fat.

In short, I don't know, but it seems to do them no harm, that I can see.

Alec.
 
Hi Alec, when I googled this originally I did think it looks the same!!

He did do both flat and jump races in his day :)

Doesnt seem to be causing him harm at the moment so will keep an eye on it :D
 
my exracer was similar. I got an osteo out and two sessions with her helped a lot. once he got topline it disappeared, but she definitely made a difference to him too.
 
Hi, My Ex Racer looked exactly the same when i got him, now 18 months on & a lot of schooling he looks completely different. Make sure your saddle is well padded, my boy had few back problems to begin with as no muscle over his back. I had to use a thick sheepskin half pad on top of a normal numnah. Good luck, I am sure your horse will look very different this time next year!:)
 
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