Topline or kissing spines? Help please

Jordi222

Jordi222

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I bought my shire cross mare a couple of months ago and she has been perfect for me.

However, since I have had her I have made a point of riding every day (only light work and hacking as she is 18). She got an abscess in her hoof just after Christmas and had to have two weeks rest and was stabled at night after 3 days just around the yard to stretch her legs etc (vets advice was followed).

She had always been fine to ride, no problems and passed her vetting before I purchased her and brought her home.

One day on stable rest, I was giving her a brush and found her withers to be twitching as though she had a fly - along with swishing her tail and stamping her feet.

This went away with firm rubbing and disappeared for a couple of weeks. Over the past weekend this has stayed without any relief, I cannot touch her withers so I called the vet out today and he suggested it's either kissing spines (which gave me a lump in my throat - I adore this mare.) or its loss of muscle on the top line where she has been rested.

Perhaps I'm looking on the sunny side by thinking it's her condition as she had actually dropped nearly 20kgs weight in the time she was stabled. I had such a lovely ride on Saturday morning so all this has bewildered me.

She's on bute until Sunday but even after today's dose, I still couldn't touch her withers.

The twitching withers is her ONLY symptom and there are visible dips where she has lost muscle just behind her upper shoulders.

I am just so down about the possibility of kissing spines hence why I have had to post on here. My chiropractor is coming in two weeks time.

Thanking you for any responses. X
 
Re the twitching withers, is there any chance she suffers from sweetitch? Having bought her in the cold spell you might not have been aware of it.
 
Hi, it's something that has crossed my mind.. She even twitched when the wind hit her today so it did make me think it's more of a skin issue but I would have thought the vet might've picked that up. I only need to run my finger lightly over her and she reacts hugely
 
KS is rarely that easily diagnosed so I would not be panicking yet, is she rugged up? I have seen horses react in a similar way when they have had a rug on that has caused pressure on the nerves, as she has lost topline I suspect she has been uncomfortable for a while resulting in her holding herself to compensate, which will contribute to the muscle loss.
The rubbing you did may well have relaxed the initial spasm, I would get the chiro to look and would hope she finds something that can easily be treated, in the meantime I would change her rugs to see if that helps, it may not be the root cause but will do no harm, it could also have been aggravated by her saddle now not fitting with any pad underneath pressing down on her withers.

As you are obviously very concerned try and get her chiro treatment moved forward.
 
Sounds like the rug to me. Have had shire crosses and they are wusses. I used rugs that sit well forward, weatherbeeta do not fit them at all as the wither bit sits too far back and digs in. Rambo ok and Masta if tightened right up at the front. Don't buy them too big better it looks like a mini skirt than digs in her withers.
 
Has her saddle been checked, her muscle may have changed since you've bought her and ridden her regularly, it is a well known cause of sore withers if the saddle isn't sitting correctly and you are working and sitting on her differently to the previous owner?? I know a fair bit about KS from my own horse, I am surprised a vet would suggest it without proper investigation especially if there are so many other possibilities so try not to panic. Have you changed her feed at all, could she have an allergy that is making her sensitive? I think I might want to get a decent back person to look at her, someone like a Mctimoney Chiropracter or a good body worker that can check thoroughly for muscle soreness. Also it could be transferring forward from the hind end but it sounds like tired muscles to me. I wouldn't have thought a week or so off would cause KS to show itself, but if her work regime has substantially reduced over the time since you've had her then that may mean the muscle in the back isn't supporting it as well as it used to so that could show up a problem. I'd have a chat with the previous owner if you are in touch with them.
 
I spent months panicking about kissing spines and 2 chiro visits and 2 physio later he's not had a bit of soreness :)
 
It's a real shame I was caught out with the previous owner - turns out to be a small time dealer posing as private sale of 'much loved family horse' etc. I've been left in the dark as a fool
 
old hand said:
Sounds like the rug to me. Have had shire crosses and they are wusses. I used rugs that sit well forward, weatherbeeta do not fit them at all as the wither bit sits too far back and digs in. Rambo ok and Masta if tightened right up at the front. Don't buy them too big better it looks like a mini skirt than digs in her withers.
Click to expand...

Something's clicking in my mind - she didn't have this problem wearing a rug that belonged to my mums old shire cross.. Also my mare is in 6"9 rugs and is 15.2.. They appear to fit perfectly but perhaps I need to consider a higher neck smaller and lighter rug. (She's not in heavyweight due to her build, she wears a medium if it snows or is minus temperatures as we are on a cliff top it can be harsh out there.
 
It sounds like the rug may be too big and is putting pressure on her withers, 6"9 is a big rug for a 15.2 my 15.3 wears 6.3 and his quite well built, my 16.3 mare has 6.9 rugs and they would be massive on him.
 
Thank you for your replies everyone, my mind is not as knotted as it was earlier this evening! I am going to switch around rugs and see if this improves the situation at all.. I think perhaps the mini skirt look would be better for her build in terms of pressure on her withers, am going to try a 6'6 on her and see how it fits. Fingers are crossed!
 
Old remedy but how about trying surgical spirit or 8% copper sulphate solution which will sting very little to harden and desenitise the skin. bruising to the nerves can take months to clear up. I had a shirex TB and he was very sensitive skinned. Most rugs didn't fit but I suspect the Premier Equine ones they make now would have been fine as they sit in front of the shoulder but if he was sensitised he would not have let me put one on him!
 
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