Your experience of cold backed horses

FlyingCircus

FlyingCircus

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Anyone care to share?

I've known a few horses in my years of riding that are described as "cold backed" and have just taken on a gelding that was described by his owner as cold backed. He's not as bad as some horses i've known, you just have to saddle him slowly and get onboard slowly. Some horses I've known to be lunged in tack before ridden and others would require you to walk around for 5/10 minutes standing in your stirrups/very light seat.

Do you own one that is/ride one that is?

I find the "condition" quite interesting and would love to hear your experiences/info about it as i'd like to learn more than the bits I already know.
 
I believe that 'cold backed' is a term for a horse that has some issue that noone knows exactly what it is. My tb was described as cold backed.. The saddle he came with explained part of the issue.. But the main thing was gut ulcers.. He was fine being saddled, fine when mounted but if girthed quickly and tight he would throw himself on the floor.. Ulcers were treated and he's been fine ever since.

My mums tb mare is very grumpy being saddled & girthed, she was found to have a kissing spine & sacrum issues..

I think there's always a real underlying issue.
 
The gelding i've just started riding is grumpy when being tacked - especially his saddle (que ears pinned, tail swishing and back leg stomping). When tacked too quickly he too has been known to fall to the floor. His owner has had him checked out by vet and chiro, yet neither have found any issues. He's fine as soon as he's ridden. Very odd and i'm interested in finding out more about how I could help him.

I've heard ex-racers often have ulcers, but surely the vet would have picked this up when searching for cause of him being "cold backed"?
 
Nope, only a scope can show ulcers... I'm very lucky in that I found a equine vet who is also an osteopath so she can treat medically, naturally & chiro. she didn't scope my boy, but the areas she touched were pretty sore so she decided to treat him anyway & see if there was an improvement, she could have obviously scoped him if needed but she was pretty certain. I'd previously had my everyday local vet (I sort of think of him as a gp rather than a specialist lol) I'd had him out, checked my boy, checked him for neurological issues, checked his back found nothing.. They reckon that a massive percentage if horses have ulcers of gut related issues.. My boy also used to kick the wall at dinner times, swapped him to a molasses free, low sugar diet & he's never done it since.
 
May be worth having a word with his owner then about ulcers. Will have to look into more symptoms of them to see if it sounds like him. It makes me sad to see his reaction to the saddle.

Did you find your boy was tender when groomed in those areas too? As this gelding is quite happy groomed all over - just reacts when saddled and undersaddle initially.
 
One I bred is a little cold backed. She prefers a looser girth, to be got on from a block/fence and to have a thick cushiony saddle pad.

I keep my weight off her back for a circuit of the school or so.
 
No I had no reaction of him when grooming, but the throwing in the floor was pretty scary!

Of course it's not always ulcers, but that's just my boy.. Feed plays a major part in gut health & tbs are a bit sensitive. But my horse has been seen by many different 'back people' as he's never been found to have a bad back despite him being advertised as 'cold backed'
 
Mine rounds his back sometimes, can be a stride or two and scarily sometimes head down and at the trot!
Over the four years I have had him, I have just about got him worked out.
Always saddle and girth slowly, he rarely reacts to the saddle going on.
Walk him around five mins before I get on, lunging can make him silly!
Light seat for a few strides and always use a clean numnah.
If he has a week or so off he is often bad again.
 
My chap has always been said to be cold backed. I've never believed the condition either and always thought there was something underlying. When you get on him sometimes he was okay, most of the time he'd balk and lift his back and occasionally he'd have a little broncing fit.

I bought an equilibrium magnetic pad really cheap second hand and it definitely made a difference. However, it could have just been the warmth of having the pad on that made the difference. He never did it of he was lunged before riding either.

I had many physios and vets look at him and other than a bit of tightness which was normal for a horse in full heavy work they weren't worried. However he's recently been diagnosed with kissing spines and as one of the bones has fused together he's obviously had the condition a long time which the vet thinks is the cause of him being 'cold backed.'

Another reason for me to believe the condition doesn't exist and is just a symptom of something else.
 
This thread made me laugh, as I am currently typing this with a broken arm as a result of my cold backed horse:-) I have had him 6 years and at the beginning he was very sensitive, we worked out what to do, tack up at least 10 mins before getting on, walk couple of times round school before getting on, always use mountng block, gentle mount, sit for a couple of mins before walking off on long rein.

This worked really well and meant we never got a reaction.

Over the years his sensitivity lessened to a point where I can tack up, go off a sort myself out, change boots find hat, then get on walk away, have not had a problem for years.

Anyway, 3 weeks ago at show, saddled up sorted self out (with help of friends), came off lorry, had to adjust girth and got straight on not thinking, walked away back came up and before I had time to think what was happening enormous (so I am told) bucks and number 3 had me off, flat on my face and breaking both bones behind the wrist.

Big reminder there not to get complacent with a cold backed horse. Giving him plenty of time since, and my trainer (who is looking after him) has not had a recurrence of the problem.
 
Yep I'm with a couple of others on here. Could well be a sign of something not yet diagnosed. Mine was prob what you'd call cold backed, fine once you're own but grumpy with saddle/mounting and got increasingly grumpy rugging/grooming. Diagnosed with kissing spines, so I'd always do a very thorough check with specialist equine vet after ruling out saddle teeth etc.
 
I'm another who thinks the 'condition' is a mask for something undiagnosed. I had a TBxWelshD bought as a 4 yr old who was 'cold-backed', she could throw herself to the ground in a grooming session was always difficult to rug and to tack up. She was eventually found to have allergy/intolerance to cane sugar and all cereals. When these feeds were eliminated from her diet, she did improve, although there was some residual learned behaviour and we could never be absolutely certain that no passer-by had fed her. My current horse came to us as very difficult to tack up, we found that the tack she brought with her did not fit - especially the bridle which pinched her ears - and although i haven't had her scoped, I strongly suspect that she had gastric ulcers. We sorted out the tack, went back to putting the tack on very slowly and carefully broken down into small steps, and fed her a high fibre diet with Aloe Vera juice. She is fine now to tack up normally, although she will let you know if she thinks you are being too hasty. She also objects to the rider getting on if the girth isn't tight enough, she can't cope with any movement of the saddle as you mount.
 
I do have an ex-racehorse that has always been coldbacked. He is a nice old boy with a super temperament and is fine to girth and groom and to tack up. When I first got him, he would 'hump' when you got on if you sat straight down in the saddle and occasionally have a buck. Once he had done that and was going forwards, he was fine and never bucked. I had him investigated early on for this and there were no signs of kissing spine. We tried a few saddles to get it right and the one that worked best was a Butet - so very light, latex panels and he was much better in this than any other saddle. He is what I would call 'literally cold backed' in that he likes the saddle to be warm before you sit down in it, so I usually tack him up and let him walk round a bit until the saddle is warm before getting on him and stay out of the saddle whilst warming up to let him go forwards before sitting in the saddle. He is also totally normal with no initial 'hump' if he gets 10 minutes under a heat lamp before tacking up which has always made me think that it was probably the coldness of the saddle that he dislikes. Anyway, just my experiences :)
 
I am currently contending with a 'cold backed' horse. Though like others, I don't believe the condition really exists as such as it is always a result of real discomfort or pain. My boy had very severe kissing spines which was operated on. He can go for days, even weeks being fine, and then BAM! Complete explosion followed by spasming and shaking. All the vets tell me that it is remembered pain. I am not so sure. He is usually fine to tack up, but then will 'explode' when he first tries to move afterwards. If I do it really slowly, walking him round in between each tightening of the girth, and lunging him in trot on both reins, he is usually fine to get on and ride.

However, it really does knock your confidence and enthusiasm. I haven't been able to summon up the will to tackle him again right now. I am going to try him with distraction methods, maybe even some clicker training. But I have to wait until I am back into a positive state of mind before I do.:(
 
Interesting to read everyone's responses :)

I had a cold backed horse, nothing major just couldn't stand still when you first mounted. He also had a very unusual pain reaction to freezebranding, and sweet itch. It was back in the day when checking backs wasn't so common, and when he did eventually have his back checked a couple of little tweaks were made by nothing serious found. Sadly we lost him too soon so don't know if something else would have transpired later on.

My friend bought a project horse who was cold backed, but she found a little lump under her saddle area and massaged it out, and her mare was fine after that.
 
I had a retired racehorse for many years (he's now pushing up the daisies in the back field) He was a lovely horse, good with everything, but was said to be 'cold-backed' . I got into the habit of sitting saddle on his back, girth quite loose, phaff about doing something, tighten girth one hole, phaff about a bit more, tighten girth another hole, etc, etc. He was ok with that, but if friend tacked him up she was a bit too quick to tighten girth he would sit on the floor or bite her, or both! It's a habit I still have with every horse I tack up now.
 
I used to look after a cold backed TB in the 70's - only one I have come across.
You had to do his girth up in stages or his knees would buckle. When getting on you had to stand in the stirrups for a minute and then lower yourself gently into the saddle. I forgot which horse I was riding one day and sat straight down when I got on - we went up the drive like a rodeo horse! Once ridden for a bit you could get on and off/fiddle with the girth to your hearts content without problems. Things like ulcers weren't even considered in those days, it was just considered a quirk.
 
kit279 said:
I do have an ex-racehorse that has always been coldbacked. He is a nice old boy with a super temperament and is fine to girth and groom and to tack up. When I first got him, he would 'hump' when you got on if you sat straight down in the saddle and occasionally have a buck. Once he had done that and was going forwards, he was fine and never bucked. I had him investigated early on for this and there were no signs of kissing spine. We tried a few saddles to get it right and the one that worked best was a Butet - so very light, latex panels and he was much better in this than any other saddle. He is what I would call 'literally cold backed' in that he likes the saddle to be warm before you sit down in it, so I usually tack him up and let him walk round a bit until the saddle is warm before getting on him and stay out of the saddle whilst warming up to let him go forwards before sitting in the saddle. He is also totally normal with no initial 'hump' if he gets 10 minutes under a heat lamp before tacking up which has always made me think that it was probably the coldness of the saddle that he dislikes. Anyway, just my experiences :)
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same happened to me I now have a Butet and he is so much better, I also have the McTimoney lady out every 3 months when we are hunting (he hunts twice a week ) and I use the Eqilibriam pad before I ride I used to have to stand up out of the saddle and ride light to start but find myself not having to do this anymore since getting the butet. I used to have Ideal/Albion/jeffries after spending a lot of money on these saddles I might have bought a Butet with what I spent !! the Butet is a different concept to run of the mill saddles they are lighter and mold to the horses back.
 
I now don't believe in cold backed horses I had one some days were worse than others but generally she would take 10 mins to Warm up before she would work properly .

Anyway cut a long story short she went to the vet for another reason but I mentioned her cold back issue so he xrayed her back she had kissing spine.

I had her for a year in that time I had 3 different people on about 6 different occasion do her back none of these reputable people picked up on anything even when asked about kissing spine.

IMO if you have a horse showing signs of being cold backed you need to get its back xrayed
 
I have one who would round his back when you first get on and would walk off with stiff legs ( very strange feeling to sit on)

Turnex out it wasn't his back but his sternum - put a fleecy girth sleeve on and he hasn't done it since!

Had another one who aas described as cold backed by his owner.
Bad after his summer hols for about 3/4 days, then again ic you'd given him more than 3/4 days off. He would put his head between his knees and proper bronk off. We always had someone holding his head up and then would release him like a rodeo horse coming out of the chute. Some days, you'd have someone holding him....... and he'd walk off like a beach donkey. ..... feel v silly!

He had white patches on his back from a badly fitting saddle and my chiro said he had nerve damage there. He was VERY specific about which saddle he wore to within a fraction of an inch in fitting but what I never understood was why he did it some days and not others
 
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