Do you know the symptoms of Kissing Spine?

[LuckyRed]

my ex-racer was diagnosed with kissing spine a couple of years ago - ever since I bought him in 2002 he'd had a sensitive back. People told me he was cold backed, just sensitive - I was even told once that I was just being soft with him and I should be firmer with him. One vet even told me he was sure that Red didn't have kissing spine. The vet who finally diagnosed the condition thought that he has probably had it all his life as a result of being broken early for racing, probably in a saddle that didn't fit properly. I rode him for years doing endurance and hunting as well as riding for miles hacking at weekends - his back managed because it was supported by the muscles but after an unrelated period of box rest he lost muscle tone and never managed to get it back. It's interesting that although his kissing spine is extreme and goes all along his back from withers to behind the saddle, he never got nasty about the pain he must have been in and only occasionally would shy sideways for no apparant reason -he has such a good nature!

What's also interesting is that he's always has sarcoids and since he's been retired and not ridden, his sarcoids have virtually disappeared - I put it down to the fact that he is no longer anticipating pain and having to deal with the stress of that so his immune system has been able to reject the sarcoids!

[LuckyRed]

oh, and I forgot to say that I'm lucky enough to have been able to retire my wonder Red to a friends yard where he lives out with another retired 'old boy' and a variety of riding school horses for company. I'm glad I didn't have to make a difficult decision about the cost of keeping him at a livery

[donnalex]

Yes Red it appears that lots of horses are working well with KS.
Some horses, like people, can stand a lot more pain than others and are just more stoic about it. They are all individuals arent they? Its just the same as any other site of pain, I had a jumping pony that was very sharp from the day I got her cheap as she was classed as a nutter. I had been riding and hunting her for two years when a physio came on the yard and did routine checks on all the horses, I had both of mine done just because she was there anyway. I had never had a physio before, it was quite new at the time.
On checking my pony she could not believe that she jumped at all and was amazed that I was hunting her twice a week with no problems at all. She was rock hard and sore from poll to hocks and needed several treatments before she allowed me to ride her. I just thought she hated being brushed and petted so I washed her all the time and didnt do things she didnt like.
After treatment she loved nothing more than a thorough grooming as hard as you like which would have made her scowl and swish before. I had been hunting her two days beofre the initial check and she had gone like a good un, her name in the hunt was Pegasus as she was grey and jumped anything very flambuoyantly.
I would give an arm and a leg to get her cloned and have her back to break in at three and see how she turned out!

[laurac]

Hi Jo (Nancy & Bronte)

My oesteopath is sending me an excellent book she recommended for me to photocopy, its all about strengthening core muscles, which lifts the belly and builds topline, all done in hand
I'm sure that will help nancy with her starting ridden work
The book is over £50 so i havent bought it myself- i can send you a copy too if you would like to pm me your new address upt north!

[Kelly Marks]

Tney can have it without being ridden ever.
Ground work is an excellent idea and I don't think you need that expensive a book (I'll look up some recommendations).

[Furiey]

It may be worth talking to Ivana Ruddock of Equine Touch. As a vet who used to lecture in anatomy she does regular disections (did one at Hartsop in 2010) and collects bones and pictures of bones with issues. I know she has some wonderful pictures of fused lumbar vertebrae, she may well have some illustrating kissing spines.

[Cameo]

Backs are a particular interest of mine as are horse's differing experiences of "back issues" - especially in relation to saddling.

It can be helpful to look at a skeleton photo or good quality diagram and have a go at drawing in where the top line "should" go. That can help us see how a horse's skeletal conformation in his back is so important to be a "good and strong" one. See how close together those processes are near the surface.

Conformation can be a major issue I think in Kissing Spines as well as the work a horse does, and saddle fit.

If you think about the anatomy of a spine - and how the spinal processes sit like a pack of standing dominoes, then think of what must happen every time a horse chucks(/has pulled) his head in the air, or is ridden hollow, or drives head high, then you can see how these processes directly underneath the rider can move towards each other.
I've got some photos somewhere illustrating this a little. I'll see if i can find them.

On a different note - something I think we need to consider with conformation - is the job that genetically, the horse was bred to do. As an example, I often see lovely cobs whose (historical) genes are as driving horses. We use these cobs mainly now for riding - but in fact, your black and white feathery cob is actually not a weight carrier, but a weight-puller.
You will often find that these horses not only are incredibly wide, but that they also have a short "saddle-space" and consequently it can be difficult to fit a traditionally-treed saddle to them.

[jaxnbreeze]

That's very interesting Cameo and I do agree with you re. conformation and breeding - I believe the bearing rein for driving has been banned on humane grounds. Thankyou for the information and the photos would be interesting to see.

[Sue Palmer]

This is a link to an excellent book to help develop your horse's corse muscles, it's called 'Activate Your Horse's Core': www.amazon.com/Activate-Your-Horses-Core-Unmounted/dp/0974767018

And if you're interested in massaging your horse to help relieve pain and tightness, you might be interested in my Horse Massage for Horse Owners DVD: www.holistichorsehelp.com/page7/page7.html

The dorsal spinous processes do sit a bit like a line of dominoes, the trouble is that towards the front of the horse's back they are leaning towards the tail, and towards the back of the horse's back they lean towards the withers. So somewhere in the middle (roughly underneath where we sit), the ones pointing backwards and the ones pointing forwards are very close to each other, with the 'anticlinal vertebra' pointing straight up. This is one of the most common areas for kissing spines to occur.

Just because a horse has kissing spines does not necessarily mean that he's in pain from that. Just the same as there is a huge percentage of the human population that will show arthritis in their backs, or prolapsed discs, on x-ray or MRI, but don't feel any pain from that pathology. You need to take into account behaviour as well as x-ray evidence, and also advice from a professional experienced at palpating for tension and tenderness (for example a physio).

There are also very many horses who are in pain but don't have kissing spines, of course!

Sue

[Zuzan]

Just to add you can by Activate Your Horse's Core from the Equine Veterinary Journal here in the UK if you prefer not to grace the US Amazon site

secure.evj.co.uk/cgi-bin/bookshop/cla003.html?id=B3xIN2WA