Back Pain in Horses
Key takeaways
Back pain is a common condition in horses, typically noticed by owners when horses begin to resent grooming or saddling, or perform poorly under saddle.
- Back pain has many different causes, including the horse’s individual conformation, tack fit issues, spinal disease, or hind limb lameness
- Diagnosis involves a physical examination, lameness examination and diagnostic imaging
- Treatment varies depending on the underlying cause, but may include surgery, anti-inflammatories, changes to the horse’s routine, and alternative therapies
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A closer look: Back Pain in Horses
Back pain is common in horses, and can seriously impact quality of life and performance. Horses showing signs of back pain require prompt veterinary attention to identify the underlying cause and begin treatment.
Possible causes
Back pain has many potential causes, some of which are preventable.
Risk factors
Back pain can vary in severity from mild performance issues to severe signs of pain.
Milder associated signs may include:
- Frequent cross-cantering (or issues while cantering)
- Resisting bending or less responsiveness to a rider’s cues
- Poor jumping technique
- Resistance to moving forward
- Difficulty with trot-canter transitions
- Head tossing
- Stiffness
More severe signs include:
- Kicking out or bucking under saddle
- Pinning ears or biting during saddling or grooming
- Reduced mobility
- Unwillingness to have the back touched
Testing and diagnosis
Diagnosis of back pain aims to identify the underlying problem.
Diagnostic tests may include:
- Physical examination
- Lameness examination
- Diagnostic imaging, such as X-rays, ultrasound, or bone scan
- Pain medication trial to confirm pain
- Local anesthetic blocks
- Bloodwork
- Muscle biopsy
Treatment depends on the underlying cause. Treatments may include:
- Surgery
- Proper tack fitting
- Changes to the warm-up routine prior to exercise
- Anti-inflammatory medications
- Steroid injections around the spine
- Muscle relaxants
- Shockwave therapy
- Acupuncture
- Physical therapy
- Laser therapy
Similar symptoms
Signs of back pain can be similar to symptoms of gastric ulcers, particularly resenting saddling and grooming, or poor performance under saddle.
