Kissing Spine - Prevention Strategies

I have been working with horses with Kissing Spine for a number of years, and still continue to learn more and more about it, especially as new research is done into various parts of the condition and the rehab process. 

For me, looking at the evolution of the horse, the anatomy of the spine, and considering gravity, the negative effects of domestication, and rushed breaking / training processes...it seems that Kissing Spine is a possibility for all horses. 

So if it's a possibility for all horses, we need to look at this, and work out a better way to train, exercise, and strengthen our horses...to ensure they are STRONG ENOUGH to do what we are asking of them. Just because they look big and strong, doesn't mean that they are internally. 

PREVENTION MINDSET 

I like to look at horses with a prevention mindset - so continually assessing their body and movement, and re-adjusting their work plans etc, to ensure the horse is strong enough in the core and back, to be ridden. And if they are not strong enough, stop riding and do some strengthening work with them for a while. 

Let's get your horses strong enough to PREVENT Kissing Spine...! 

I teach a system of core strengthening and flexibility work, to develop good posture, a strong back and core, and correct movement, all through working on the foundational issues in the horses body...poor posture, weak core, and natural crookedness. 

If you were to spend, for example, 3 months on a focussed strengthening and flexibility work plan with your horse, you would see a huge transformation in their posture, movement, ability, muscular development, and internally this is enough time to increase the size of the multifidus muscles, which sit along the spine as postural muscles, and develop spinal strength, stability, and support, as well and increase the spaces in between the DSP's - the bones that touch in Kissing Spine. (See Part 1 in this blog series a couple of weeks back for the Anatomy blog). 

So how do we do this...? 

Core Exercises...daily exercises to engage the abdominal and waist muscles. 

Mixed work plan...mix up your horses work, include some hacking, slopes, some in hand work, some corrective work, lunge/long rein, poles...don't do the same thing day after day as it can just set up a pattern of tiredness and soreness creeping in to the horses body. 

Flexibility work...work on flexibility with in hand sessions, corrective lunge work, poles, long reining etc, helps to develop symmetry in the horses limbs and body, working against the natural crookedness pattern! 

Non ridden work...swap a few ridden days for non ridden days, take the weight off your horses back! We sit on the lowest part of the horses back, it's the most common area for Kissing Spine (directly under the saddle), and it's where the bones are closest together...let's strengthen that area up without the weight of the rider all the time. 

Lateral work...teach lateral exercises both in hand and ridden, super beneficial for your horses body! 

All of the above tips are ways to add core engagement work into your existing routine with your horse, and this is the most important thing to work on with our horses, especially when we are considering prevention of Kissing Spine. 

Another point to make here is that if your horse has to have time off from exercise, box rest, an injury etc, they lose their core strength...so go back through some non ridden core work to strengthen your horse up before you ride again. This way you PREVENT back strain due to weakness, which can lead directly to Kissing Spine. 

I hope this all makes sense! I'm super passionate about sharing this knowledge, if we can all be looking at our horses in this way, and working with them to strengthen their body so that we can PREVENT Kissing Spine, that would be so much better for our horses welfare and quality of life...stopping it happening in the first place.

IF YOU NEED HELP PUTTING ALL OF THIS INTO PLACE...please have a look round my website, I have various Kissing Spine training packages including a full training programme and online consultations on my Kissing Spine page: Kissing Spine Resources

And if you are looking for a more general strengthening training package, check out my monthly online training membership The Members Enclosure! Membership

CONTACT ME...if you need help with any of this please email me via the Contact page here on my site, and I'll get back to you.