As horses are not evolved or designed very well for us to ride them, unfortunately they do suffer with back problems - we sit on the lowest part of the back and they are not always strong enough to carry the weight of the saddle and rider. Back problems can range from sore muscles or tightness, restricted joints, to bones touching in the spine which is extremely painful for them (this is 'Kissing Spine'). 

Some horses show signs of back pain very clearly, while others just carry on with...

Winter (in the UK anyway) is a difficult time with horses, but especially horses that have been diagnosed/treated for ‘Kissing Spine’. It’s crucial to continue your rehabilitation / strengthening work, but there are lots of factors in the way.

Tip 1: Work routine

One of the most crucial pieces of the jigsaw for a horse with ‘Kissing Spine’ is for them to be kept in regular exercise. And in particular during your initial rehabilitation.

You will undoubtedly have...

Why should we be doing daily core strengthening work with our horses? Because we sit on the lowest, weakest part of their back, so this is the bit that needs to be strengthened for riding!

LET ME SHARE WITH YOU THE BENEFITS OF CORE ENGAGEMENT FOR YOUR HORSE!

Tip 1: Your horse will start working over his back

We have all heard this term, getting your horse to work over his back, and we probably know what that is or looks like, but WHY is it important and HOW do we do it? And what does it...

Welcome to my post about ‘Kissing Spine’. I hope there will be some useful information in here for you. I have been working with horses with 'Kissing Spine' for a number of years both in residential rehabilitation and at owners yards, so have gained experience and understanding that I have now been able to put into my ebook and online training course, to help owners to fully rehabilitate their horses. 

Onto the article...

10 years ago most of us hadn’t even heard of...

SIGNS OF BACK PAIN IN THE HORSE 

I have been working with horses full time for over 10 years now, both as a Spinal Manipulation Therapist and now also as a Vet Physiotherapist dealing with injured horses going through rehabilitation. During this time I have seen a LOT of horses with back pain, it is the main problem that I deal with on a day to day basis in my work, whether it’s a couple of spinal joints that are sore, or the muscles have gone into spasm, or the other end of...