How do you identify it, what causes it, and can it be fixed?
Back pain can be one of the most insidious ailments that affect horses’ performance. It is one of the most difficult things to diagnose, because, as with people, back pain may not be a ‘primary’ problem, and many other syndromes can mimic the effects of back discomfort. Identifying and treating this problem may well take the knowledge and cooperation of the trainer, the vet (and any associates such as the chiropractor, acupuncturist, massage therapist, etc), the saddler and the farrier.
What symptoms tip you off to possible back soreness issues?
1) Over sensitivity to grooming
2) Difficult to saddle and girth
3) Can’t stand still for mounting
4) Unwilling to go forward
5) Sinking down or squatting after mounting
6) Head tossing, tail swishing, bucking or rearing
7) Heavy in one rein- sometimes unwilling to turn one direction or going crooked
8) Saddle always tipping off to one side
9) Saddle sores or galls
10) Distinct difference in strength of diagonals at the posting trot
11) Tripping
12) Difficulty going downhill
13) Uneven shoe wear, excessive forging or pulling shoes
14) Cant hold a lead at the canter or cross cantering
15) Bucking after a jump
16) Trouble doing lateral work
Any of these symptoms that persist or get worse deserve a close look. Take notes, and try not to change too many things at one time. If you change saddles, do chiropractic adjustments, start feeding supplements and have your horses hocks injected all at once, you may never really target what the real cause of the problem is.
If you suspect back problems, you need to have a methodical plan for identifying the cause. Let’s start with a ‘differential diagnosis’ list, starting with issues that may be the easiest to identify and change.
1) Saddle fit: Saddle fitting is not as mysterious as the articles that you have read make it sound! If the saddle is the culprit, you should see a marked difference with a change of saddles. (Obviously, if your horse has real damage in terms of sores or bruising, those will take some time to heal)
2) Teeth and dental issues are high on the list for making a horse reluctant to go forwards and going ‘crooked’ (Take a moment to twist your neck into a slightly unnatural position, tense your jaw and let me know if any of you are able to keep your lower back and legs supple and flexible). A horse who is defensive in his mouth will eventually wind up with a very stiff back.
3) Soundness issues: No one likes to hear this….Leg lameness, particularly hock problems and stifle problems, cause back pain because of the abnormal movement of the back while the horse is trying to protect the joint that is either painful or has limited movement. (Try walking with your ankle or knee immobilized, and see how sore your lower back becomes)
4) Back problems such as fractured vertebrae, arthritis of the spinous processes, compressed vertebrae, facette misalignment, or rib problems,
5) Medical problems such as inflammatory muscle diseases, skin irritations and possible allergies to fibers, liniments, fly spray, or foods,
6) Reproductive issues: abnormal hormone levels in mares, retained testicles in stallions or geldings can cause great discomfort.
7) Neurological diseases, EPM, Wobbler syndrome, certain forms of Lyme disease, lower motor neuron disease.
8) Training and conditioning problems…No one like to hear this one either, but it’s a strong contender You may have to ask for an honest evaluation from a good trainer who can take a fresh look at you and your horse, and who is willing to listen to your history.
The first thing that you need to do is a gait and pain evaluation. At some point, this may well involve your veterinarian, trainer and farrier, but it never hurts to look yourself first! Take notes, and date your observations.
To do an evaluation, watch the horse turned loose with out tack, preferably in a round pen with good footing. Lunge lines can really inhibit a horse’s natural movement, especially if they do not lunge very well! Watch for evenness of stride, fluidness and straightness. Does he pick up both leads at the canter? Does he cross canter? Do you see a waddle or lateral twisting in the hindquarters?
Touch, feel, poke and prod. Any sensitivity? All horses will drop their backs when you run your fingers down either side of their spine- it is a reflex; however, it shouldn’t drop them to the ground.
Saddle the horse and turn him loose in the round pen or arena again and note any differences.
Ride the horse and make careful note of whether the horse has more problems while turning or going straight. Is he better when you are standing, in a half seat, or sitting?
Let’s look at saddle fit as one of the possible problems. The goal is to find a saddle that offers the best possible fit for your discipline. There are several factors that make up the shape and balance of a saddle. The tree width is one important variable, but by no means the whole issue. Choosing the correct tree width for your horse is easy, but determining whether the panels are shaped correctly is much more difficult. Equate this to buying shoes for yourself. You know that ‘generally’ you take a size 8, but I’m sure that you have experienced that your choice may vary by as much as a full size, depending on the shoe, and sometimes even when we’ve found the ‘correct’ size, that the shoe just still isn’t the correct shape for your foot. We find this situation in saddles all the time. Assess the placement, the shape and balance of your saddle. Particular problem spots are directly behind the shoulders, the area under the saddles’ stirrup bars and girth webbing, and the very back of the panels at the cantle area.
I refer to the saddle as the ‘mediator’ between the horse and rider. Remember that every horse/ rider/ saddle combination is different, and what works perfectly for one rider may not be appropriate for another, even on the same horse.
Before you begin, have a look at the saddle to make sure the panels of the saddle are symmetrical, smooth and evenly stuffed. Be careful not to be thrown off by seams or saddle nails, which may have no relation to the straightness of the saddle. New wool flocked saddles are more apt to be uneven; many times, this will even out as the saddle breaks in, or minor inconsistencies can be adjusted by a saddler.
To do a basic saddle fit evaluation, place the saddle on the horse’s back without any pad at all. We make a first assessment using the criteria from the Society of Master Saddlers. That can give you a good indication if the contours of the saddle match the general body shape of your horse.
1) Have the horse standing squarely on a level surface. Check the tree width by standing at the horse’s shoulder, lifting the flap of the saddle, and checking that the points of the tree parallel the structure of the horses back that is under it. The angles should match within 10 degrees. Most tree points are visible, and sit in a small stitched pocket in front of, and, a little lower than the stirrup bars. Run your hands under the tree points and look for even pressure from the top of the point to the bottom. Remember to check both sides of the horse. Many horses are asymmetrical, and make sure the saddle fits acceptably on both the left and the right.
2) Check for basic balance of the saddle. The saddle must sit level on the horses back. Use the deepest part of the seat as a reference point. It should be level to allow the rider to sit centered and balanced.
3) The saddle must have adequate clearance at the withers and spine. I look for two to three fingers of clearance at the front of the saddle. Wider horses may safely have a little less clearance at the wither than a horse with a prominent wither. I look carefully to make sure the gullet channel clears the spine all the way to the back of the saddle, and make sure that the gullet is wide enough that there is no pressure on the sides of the spine.
4) The tree of the saddle must not extend beyond the horses 18th thoracic vertebrae. If you are not quite sure where this is located, feel for the last rib, and go up from there. If the saddle extends too far back, it is likely that it will cause some discomfort, as well as the problem that the horses hip movement will tend to push the saddle forwards.
After that first look, then go ahead and put your fittings on the saddle with the pad that you anticipate using (preferably a fairly thin pad without lifts or cushions). Ride the horse and note the following things:
1) The rider must feel balanced and not feel like he or she is being pitched forwards or backwards.
2) The saddle must not ‘rock’ when the rider is in the posting trot
3) The saddle should be laterally stable, not tending to roll with a moderately adjusted girth
4) The saddle should not create ruffled hair, which indicates movement.
5) The saddle pad should stay in place under the saddle. Saddles that don’t fit well may tend to ‘spit’ the pad out the back. (Sometimes this can be a pad problem also)
6) I look for a reasonably even sweat pattern. Dry spots can indicate areas of pressure, but note that there may be a dry area corresponding with the channel of the gullet which may actually result from good airflow down the spine.
7) The saddle should not ‘bridge’ excessively- some horses may be a bit saggy in the back while they are standing on the crossties, so it is important to assess this after the horse has been worked a bit and his back has come up.
8) Above all, the saddle should feel ’good’ to you when you ride in it. If you think that you’ll get used to it for your horses sake, you probably wont!
Special Fitting Problems: Here is where we have to discuss some of the laws of gravity and conformation:
1) If your horse is built high in the rear end, you WILL have problems with a saddle slipping forwards until it jams to a stop behind the shoulders.
2) If your horse has a big ribcage, tapering to narrower shoulders, the saddle will tend to slip forwards to the narrowest spot.
3) If your horse has a big ‘laid back’ shoulder, he may tend to push the saddle back; this is particularly true with forward seat jumping saddles whose flaps sit on the horse’s shoulder anyway.
4) If your horse is very short backed, it can be a real challenge to find a saddle that is the correct seat size for the rider, but is not too long for the horse’s back.
5) If your horse is very flat backed or mutton withered, the saddle will tend to roll. These horses must be mounted from a mounting block, and will probably require a snug girth.
It may take many attempts to come up with a saddle that can balance out these conformation difficulties acceptably. There are types of pads and girths that can ‘help’ with some particularly sticky fitting problems, but don’t count on them to offer a total solution.
If your saddle passes the test, it may be time to look further. I’ll suggest a call to your veterinarian, who can perform several tests to help isolate the problem.