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Some have mentioned hocks--often the hock pathology comes about as a result of a poorly-conformed back (instead of the other way around) but the posters are still correct in that you can't successfully treat the back unless you address the hocks, too. 

 

Also, dental issues are a commonly overlooked cause of spinal problems.  If a horse has hooks and cannot slide his dental arcades properly across each other, he cannot freely utilize his head--and he compensates all the way down the spinal column.

 

That said, an analysis of his conformation to see if he is having an uphill fight biomechanically to carry weight is also in order.  There are horses for which it is just too much of a biomechanical struggle to carry a rider comfortably...

 

Heidi

Does anyone have some advice to share on horse's having back pain.  I got my current horse two years ago, spent the first year with LSD work, went to a Novice CTR and checked in and out with back pain, took two weeks off, conditioned and went to one more novice CTR and again had back/loin pain.  Took him to A&M University who did x-rays and ultrasound and found him to be very sore but couldn't find a reason so diagnosed muscle strain from pasture shenanigans and gave him multiple steroid shots in his back and said to rest him a week then slowly back to work. I am now 5 months later after multiple chiropractic visits and weekly myofascial release treatments and consistent low intensity work for conditioning his back muscles as prescribed and he still has back pain.  I can ride him 2 miles at a walk without exacerbating his pain but 5 miles at a walk is too much and he has tightness and pain in his loins the next two days.  I have changed saddles from treeless to specialized.  I am trying to do what is best with the back strengthening work but am so frustrated by the slow progress and lack of diagnosis and continued pain.  Maybe has strained a back ligament which takes longer to heal?  Maybe he needs to be thrown out in a field and forgotten for a year to rest and heal?  Maybe he needs more work to strengthen an inherently weak area?  Maybe I need to give up riding and break him to harness? I am a small rider on a 14 hand stout mustang type horse with good conformation.  I work him for maybe 15 to 20 minutes total each day with some in hand work, some lunging in side reins (5X each direction at a trot) to get him to round and properly use his back, some ground pole work, some spirals in and out, carrot stretches, walking flat terrain under saddle ect, all of this prescribed by chiropractor and doctor as physical therapy for his back. 

 

Thanks, Amy

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