“When the spaces between the horse’s spinal processes narrow, this compression can cause varying degrees of pain.”
Kissing Spines, aka Overriding Spinal Processes, has hit close to home for myself and several horse friends in the last few years. Is it new? Not at all, but it is really just coming onto people’s radar in the last 10 years or so. With advancing technology in X-rays and ultrasounds, the ability to use diagnostic tools to look at the incredible structure of a horse’s back and treat the horse’s spine has become more commonplace and accessible. The degree of bone changes can vary greatly, as well as the pain around the structures, if any, that results from the Kissing Spines. This article is not meant to be a veterinary report about Kissing Spines, but seeks to bring to light a condition that has been overlooked or misinterpreted in the horse world until recently.
Looking back, I think of horses over the years that had strange behaviors such as spooking and then suddenly taking off bucking, or random unexplained fits, or general crankiness around being groomed, saddled or blanketed. It can’t be overstated that the horse’s back is not only an incredible structure, but the main area where our equine partner carries and communicates with us. Unchecked Kissing Spines can grow into problems with behavior, soundness and performance. Fortunately, most of the time, Kissing Spines can be managed and helped. In this article, we will look at some causes of Kissing Spines, how to know if your horse might have it, as well as what can be done to help our horses with it.
What are some of the causes of Kissing Spines? Genetics has been found to have a big influence on a horse’s predisposition to have Kissing Spines, especially in Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses. Several factors can lead to and/or exacerbate Kissing Spines in horses that already may have tighter spaces between their spinal processes. These factors include saddle fit, weak core muscles, improper conditioning, poor back conformation, improper training of how a horse carries itself, training at a young age with excessive weight for their back structure, and prolonged trauma of unidentified Kissing Spines resulting in ongoing bone changes. Horses with genetically closer spinal processes do not take much weight on the spine to result in the spinal processes interfering with each other to some degree.
What are some signs that my horse may have Kissing Spines? When the spaces between the horse’s spinal processes narrow, this compression can cause varying degrees of pain. This pain can result in certain behaviors over time, such as:
• Sensitivity when grooming, blanketing, saddling, tightening the girth
• Reluctance to stand still when mounting
• Stiffness, hollowing or head tossing when ridden
• Resistance to working in a frame as well as bending the rib cage and back
• Problems picking up or maintaining the correct canter lead, crossfiring or resistance doing lead changes
• Excessive tail swishing while riding
• Bucking, rearing or biting
• Unexplained poor performance
While something such as blanketing doesn’t seem like it should cause pain, the horse begins to associate any activity over the back as something that could cause pain, therefore reacting accordingly. Pain can be coming from the actual touching of the spinous processes as well as the supporting muscles that lie in the space between the spinus processes and the ribs. The Longissimus Dorsi muscle is the largest muscle in this space that can be palpated and can develop spasms and fatigue largely because of the huge role it plays in supporting the back.
Ultimately, Kissing Spines is diagnosed by a thorough and complete evaluation by your veterinarian including a lameness exam to look for any other problems. If back pain seems to be at the forefront, an X-ray of the back to evaluate the condition of the spinous processes may be in order. Although, the amount of overriding and impinging processes is not a direct correlation to the amount of pain. Some horses with horrible looking X-rays may not experience the same degree of pain, while horses with X-rays that do not look too bad may experience significant back pain.
What can I do to help my horse with Kissing Spines? Typically, a more noninvasive plan is the place to start. Injections of anti-inflammatories between and around the spinous processes, muscle relaxers to calm down the muscle spasms, shockwave as well as chiropractic and acupuncture therapy are used in various combinations. An intentional warm-up routine as well as core strengthening exercises are critical to support the back and to stretch and increase the space between the spinous processes. Long, low and out stretching while riding is helpful as well as ground work such as carrot stretches, bowing stretches, lifting the belly, and tucking the rear end. Work over cavaletti, trotting poles, backing up hills and hill work in or out of the saddle can be great for core and back strength. In the beginning, as you work through getting your horse out of the pain cycle, most of this will be done out of the saddle.
It is important to remember that much of this work will continue throughout your horse’s riding career to keep the core and back strong. Saddle fit is also a key factor in keeping the back comfortable. In more advanced cases that do not respond to conservative therapy, surgery may be recommended. Surgery may involve cutting the ligament that runs between the spinus processes at the affected sites to allow more space between them or removing part of the bone that is touching to create more space. The procedure chosen will depend on the severity of the Kissing Spines. Surgery has been shown to have favorable long-term results. After treatment and rehab, horses can often return to their previous level of work with continued maintenance, or may be more comfortable at a lower level of performance.
A Kissing Spines diagnosis can be very intimidating, but in the majority of cases, it can be managed, and you and your horse can continue on with an even better partnership than before. Horses that were once thought to be ill-tempered take on a new persona. Strange behaviors, unexplained reactivity, problems with training movements, all may have an answer if we look a little harder. Our horses do so much for us and want to work with us. We owe it to them to take the time to listen to what they may be trying to tell us!
Heather McWilliams © 2024
