Or, when he is girthed he bites at the air or the crossties. Then when the saddle is placed on his back he lowers his back under its light pressure. An obvious symptom is when the saddle is brought out the horse may show anxiety on the crossties (shifting his weight and moving his bowels often). Q: What are the symptoms of kissing spine?Ī: The symptoms of kissing spine can be variable and are often misread by riders as behavioral issues. Kissing spines are more likely to be clinically significant in Thoroughbreds and dressage horses, in horses under 5-years-old and when more than five vertebra are kissing.
When they touch or overlap this is considered to be “kissing.”Īlthough kissing spine is suspected to occur in 39% of the horse population, it is not always a source of pain. The condition occurs in the dorsal spinous processes, which is the tips of the spine that you can feel if you press down on the horse’s midline. Q: In laymen’s terms, can you please define ‘kissing spine,’ and also provide the medical name as well?Ī: Kissing spine, which in technical terms is referred to as the impingement of the dorsal spinous processes, is a diagnosis made through evaluating radiographs of a horse’s back. Maloney offers insights on the condition and its treatment. Maloney took time out of her very busy schedule to answer questions about an equine back condition commonly referred to as kissing spine. Her career started at the racetrack, before expanding to include the care and treatment of sport horses in most other disciplines.Īn active competitor in the amateur-owner jumper division in Wellington and Canada, Dr. Liz Maloney, DVM, owner of Equine Therapies in Franklin, Mass., has practiced veterinary medicine with a special interest in horse performance issues for 19 years.
0 kommentar(er)
