This condition is found most often in horses of Thoroughbred, Quarter Horse, and Warmblood breeding, and is quite common in dressage horses. Horses that drag a rear toe, are stiff to one side, won’t pick up a canter lead, are awkward in gait transitions, have shifting lameness, and won’t flex or collect may also be showing signs of back discomfort. Another common sign is misbehavior under saddle (bucking, rearing, kicking out, head-tossing). However, researchers studying the skeletons of long-extinct horses have found evidence of kissing spines in these animals, so while weight-carrying does reposition the shape of the spine to some extent, not all problems with kissing spines are related to the presence of a rider.Ī horse’s back pain may be shown as fidgeting when being groomed or tacked up, nipping or kicking while having the girth tightened, and jigging or bolting as a rider mounts and sits down in the saddle. It’s tempting to blame kissing spine problems on the weight of a rider, especially in young horses or those that are not in good physical condition. Horse with kissing spines may develop back pain, bone cysts, arthritic changes, and other problems.
Kissing spines refers to a condition in horses in which two or more of the spinous processes (the flanges of bone sticking up from each vertebra in the spine) are positioned so that they touch or rub against each other.
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