b"Arizona Ask the VetREAL COUNTRY KISSING SPINESthe magazine T he term kissing spines is a term used to describe a condition where the Mike Barna pieces of bone that project upwards from a horses Publisher backbone (the dorsal spinous processes, or DSPs) ArizonaRealCountryMagazine@gmail.com come too close together. When the spinous processes are touching one another, they start to grate on each other causing pain. Erika Smith Royal An evenly-spaced vertebra is a healthy vertebrae Editor column; kissing spines is otherwise. Its most erika963realcountry@gmail.com commonly found in the middle of a horses backchange within the position of the back during specific under the saddle region but can occur anywhereactivities and also trauma have been cited. along the spine. Its a progressive condition that Misty Voitovski usually affects horses aged between seven and 14 andDIAGNOSIS Creative Director is quite common in larger breeds, but rare in ponies.In diagnosing kissing spines, the one tool used in Kissing spines are suspected to occur in 39% of thea definitive diagnosis is radiography. With digital horse population. imaging, radiographs can be taken and a much closer Contributing Writers look at the horses back will give the veterinarian more The way the saddle fits the horse, the horse's exerciseinformation to go by. Often the bony margins will Lee AndersonJustin Leglerregimen, and the technique of the rider should alwayshave areas of increased density (which shows as white Mark MelkowskiBetsy Nunn be monitored in order to help prevent this condition. on an x-ray) and areas where the bone has partly Often, kissing spines is not detected until thedissolved (black on an x-ray). The images will reveal Jim OlsonBill Roberts condition becomes severe. It is a major contributor tothe spinal processes touching one another.Alan RockmanBob Roloff subpar performance in performing horses, as well as an abnormal gait. This condition, however, may not beThere are horses that have back pain without kissing John SamsillHank Sheffer noticed until the horse is noticeably being negativelyspines, and there are horses who show kissing spines affected in his performing aptitude.on X-rays but do not have back pain. Therefore it is important when this diagnosis is made on X-rays, SYMPTOMS OF KISSING SPINES IN HORSESthat the symptoms and regions of the back that 801 W. Wickenburg Way Horses with kissing spines will struggle to performpalpate painfully correlate with the same regions Wickenburg, AZ 85390 well under saddle and show signs of pain in their backon the back that look abnormal on the X-ray.though this discomfort can present itself in differentRadiographs are only one piece of the puzzle when (602) 254-6644 ways. Symptoms can range from mild to severe. Thedetermining if a horse has back pain, so simply symptoms can be variable and are often misread byradiographing a prospective horses back to see if he ArizonaRealCountry.com riders as behavioral issues. An obvious symptom ishas back problems is not sufficient.when the saddle is brought out the horse may show anxiety by shifting his weight and moving his bowelsThe veterinarian may perform an ultrasound which is often. When the saddle is placed on his back he lowersequally as effective as evaluating the soft tissues and his back under its light pressure or, when the cinch issurfaces of the bone. This type of imaging technique tightened he bites at the air or his belly. shows significant bone detail as well as the soft tissues which are attached to each bone.Thermography may Other behavioral clues continue as he is led away. Healso be employed to take a look at the heat output may walk very slowly and sometimes like a crab orfrom the region, which can signify inflammation. he may position himself in such a way that the riderThermography is ideal for looking at specific back Follow Arizona Realhas difficulty mounting. Signs continue once theregions as well as the fit of the saddle. Country for news, events,rider mounts. This is when he may drop his back andTREATMENT METHODSscoot forward. Under saddle, he may be particularly giveaways and more! anxious and appear to be ready to explode. Treatment of kissing spines will vary, depending on the horses condition and health history.There In general, these horses are uncomfortable withare a variety of ways to control the pain including weight on their backs and dont want to be ridden. cortisone injections, shockwave therapy, mesotherapy, Arizona Real Country is owned andSo they will often make lots of excuses not to workchiropractic, acupuncture, non-steroidal anti-published by Barna Broadcastingsuch as spooking, bucking, bolting, kicking out andinflammatory medications, and muscle relaxants. LLC. No person, organization or partyshaking their heads. Under saddle, they may be veryEvery case is different and some horses will respond can copy or reproduce the contentstiff in one direction, hollow, hard to put on the bitbetter to one therapy than another.or reluctant to make transitions. Of course, some of on our website and/or magazine orthese symptoms could be attributed to other problemsThere is a lot of new information out there about any part of this publication withoutand not all of these symptoms need to be present tophysical therapy and strengthening exercises to build a written consent from the editorsconsider back pain as a diagnosis. up a horses back. A therapist can help set specific panel and the author of the content, astherapeutic routines for your horse. Most start without applicable. The publisher, authors andCAUSES a rider on the back and involve a long and low frame contributors reserve their rights withAs of today, there is very little information on theand gradual re-introduction of a rider. regards to copyright of their work. cause of this condition. However, there are several researched-based theories. Breed type, the hollowingSome of the treatments, such as shockwave therapy, of the back by the horse when working, activitiescan be quite costly. Shockwave therapy, in some cases, that bring the spinous processes closer together, acontinued on page 7ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2020 5"