Identifying lower-back and treating chronic pain in horses

It is important to be able to recognise the source of back pain in a horse in order to treat and manage it successfully, says Dr Mac.

- Dr Mac.

Chronic back pain can progress very slowly and it may be a long time before it is diagnosed. In some cases, it is only discovered when the horse performs a manoeuvre incorrectly.

For example, an instructor may tell a rider to “canter a 20m circle and change legs through the trot in the centre of the arena”. The rider canters a neat 20m circle to the left, changes to a trot before the centre, and asks the horse to canter to the right.

Suddenly, the horse falls over its feet, becomes disunited, and throws its head around. The rider may also notice that the horse is unbalanced at the canter, or even at the trot.

This behaviour may be due to chronic pain in the horse’s lower spine, which makes it difficult for the animal to bend its body properly when ridden in a circle.

Chronic back pain can also explain sudden shying or bucking in a horse that was previously calm and easy to ride.