Over the years it has become obvious that whatever the build, breed, discipline or even history, the same groups of resistances are experienced by most horses and their riders, only intensity varies. Horse with kissing spines may develop back pain, A clue to the origin of a disconnected ride is the symptoms we encounter when we are aboard. This can cause inflammation, pain or soreness where the bones rub together.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. These are bony projections at the top of each vertebrae along the horse’s spine that overlap or touch (hence kissing) rather than being spaced evenly. The medical term for kissing spines is overriding dorsal spinous processes (ORDSP).
This is, of course, invisible to the eye due to the presence of a saddle.This closes the already narrow gaps between the vertical spinous processes of the thoracic vertebrae. As his work progresses into trot and canter he can begin to feel discomfort as the nerves running between the processes risk becoming rubbed and if not corrected, pinched. Evolution has perfected the horse’s skeleton over millions of years to make him/her a great mover, but it did not make the horse’s back naturally strong enough to carry a human, however big and strong they appear.The horse’s natural reaction to the rider’s weight.When a young horse first carries a rider, the new weight placed over the middle of his spinal column causes it to slump, or dip slightly. What is spinal crowding syndrome?Spinal crowding syndrome is a precise term for the complications of a hollow back, and can be slight to severe. The proximity of the processes is naturally very close. The horse’s spine without the rider’s weight.
These are the body’s ‘core’ muscles and need to be strong and short to counteract spinal dipping and keep the gaps between the processes open when carrying the rider.Simply asking the horse for more forward effort in an effort to engage the quarters will not build the Multifidus system, particularly if the spine has learned already to dip as the horse is working against himself.In fact, more impulsion worsens the problem. The weak linkThere is a complex system of muscles that run under the spine called the Multifidus System. As horses are creatures of habit, once this defence begins it is likely to continue and he loses the natural flexible qualities of his spine that are key to the elastic connection of his large body sections.As he is asked to perform more trot and canter work he responds as best he can by using his limbs instead of his whole body, deliberately avoiding bending through the spine by triangulating the gait and swinging the quarters to the inside.It is for this reason so many well-bred horses are uncomfortable, never seem to fulfil their actual potential irrespective of their level of fitness, and why most horses move well in the field yet lose their natural cadence under saddle.
How to tell if a horse has spinal crowdingIn motion, our bodies are just a biological mechanism, a machine for moving around. The spine carried low between the shoulder blades. This pushes the lowest part of the cervical section of his spine, the base of the neck, downwards between his shoulder blades and robbing him of forehand ‘suspension’, plunging him downhill, onto the forehand and heavily into the rider’s hand making straightness and balance physically impossible.It is likely that advanced cases may have spinal interference in the C6, C7, T1 which contribute to the bracing resistance found in the rein contact of affected horses. At that stage, it has possibly become a ‘kissing spine’ where the vertebrae have become kinked by the strong Longissimus Dorsi muscles in spasm, where the processes are touching and crushing the nerve.An example of 4 separate kissing processes.A secondary effect of the spine losing elasticity is that kinetic force is thrown forwards towards the shoulders as it can no longer be absorbed through the horse’s centre. In some cases horses experiencing this syndrome develop very tense back muscles leading to severe behavioral and riding resistances. Some horses stabilise and learn to work like this, by becoming sufficiently supple in the limb joints, although their gaits will be incurably crooked, one-sided and limited.
The signs are often seen as individual problems with no common cause, but they do have telltale predictability.As spinal crowding symptoms come in groups, we can start by giving each horse a ‘Core score’. As difficult as it is for the horse to do as asked under these circumstances, things are almost as awkward as the rider who is severely jiggled about or even downright ejected, unable to ride in a soft, light way and therefore reinforcing the horse’s tension.Our aids then become impossible for the horse to understand creating a vicious circle of defensive tension that is tricky to break.» Revealed: The secret to getting your horse on the bit, naturallyAs horses are generous and silent triers they don’t yelp in pain like people or other pets, making the initial signs of spinal crowding hard to notice. When the horse’s spine, or ‘chassis’ is misaligned, all the subtle dynamics of limb flight and joint trajectories are thrown out of line causing all sorts of imbalances, restrictions, and excesses. Any mechanical misalignment will wear parts quickly due to the excess strain put upon them. A car with a flat tyre will pull heavily to one side, for example.
Bony growths, joint swellings, self-interference and excessive wear show that aBody part has endured excessive repetitive strain. The ‘sway’ of hoof growth on one side of the foot shows a repetitive lateral slide of that limb, like a car tyre under cornering.The presence of forces from a direction in which the limb was not designed can form all manner of reaction over time. Unfortunately, the secondary effects of spinal crowding will show excessive strain in the area most used by the horse to compensate for avoiding his back correctly, and this often appears in the limbs as a seemingly unrelated problem.Hoof flares are a good example.
As the exercises are performed in partnership with the rider, this not only produces the physical conditioning and confidence that the horse needs but also dramatically develops the psychological and physical bond between the partners to make advanced work possible and more harmonious.» Kissing Spine syndrome weighs heavily on Thoroughbreds, study findsThere are four distinct elements to keep in mind with this method. Due to the presence of spinal processes in the horse added to the fact that he has to carry a rider, the condition of a horse’s spinal supporting mechanism even more critical.If a Grand Prix Dressage performance is comparable to a Ballet then it is obvious that the traditional practice of a walk, trot and canter on a loose rein both ways is simply not enough to properly condition a horse for movements that require a high level of balance, suppleness and flexibility, as it will just loosen the legs.The whole body must be trained, weak areas made strong and then what was difficult becomes easy, beautiful and sustainable.Core Correction takes human body conditioning disciplines such as Yoga, Pilates and recent developments in kinetic chain sports training, and applies these principles to the horse’s weak areas with the same philosophy of controlled, progressive strength-building movements under saddle. With human athletes we discovered long ago that the core must be in excellent condition or peak, painless performance will never be achieved. Continuous analysis of human training methods has us concentrate upon core suppleness and strength before adding power and speed. Core Correction – What can you doIf we want our horses to dance, we must train them as we do a human athlete.
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