I have a prelim eventer with kissing spine, rider said he goes better with a square or rocker toe on the hinds, right know he has a rocker. Just curious of others experiences with this problem.
it seems to come around every 7 to 10 yrs. Every Vet seems to think they discovered it. Look a little closer, you might see what is really bothering this horse. Might be negative plantar angles...
Hind feet look pretty good, probably not ideal PA but on the + side. She said he was diagnose by one of the US team vets and he injected him about a year ago things got better, he's going to see this vet again next month for a check up. I've been doing him about six months, everything seems ok just curious if anything else may help.
does this horse have a hunter's bump near the end of it's spine?.......... I have seen good results and believe in chiropractic and acupuncture work. they use to inject the back in the muscles, medicine and give Robaxin orally at the racetrack for this. it has to a combination of everything at once to make it work and help the horse.
I think this "kissing spine" is just bad posture due to pain some where else in the horse. If that pain can be located and addressed all the "back" issues magically go away; puts the chiros, saddlefitters and voodoo practioneers out of a job
Kissing spines is a very reel condition not a fad. I think that the condition never comes alone, whether the spines are a result of juvenile development or posture from other conditions I dont know. But orthopedic pathology in one area will generally be present in the other likely suspect areas. I have lost count of the number of horses that have been referred with a multiple of conditions, bilaterally lame in front and hock issues, asymmetric limbs and when they finally look kissing spines as well. Did the one trigger the other, i dont know, did the predisposition to one lead to a predisposition to them all who knows. Are these weaknesses to various pathology's hereditary, congenital or aquirred, I suspect all three. All normal shoeing packages for all the obvious symptoms will improve the horses way of going, but bone changes are generally irreversible.
I admit, I have noticed that kissing spine problems and over weight riders seem to occur together more often than not.
I don't think we can blame this on poor riding. He's not lame or having problems just want to make sure I do my part to keep him that way. The horse hasn't done much his entire life until this lady purchased him in 2009 and has had nothing but success since. I think he stood in a pasture for 5 years before she bought him. Only thing I have seen to fault him on is his LF coffin bone is a little funky on the lateral side, and he has some pretty substantial sidebones in both fronts.
I shoe one with kissing spine. I have been shoeing this horse for quite a few years. The horse started feeling "not quite right" She went to the University and was diagonosed with kissing spine. This is an older horse with a few conformational issues. Some pedal ostitis was found in the right front and some sidebone in both. When we realized all that, I started shoeing her with plain stamp bar shoes with a side bone shoe effect, pads and equipak. I switced her to plastic pad since this picture. The horse is now back to work and very happy.
Again, I think the anedotal evidence suports my theory that "kissing spine" is a symptom/result of other issues and is not a primary condition. I have currently have 3 of these horses on my book and with the combination of appropriate shoeing for neg palmer/planter angles and pedal osteitis and lighter weight/better riders all are competiting and fox hunting. Their "kissing spines" must no longer be kissing; and probably doesn't call either....
I agree Brian, Kissing spines seems to be a result of low plantar angles. Once I get these horses in proper digital alignment their SI's get injected and the kissing spine issue goes away. Poor riders that cannot hold a horse in frame is a major cause of this in my opinion.
I wonder if it is sometimes misdiagnosed. Of course calcifications can remodel to a healthier state but I too have seen many horses diagnosed with K.S. recover fully. My own gelding had to have his lumbosacral area injected every three month for the first 1.5 years I had him. It obviously greatly helped him but when I finally got his hind hooves sorted and fixed his musculature he no longer needed his back done even by a chiro let alone injected. He actually never was n.p. behind either but increasing his angulation derotated his pelvis and allowed his muscles to rebuild appropriately and now he self maintains. (I believe Ronald Alders posted on horseshoes.com about the bananna shoe increasing angulation and enableing dorsiflextion of the back, where is he these days?) My horse sure as hell wasn't going prelim and it fixed him. Seams like a horse working that hard should get ideal angles behind just because it will improve his performance regardless of if he has k.s. or not. I would assume a square toe would make the horse function as if his c.b : p alignment was more steep hence why it has help him thus far.
