{"id":92594,"date":"2022-09-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-19T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antares-sellier.com\/?p=92594"},"modified":"2026-05-06T16:31:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-06T14:31:19","slug":"tips-prevent-horse-back-pain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/preprod.antares-sellier.com\/en\/tips-prevent-horse-back-pain\/","title":{"rendered":"3 tips to prevent your horse from getting back pain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Your horse may show signs of back pain<\/strong> at various times. This may be when grooming, saddling up, girthing, during a workout or simply when you run your hand over its back. These are examples of outward, visible, signs of discomfort<\/strong> but it may be that you don’t actually realise that your horse is suffering from back pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from the weight of the rider, a horse’s back responds to all kinds of effort (to different degrees) that you ask of it. The back connectsthe fore <\/strong>and hindquarters<\/strong>, so it’s vital that you care of your horse’s back for it to perform properly. That’s why, we’ve teamed up with Marine Cerles <\/strong>(professional osteopath and Chief Executive of the EOS Animal Osteopathy School<\/strong> to give you 3 tips to prevent your horse getting from getting back pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A horse’s back is part of the spine and comprises:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The withers are composed of the first 10 thoracic vertebrae<\/strong>. These vertebrae have prominent dorsal spinal processes<\/strong>, or vertebral flanges, sometimes exceeding 30 cm. This has a key influence on whether back pain might occur.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, when your horse raise its neck, its back hollows while the nuchal and supraspinous ligaments slacken<\/strong>. The edges of the dorsal spinal processes in the withers (also called dorsal aphosysis<\/strong>) move towards each other causing friction.<\/p>\n\n\n By contrast, when your horse lowers its neck, the nuchal and supraspinous ligaments tighten.<\/strong> This widens the space between the dorsal spinal processes and the spinal column lengthens. Your horse’s topline will also rise which helps its back<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n The desired virtuous circle when giving your horse a workout is to have elevated withers, a rounded back and good engagement of the hindquarters.<\/p>\n\n\n You can find additional exercises on the IFCE website<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back pain<\/strong> can have many causes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The source can be where the pain is found but it can also be more distant<\/strong>. For example, some back muscles are attached to the lumbar region or even the head. Foot problems or discomfort in the hoof capsule can lead to tensing muscles when pushing down and landing, causing back pain. This is when the horse ‘compensates<\/strong>‘.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, it is really important to pinpoint the reason for this back pain. Subsequent treatment provides two options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ideally, it’s best to pre-empt<\/strong> the factors causing the back pain. Here are 3 tips to do this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether you give your horse a workout on foot or in the saddle, it must be adapted to its age<\/strong> and body type<\/strong>. Be especially careful when exercising young horses<\/strong> which are still growing. Always increase the tempo of your sessions gradually<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you give your horse a warm-up before working on its back. Relaxation exercises <\/strong>are perfect to prepare your horse’s back and warm up the muscles. If you can, we advise walking your horse outside on a long rein.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Read our article for more details on the various stages to properly relax your horse<\/a>.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your saddle must match your horse’s body<\/strong>. Horses have long or short backs that can be more or less hollowed, or they might have very prominent withers. Using ill-fitting tack causes plenty of back pains. To the naked eye, it isn’t easy to know if your saddle is a proper fit for your horse. Ideally, you should call a professional to conduct a fitting session<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is exactly what all our trained saddle fitting Antar\u00e8s experts<\/a> do. The art is in observing a horse, to study its morphology and the way it moves. Next, specific and highly accurate measurements are taken to make a saddle that meets the needs of both horse and rider. Arnaud, our specialist covering the Paris and Normandy area gives us his advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe anatomy of a horse’s back<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Reasons for your horse having a sore back<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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How to prevent your horse from getting back pain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Tip 1: Tailor your horse’s workouts accordingly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tip 2: Use the right equipment<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The riding saddle<\/h4>\n\n\n\n