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Part three of the deep dive into the reality of kissing spines.Horses afflicted by kissing spines become more painful when ridden because the rider’s weight causes their back to hollow and presses the spines closer together. The horse tries to reduce back movements by tensing the muscles; as a result, the back stiffens and ceases to swing.It doesn’t take long for a horse to realize that pain is associated with having the tack on, and this may lead to an aversion to being saddled with th …

Part two of the deep dive into the reality of kissing spines.We learned last time that kissing spines is a potentially painful disease in which the spines of the vertebrae rub against each other. Let’s take a look at what causes the development of kissing spines.What causes the development of kissing spines? It occurs most often in Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and stock horses, which include Quarter Horses and Paints. Recently, it has been found that genetics play a role, and at least two …

Better understand Kissing Spines in Horses.Last time I described the structure and mechanics of the horse’s back. In this blog, we’ll explore the most common vertebrae disease in the trunk region: kissing spines. Let’s dive into how to better understand Kissing spines in horses and the signs. Despite its friendly-sounding name, this can be a harrowing disease for the horse.The Equine Vertebra AnatomyA vertebra consists of a cylinder of bone called the body. The body contains an arch that …