At 19:42:58 on 27.02.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
I was wondering iff anyone could tell me iff my horse could get kissing spine again. He first developed it (it started to show) about 6 month after i bought him from a race yard and he had shockwave treatment to ease it. It was fine for another year afterwards then he started bucking again and i got him checked and he needed an op because he had developed it in other areas too. The vet said this would cure the kissing spine but i'm worried it will come back. Has anyone else had a similar experience or know anything about it?

At 22:34:56 on 01.03.10, HorseVet wrote:
Kissing spine is a rubbish diagnosis. Horses are sedated to take the x-ray and the back sags and dorsal processes of the vertebrae come closer together. If it is genuinely kissing spines then it means your horse has been worked inside-out with his head in the air and his back dipped that has built the muscles up wrongly. I suspect there's a reason why he's working in the wrong way. Identify and sort that and get him working right so the back lifts and the spine will be fine. No operation required. It takes longer doing it right but it's far better for all concerned apart from the vet who'd like the operation fee. Just because a knife can be used as a short cut doesn't mean we should be doing it. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk

At 20:39:25 on 02.03.10, farasi wrote:
Has the horse thin soles and flat ones with an underun heel? Is his front end more developed than his back end? Only a thought as many tried to tell me my horse had kissing spine and I wouldn't take notice and continued looking for a way to solve the problem, and the solution was one many can't belive as it was no where near his back!

At 16:15:55 on 03.03.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
He wasn't sedated whilst having an x-ray as he is very quiet and i have already had the operation as trying to correct it made it worse. He seems ok now but i am just worried it will come back as he has had it twice now :S

At 17:01:04 on 17.03.10, farasi wrote:
I agree with horse vet on this, I think it was a poor cop out diganosis and a quick fix easy option, but was it really an operation and all that time off a quick fix? I disagree strongly, as I was told on numerous occasions that kkissing spine was what was up with my horse, and I refused to belive it and looked for alternative sorces for his discomfort - I found it and I have cured it and 8 months on from getting to the root of the problem, the horse fully engages, brings his hocks right underneath him, lifts through his back and has the ability to be very good on the flat. He is a TB out of racing and was a very upside down horse who was hollow at the base of his neck, due to feet issues of all things. With the correct work, and a lot of hard work there is no looking back for us, onwards and upwards, all a little wiser a little better educated and always very open to exploring and looking in to alternative options.

At 18:51:36 on 17.03.10, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
To farasi he had had many treatments before we resorted to the op, he had shock wave treatment, we tried to work him but he was in so much discomfort he wouldn't even trot on a hack and he usually wants to gallop and canters side ways when you don't let him. When we had the operation he was fine and only had 3 months of work cos' it was a new operation and now he is much better. All i want to know is if it can come back?

At 08:26:08 on 12.04.10, Flicka wrote:
Hopefully not if as the others suggest you make your horse use his back properly all the time. I'd do a lot of work on the long reins on a circle to help him move correctly in a relaxed way without the burden of having to rebalance with someone on his back. I'd also make sure you have a really good saddle fitter and dentist as problems in either of these areas will lead to a horse suffering from back problems.

At 10:21:50 on 13.04.10, HorseVet wrote:
From what you've said I suspect the problem will still be there. So far nothing that has been done has been aimed at addressing the underlying problem that has made your horse work with a hollow back. Treating the back alone as the area showing the symptom - by shockwave, surgery or anything else is not going to sort the problem in the long term but will cost you big bucks. I don't think the vets are deliberately racking up a bill. I just don't think they've genuinely thought out and understand why it happens. It's a country-wide practice and is unfortunately the recognised approach. It needs to be addressed by lateral thinking that it seems many don't know how to do. This is why Kissing Spine is a cop-out diagnosis in my opinion. Best wishes HorseVet
http://www.naturalhealingsolutions.co.uk