At 20:14:58 on 28.12.10, Vectis wrote:
Hi - my horse seems to be cold backed. He was fine when I bought him in the summer but once the weather turned colder he began to arch his back when I got on him. He was in poor condition when I got him but has had his back checked and had his problems corrected (pelvis was out as were a couple of vertebrae.) He has had some time off due to family illness but the time has now come to get on again and move forward. He archs his back when asked to move forward and it seems that it the fear of it hurting that may be the root of the problem. We've lunged with tack on, leant over etc but the problem is still there. Anyone got any tips on how to get started with him again?

At 23:56:00 on 28.12.10, ToriSilverson wrote:
my cousins mare(28 yrs old) has always had a cold back, wot we do with her is give her back a good brush and a rub before tacking up and before getting on pat all round her back, sometimes we take her a 2-3 min walk before getting on, get on quick and light and go as soon as your bum hits the saddle. you could also try using an exercise sheet to keep his back warm.

At 13:24:01 on 05.01.11, bazz94 wrote:
Your horse has you trained. He's learnt if he does a certain thing, since he 'got away' with it before (even if it was legit) there's a chance of him not having to work. If you're certain he's not in any pain just get on him as usual. Of course be careful but also be aware of his new 'act'. Good Luck!

At 19:41:22 on 05.01.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
He may have changed shape slightly too since he has been off work for a while so his saddle may not be the best fit and he may be lacking muscle in his back? I know 2 cold backed horses and both get lunged with the saddle on and side reins on for 10 minutes before riding to loosen the back up and get them stretching which helps a lot because they warm up the muscles before they have the extra weight of a rider.

At 21:24:23 on 30.03.11, farasi wrote:
Some horses are just like this, a previous experience and an unintentional reaction. I don't know if they can just develop a cold back, but I guess it's just something that you learn to deal with, or at least I have. I have no issues with my horse, it's not weakness in his back, he has good topline and well muscled, he has regular checks and tweaks, but now I've been told I just need to call them out when I think he needs it, and his physio sessions were not just for his back. I can tie him to saddle up, but choose not to, so if he wishes to step away from me he can, I tighten the girth to just touch him and pull both front legs forward, do another hole and pull legs again, then I go to get his bridle, pick his feet out, lock the car etc, so he has five minutes just in his saddle before bridle going on, always mount from a chair or fence, or my mounting block, and always let him take a step forward, occasionally he arches his back and I just let him walk. 5 minues later you can get on and off from the ground and its no problem. He's always been like this so I just work with it and it's never caused me any bother. I usually find if his back goes up it's because I've stuck the saddle too far forward even by 1/2 inch he tells me! I don't know if he is technically cold backed, or if just a sensitive boy who certainly lets me know when the saddle is not in the right place!