What to do if your horse has back pain?
The majority of horse pain comes from the back. This is because horses, who are constantly asked to carry riders for various reasons, find themselves suffering from it when certain deficits are noted in their daily lives. So what should you do when your horse suffers from back pain? We talk about it in this article.
What to do if your horse has back pain
If there are obvious or acute signs of back pain, the first thing to do is to consult a veterinarian. Until the horse has been examined more closely and the cause of the reactions or change in behavior has been determined, the back should not be used. Only when the cause is known can the problem be resolved. There are several specialists who can help a horse with back pain.
Veterinarians are the first to try to determine where the pain is located and what structures are involved. Imaging techniques such as X-rays or ultrasounds can be helpful in this case. If necessary, they can give the horse painkillers or anti-inflammatories.
Saddlers can also intervene when it comes to having the saddle checked by a specialist and having it adapted if necessary can considerably improve the situation. However, back pain is not necessarily linked to an unsuitable saddle. It is also to avoid such pain having its sources in this cause that many riders buy from La Sellerie Française.
There are also therapists who specialize in manual treatment methods (physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, acupuncture, etc.): these methods can relieve tension, mobilize joints and help relieve pain. Movement therapists can use targeted exercises to teach the horse to perform the correct sequences of movements and activate important muscles. As with humans, training the muscles that stabilize the trunk is often a key element in the sustainable treatment of back pain. Riding instructors are also qualified instructors (regardless of the discipline) who can help the rider learn a riding style that is gentle on the horse's back and encourages it to stabilize properly.
The rider, for his or her part, can train balance, muscular stabilisation of the upper body, a symmetrical seat, a light seat in fast gaits or learning a correct handing position. In many cases, it is sensible and necessary to call on several specialists to solve a back problem. It is important to develop a clear concept for treatment, which solves the problem sustainably. While adapting the saddle is usually relatively quick, training to change the movement sequences of the horse and rider can be very time-consuming and intensive.
Ensure that pain treatment is personalized from horse to horse
Some causes of back pain (e.g. bone changes) are not reversible and must therefore be treated symptomatically in many cases (pain therapy). For each horse with back pain, a treatment concept tailored to its problem must be developed. For example, it is unwise to change saddles if the problem is with the rider. The veterinarian is usually the best person to coordinate the various necessary measures, as he is best placed to assess the order in which the list of problems should be effectively treated.