Page 536 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

• refusing to jump or altered jumping technique

• momentary lameness on downward transitions
VetBooks.ir • bucking

•
swishing of the tail or holding the tail to one side
• looking cross, putting the ears back and shaking the head from side to side when asked to

perform certain movements
• reluctance to rein back

• discomfort going downhill or walking in a crab-like fashion

• localized heat and swelling

• abnormal sensitivity to palpation

• abnormal curvature of the spine due to localized muscle spasm (scoliosis)
• muscle wasting

• reluctance to lift the hind limbs for shoeing

• difficulty adopting the stance to urinate

• lying down or rolling less than usual
• standing in an unusual posture in an attempt to alleviate the pain. e.g. leaning back on a

manger or wall

• an unhappy facial expression
• reluctance to load and travelling badly.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing back pain in a horse is usually straightforward, but pinpointing the cause can be
extremely difficult. Many horses are very stoical and will put up with considerable
discomfort before exhibiting any signs. Ultimately there may be several contributory factors.

Difficulties arise because:
• there are so many possible causes

• the back pain may be a primary condition or it may be secondary to another, as yet

undiagnosed, problem, e.g. hock pain
• it is not possible to directly palpate the vertebrae with the exception of the dorsal spinous

processes
• obtaining images of the back is expensive and requires good equipment and expertise due

to the amount of soft tissue around the spine.