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[RC] Sore back - Don Hustonwe're entered into a ride in 2 weeks. i have no experience w/ sore/bruised backs. should i just withdraw my entry or is there a chance that she might be ok by then?Marta, I would definitely not enter that ride unless my horse could meet this old cowboy prescription for injuries which says "If it takes 1 week (just an example) for the horse to completely heal then you must now wait 1 more week (whatever the time was to heal) before resuming work . I have found that my horses are very stoic about showing pain. If and/or when they show me that they hurt it is major pain. I am sure there are lots of categories of pain but I test for 2 on the back. Skin or surface pain from rubbing, abrasion, scrapping, etc. or deeper muscle pain. First I test the skin. After the horse has cooled out and appears relaxed I put the flat of my hand very lightly (touch the hair but no pressure) on the side of the withers ahead of where the saddle was and slowly (3-4 seconds) at constant speed follow along one side of the spine to the croup. If the back is okay you will notice very little temperature difference. Do both sides to see if the warm spots are at the same area on both sides. If I find warm spots I look very closely at the hair to see if it's raised or different and sometimes you will see that the skin is slightly raised (swollen?) from the saddle pad rubbing back and forth. If you press on those areas the horse will show pain but it might not be muscle pain just irritated skin. Wait several days till the skin is better to test for muscle pain, it will still be there. Secondly test the back muscles. This test should be practiced frequently (before there is a problem) when you know the back is fine so you will have a baseline for comparison and the horse is used to the process. I give the horse a grain ration on the ground and while the head is down I press with 2 fingers medium hard and hold it 3-4 seconds moving all over the back. If the horse continues eating unperturbed the back is fine. If the horse reacts in any way release and make note of the spot. Wait for the horse to start eating again and continue the rest of the back. When finished you will have a pattern for the soreness to use to correct your saddle fit. Of course many other things can make a sore back but I try to get the saddle fit first then move on if the back continues to be sore. Don Huston =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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