Does anyone have some advice to share on horse's
having back pain. I got my current horse two years ago, spent the first
year with LSD work, went to a Novice CTR and checked in and out with back
pain, took two weeks off, conditioned and went to one more novice CTR and
again had back/loin pain. Took him to A&M University who did
x-rays and ultrasound and found him to be very sore but couldn't find a
reason so diagnosed muscle strain from pasture shenanigans and gave him
multiple steroid shots in his back and said to rest him a week then slowly
back to work. I am now 5 months later after multiple chiropractic
visits and weekly myofascial release treatments and consistent low
intensity work for conditioning his back muscles as prescribed and he still
has back pain. I can ride him 2 miles at a walk
without exacerbating his pain but 5 miles at a walk is too much
and he has tightness and pain in his loins the next two days. I have
changed saddles from treeless to specialized. I am trying to do
what is best with the back strengthening work but am so frustrated by
the slow progress and lack of diagnosis and continued pain. Maybe has
strained a back ligament which takes longer to heal? Maybe he needs to be
thrown out in a field and forgotten for a year to rest and
heal? Maybe he needs more work to strengthen an
inherently weak area? Maybe I need to give up riding and break him to
harness? I am a small rider on a 14 hand stout mustang type
horse with good conformation. I work him for maybe 15 to 20 minutes
total each day with some in hand work, some lunging in side reins (5X each
direction at a trot) to get him to round and properly use his back,
some ground pole work, some spirals in and out, carrot stretches,
walking flat terrain under saddle ect, all of this prescribed by chiropractor
and doctor as physical therapy for his back.
