# Kissing Spines - rehabilitation



## maginn (27 March 2010)

Hi.  I think my horse has kissing spines, but am jumping the gun somewhat as I have no definate diagnosis as yet... anyway I am wondering about the possible options and rehabilitation. My mare was broken in last spring at 4 years & had only 3/4 months work before being turned away to rest/recover (it was thought she had a hock problem).

My concern is that should KS be diagnosed, & surgery recommended, how it would work in her case.  She is tricky to walk out in hand if she is on box rest, after a week or so of this she starts being very badly behaved (leaping, rearing etc) but I have none of these problems when she is turned out I don't think this is related to her condition.  Other than the fairly short drive to our yard the only place she could be led out for any length of time would be on the road, which would worry me, especially as she has never hacked out on her own and because she would likely explode if a bird so much as farted, if she was on box rest, so it would be very dangerous. The lunging wouldn't be a problem, although she can be rather keen and bucks (but this probably IS related to her condition IMO) and anyway I feel she would settle into this.  

I hear that some folks have used a rehabilitation yard, if you have done this could you confirm where you sent your horse, how much it cost and how long they where there. Also what treatment did your horse receive and do you think it was beneficial. PM me if you prefer.  Did your insurance cover the cost or part of the costs involved in the rehab ? I am with NFU.

Thanks very much - any advise appreciated.


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## racingdemon (4 April 2010)

i'm afriad when my hunter was diagnosed with KS, i had him PTS, as although they assured me he had a 70% chance of returning to work, they couldn't assure me he would go back to being the kind of hunter he had been, & he was a miserable so so to do anything else with, i persoanlly couldn't put him through that just to come back & not do the job he loved, 

just my opinion, based on my particular horse, 

there are plenty of good rehab yards around, i also think H's mum had a horse operated on for KS many many years ago & it was massively improved


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## emmath (5 April 2010)

My horse was diagnosed with KS five months ago, not a severe case, and I decided not to go for surgery and had Cortisone injections in his back, a series of shockwave therapy sessions and on-going physio. I was on a lunge program for 3 1/2 months, all long and low work, and have just started to get back on him again. I also use a magnetic back pad which I think helps him. The cortisone injections worked wonders, and immediately with that and the shockwave therapy he became much more comfortable in the back. I will stick with the cortisone injections for him for the time being. This probably doesn;t answer your question re rehabilitation, but I just wanted to share my story with you.


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## Toffee44 (5 April 2010)

Im afraid im another that chose to PTS. He was very aggressive and the vet said even if I chose to go ahead with the surgery I had no where to rehab him (he was on full turnout) and pyschologically he was already very damaged he was even attacking his field mate. Hes now over the rainbow bridge in nice green pasture and more importantly pain free.


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## magic14339 (5 April 2010)

Some recent (not yet published) research has shown that core strengthening exercises can produce a significant improvement in the symptoms of kissing spine.  There is a book for this which is by Narelle Stubbs and Hilary Clayton called avtivate your horses core.

I would always hesitate to have the surgery and would really use it as a last attempt.  When the surgery is performed it is necessary to cut through muscle toaccess the area.  This muscle is hugely important for the strength and mobility of the back (multifidous).  Loosing a portion of this could weaken the area where the horse needs it the most.

Specific stretching and exercise regimes have been found to have good affects during rehab from kissing spine although results will always depend upon the severity and the discipline you are aiming of returning the horse to.

Good Luck hope it goes ok


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## bounce (6 April 2010)

My horse was diagnosed with severe kissing spine last year and we opted for surgery.  He was a real nightmare to rehab and I did all of it at home with no facilities.  The walking in hand was hell even when on ACP and one minute he would walk fine and the next leap and buck and rear.  I only had lanes to walk him around and as soon as he saw anything he would leap about.  I did find that having treats in my pockets to distract him worked a little.  Then after 6 weeks of walking we tried the lunging in the pessoa only to have both hooves in my face after 5 minutes.  The next 3 weeks of lunging were completed by a fearless point to point rider and then I had the confidence to lunge myself and from then on he became a different horse.  Calm and responsive, not so explosive etc, even to walk in hand.

I had to load him on the lorry every day for the lunging at a nearby arena and the in hand walking was not as much as he should have had due to his nature.  I was advised to do as much as possible but not risk further problems due to bad behaviour.  I also turned out in the large field after the 6 weeks of box rest as the first week of restricted turnout was terrifying as he constantly galloped and bucking even in his postage stamp sized section.

If you have access to a horsewalker then that would be the best option for the walking for 6 weeks.  I don't know about costs for rehab although I did consider it but decided I couldn't afford it as my insurance didn't cover the full surgery costs.

It was all worth it in the end.  We went out to a dressage competition last week for the first time in a year and got 67% and came 2nd.  He is now a much more rideable horse but also very powerful and can still put in a serious buck when the mood takes him.

Hope the outcome with yours is a successful one.


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## TayloredEq (6 April 2010)

I run a rehab yard, please feel free to PM me with any specific questions.


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## maginn (7 April 2010)

Thanks for your replies everyone, but although she has a slightly suspect process, she has a much more pressing problem with one Hock.  It had been x-rayed 6 mths ago as it was swollen but nothing was showing, so I was advised to turn her away to give her the benefit of the doubt, however there are now some arthritic changes. Svend has recommended that she has Aquedan injections, & we will re-assess in 6 weeks, but it doesn't look good.  If it has gone too far then I may have a stunning 5 year old broodmare. Totally gutted.


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## Amymay (7 April 2010)

however there are now some arthritic changes.
		
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			If it has gone too far then I may have a stunning 5 year old broodmare.
		
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I wouldn't use something that has arthritis at 5 as a broodmare.  Sorry.


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## Dotilas (7 April 2010)

When my old boy had very severe Kissing Spine (7 processes removed through operation), I read up everything I could about the condition. I remember reading somewhere that KS can be caused by a bad farrier, and the imbalance of feet - maybe her poorly hock could be causing a sore back. If/When your mare's hock recovers and she's brought into work again she may be fine. Think a person with dropped arches in their feet, can cause knee, hip and back pain!

With mine however, his KS was a degenerative birth defect. He is now back in full work with a new owner. He had the best temperament in the world, and would never hurt a fly despite how much pain he was in.

I did know a horse that KS was found and diagnosed after he was really awfully behaved and dangerous - his owner went through with the surgery and he showed not much change in behaviour afterwards and she sadly ended up having him put down.

I hope your mare has a quick recovery and you're back to normal in no time!


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## maginn (7 April 2010)

amymay said:



			I wouldn't use something that has arthritis at 5 as a broodmare.  Sorry.
		
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I do understand what your saying, but even if it was caused by an injury ?
The vet couldn't stop saying how nice she was & what a fantastic broodmare she would make...


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## alfirules (7 April 2010)

My horse has just had kissing spine surgery. 
He was a nightmare to lead out in hand, the yard i keep him at is off a busy main road so i had to lead him round the school instead and as the weeks went on he got naughtier and naughtier to lead out, he leaped in the air, was rearing and bucking and shooting across the school. he pulled me over twice, even with a chifney on! I ended up just walking him round and round the yard as it was the safest way to do it!! 

Now on week 7, last week he went out in the field for the first time, he was as quiet as a lamb on sedalin, but the second day he went beserk, galloping flat out and bucking. After a few more days he has settled down and just grazes calmly. The lungeing is not going so well, the first day he just bucked and bucked and bucked, he has now stopped bucking but won't lunge on a circle, he falls in and spooks at everything! I cant get the pessoa on him, he freaks out everytime i try to put it on him, so yesterday i tried lungeing with 2 reins, he just tried to go vertical, so then i tried a lungie bungie and finally i had him lungeing long and low!! so i will try and keep going with this for a few days then im hoping i can get him in the pessoa!! 

Has your mare had an x-ray? i suppose you need to look into it so you know your doing the right thing. hope you find some answers!


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## thekookymonster (6 July 2010)

Hi,

I have owned my 13 yo TB ex-racehorse since he was 5 1/2 and when I got him he had a badly scarred left hock (due to a kick sustained as a youngster).  The majority of the remodelling was complete by this time and, to be honest, even 7 1/2 years later, despite the fact that he has obviously been left with a degree of arthritis, you wouldn't know he has a problem with it: He is a beautiful mover (good enough to do dressage to quite a high level, despite his breeding), he always over-tracks by miles, he can go hunting all day without being sore the next day and he's full of beans when he wants to be!  The only signs of a problem are it's size (the remodelling has led to it being noticeably bigger than the other hock), the fact that it sometimes clicks a bit (!) and, due to damage to the lymphatics in the leg, his LH fetlock fills when stabled for more than 8 hrs at a time (eg. overnight in the winter).  

HOWEVER, due to this injury, he does have a slightly altered gait behind (only really noticeable when pointed out by my decent vet), which causes ever so slight hitching of the pelvis.  Carrying himself in this way for the past 10+ yrs has led to the development of mild kissing spines in his thoracic vertebrae, diagnosed by my vet last year, and he has an appointment at Willesley tomorrow to discern whether or not he is a surgical candidate (before the insurance money runs out!).  Cortisone injections and physiotherapy have certainly helped in his case (less bucking and a return to the inclination to jump!) but, bearing in mind that the condition is degenerative, I welcome the opinion of a specialist in how best to treat the problem and not just the symptoms.

I would therefore agree with one of the previous posts (sorry - can't remember whose!) that arthritis in your mare's hock at this age is likely to predispose her to back pain and potentially cause further degeneration such as kissing spines.  This isn't all doom and gloom - it may take years to progress to this stage and there are likely to be many things you can do for both her hock and other structures - but it is worth bearing in mind if she does show any changes in behaviour and/or symptoms of back pain.  You never know - once the joint has settled she may well, like my horse, go on to become a truly talented all-rounder (I like to think that my boy would have been Badminton material without these setbacks!  :-D)

I realise that your original post was a couple of months ago and I hope that your mare is doing well.  On a separate note - I agree that it would not be a god idea to breed from a mare who had OA at 5yrs old if it were a congenital problem, but if it is as the result of a kick/trauma it shouldn't be a problem at all, as long as the joint has settled enough that the added burden of pregnancy does not cause additional discomfort, and I doubt your vet would recommend it if he thought it would!

Best of luck,

S


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## huntley (6 July 2010)

We had a horse diagnosed with kissing spine (in six places) last September. He is 14 and has always been very quirky - we now think alot of that stemmed from his back. He was a hunter/eventer and never stopped jumping even though he was having tremendous difficulty going from trot to canter and maintaining canter on a circle was nigh on impossible. There was no question of surgery due to the severity and given his age and quirkiness we decided to retire him - he is a very happy boy and still comes in every day for cuddles!


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