Is Back Pain Holding Your Horse Back?

Back pain is a frequent yet often hidden cause of poor performance in athletic horses. To better understand how spinal and muscular discomfort limits competitive ability, veterinarians recently evaluated 75 show jumpers using standard, field-ready diagnostic techniques.^*

Horses were first examined at rest, noting conformation idiosyncrasies and muscle atrophy, as well as skin lesions from saddle marks. Responses to digital manipulation along the spine were also recorded. Rectal examinations performed on all horses revealed any abnormalities or pain in the pelvis (e.g., myositis, sacroiliitis, pelvic fracture, spondylosis, other sources of pain). Horses were then evaluated while hand-walking, longeing, and under saddle when ridden and jumping. Stretching exercises were also performed, enticing horses to take part by using treats placed by the horses’ elbows or between the forelimbs.

“At the walk, many horses had restricted hind limb movement and mobility, often raising the head and arching the back,” described Kathleen Crandell, Ph.D., a nutritionist for Kentucky Equine Research.

Further, tail-swishing when transitioning from trot to canter, stiffness, and poor hind limb impulsion were frequently noted. When horses were asked to jump, mistakes and refusals, including sliding stops, were noted.

Lateral radiographs of the thoracic dorsal spinous process and ultrasound examinations of the supraspinous and sacroiliac ligaments were performed. When indicated, mepivacaine blocks were performed in the interspinal space between painful spinous processes or the sacroiliac joint.

In that population of 75 horses, 18 horses were diagnosed with muscular strains, 30 cases of sacroiliac pain, and 16 cases of vertebral lesions such as crowding or spondylosis.

“Sacroiliac desmopathy was highly prevalent among the presented cases while interspinous desmopathy came next,” according to the examining veterinary team.

The team noted that back disorders may be attributable to ill-fitting tack, inadequate training, improper shoeing, and unequal distribution of rider weight.

Specific diagnoses may include lesions of the supraspinous, interspinous, and sacroiliac ligaments; strains of the longissimus muscle; impinging dorsal spinous processes or kissing spines; osteoarthritis; intervertebral disc disease; and vertebral fractures.

“In addition, the veterinarians cited poor management, including inadequate nutrition, as a potential contributing factor for back pain,” added Crandell. “Low-quality feeds and forages may not supply adequate nutrients important for strength and durability of the musculoskeletal system. Making sure your horse has a balanced diet with quality ingredients and proper amounts of vitamins and minerals is key to supporting healthy bone and muscle tissue.”

Supporting optimal joint health can be achieved, at least in part, by supplementing horses with glucosamine, chondroitin sulfate, hyaluronic acid, and MSM found in quality supplements such as KER-Flex.

Horses included in this study were treated conservatively with rest for one to three months based on severity and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (oral phenylbutazone or “bute”). In addition, horses that responded to the mepivacaine blocks were subsequently injected with the corticosteroid triamcinolone acetonide.

“Adequate rest and early treatment were prerequisites for recovery,” concluded the veterinarians.

^*Shokry, M., L.B. Ali, and M. El-Sharkawy. 2025. Relationship between back pain and poor performance in show jumping athletic horses. Open Veterinary Journal 15(3):1480-1487.

There are many more informative articles you can find in our section for Health & Education.

The Long History of Wagering on Horses, From Ancient Rome to the Modern Card

You know what hasn't changed in two thousand years? The little thrill in your gut right before the gates fly open. People have been backing horses for as long as horses have been fast, and the story of that habit is honestly wilder than most folks expect.

Let's rewind.

Roman Roars And a Fistful of Denarii

Picture the Circus Maximus. A quarter of a million fans packed shoulder to shoulder, the ground shaking under the chariots. Romans didn't just watch. They picked sides, and they picked hard.

The teams wore colors, the Reds, Whites, Blues, and Greens, and loyalty ran deep. Senators bet. Slaves bet. Everybody argued about it afterward. There were no commissions, no tax collectors, no computers logging every coin. Bets moved on nods and winks, handled by money-men called argentarii. Messy? Sure. But that tribal passion was the engine, and the wagering followed like a shadow.

Here's the funny part. Roman fans didn't need a bet to care. They cared anyway, then bet because they cared. Sound familiar? That's the same loyalty that keeps someone glued to their team through a losing season.

What's Old is New Again

Fast forward past the fall of Rome, and the itch never really went away. It just kept finding new outlets.

Medieval knights raced Arabian horses they'd hauled home from the Crusades, sizing up which mount could carry them fastest into battle. Nobles wagered on the side, naturally. By the 1600s, British royals threw their weight behind the sport, tracks went official, and rules started to matter.

And treasure? People have always run toward it. That hunt for buried fortune is the exact nerve Big Pirate Sweeps Casino pokes at, a free-to-play social platform where you raid rivals and spin for Diamonds you can redeem for real prizes. It bites because the payoff feels within arm's reach, the same reason a Roman leaned forward when his chariot rounded the final turn. Chase the loot, feel alive. Nothing new under the sun there.

Funny how the wrapping changes but the feeling stays put.

The Card that Changed Everything

So how'd we get from shouting matches at the racecourse to the tidy race card in your hand today?

The 19th century did the heavy lifting. Betting had become chaos, with private bookmakers taking cash trackside and plenty of them running crooked. Britain's Jockey Club stepped in, licensed bookies, and wrote the rulebook. Order, finally.

Then came the real game-changer: parimutuel betting. Instead of arguing over odds one-on-one, bettors pooled their money and split the winnings. Suddenly the whole thing felt fair, and it opened the doors to regular people who'd never dream of striking a private bet. That pool system still runs the Kentucky Derby and the Grand National today.

The modern card, with your win, place, show, exacta, and trifecta options laid out clean, is really just the polished descendant of those rowdy Roman guesses. Same act. Better spreadsheet.

Why We Keep Coming Back

Strip away the centuries and it's the same simple thing, isn't it? A fast animal, a crowd holding its breath, and a small bet that makes you feel like part of the story.

The Romans knew it. The knights knew it. Your local track knows it every race day. We don't wager because we've done the math and cracked the code. We wager because caring feels better with a little skin in the game. Two thousand years, and that hasn't budged one inch.

You can find more informative articles in our section on Racing & Wagering.

Rood & Riddle StallSide with Cherie DeVaux: Training Tomorrow's Champions

In this episode of StallSide Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes winning trainer of Golden Tempo, Cherie DeVaux, shares her insights into selecting young horses, developing their potential, and preparing them for success on the racetrack. She also discusses her unwavering commitment to horse welfare, emphasizing thoughtful training, individualized care, and always putting the horse first. Hear how her philosophy of horsemanship shapes every decision, from the barn to the winner's circle.

Rood & Riddle.