Overriding dorsal spinous processes, known as kissing spines, cause chronic back pain in horses that is frequently misdiagnosed as training or behavioral problems, representing a significant welfare issue.
Kissing spines welfare significance lies in its chronic nature and frequent misattribution to behavioral problems. Horses with back pain from overlapping spinous processes may be labelled difficult, resistant, or behaviorally challenging when they are actually responding predictably to chronic pain. The welfare cost includes both the pain itself and the training responses this diagnosis provokes, often including escalating pressure that worsens the horse's situation. A welfare-centered approach requires pain investigation before behavioral management, with imaging when back pain is suspected and management plans that address underlying pain rather than only behavioral expressions.