How overriding dorsal spinous processes in horses cause back pain and performance issues, and what humane management options are available.
Kissing spines represent a particularly complex welfare challenge because the condition exists on a spectrum from subclinical to severely painful, and horses cannot tell us where they fall on that spectrum. Horses with painful back conditions often show behavioural signs that are misinterpreted as laziness, disobedience, or bad temperament rather than pain communication. The welfare implication of misattribution is significant: horses in pain may be worked harder in an attempt to improve behaviour, escalating the suffering. A horse that bucks, resists saddling, or becomes hollow and resistant under saddle is very often communicating genuine physical pain and deserves thorough veterinary investigation before any training response.