Overriding dorsal spinous processes (kissing spines) is a common cause of back pain and behavioral problems in sport horses. Advances in diagnosis, conservative management, and surgical treatment offer improved welfare outcomes.
Kissing spines welfare harm often goes unrecognized or is misinterpreted as behavioral disobedience rather than pain-driven response. Horses with back pain who buck, refuse jumps, or resist saddling are frequently punished for behavior that is a legitimate pain response. This creates a cycle where the horse's pain-driven behavior is met with increased pressure, worsening welfare. The diagnostic breakthrough of local anesthetic blocking - confirming that radiographic lesions cause the observed pain - has improved the welfare approach by moving from behavioral interpretation to evidence-based pain management. Conservative management with physiotherapy and appropriate saddle fitting resolves many cases. Surgical intervention for refractory cases has good outcomes when combined with rehabilitation and workload modification.