How to manage horses diagnosed with overriding dorsal spinous processes through conservative and surgical approaches.
Kissing spines management requires honest welfare assessment at multiple decision points: whether the horse is in pain (not all radiographic findings cause clinical symptoms), whether conservative or surgical management is most appropriate, and whether the horse can return to comfortable ridden work. The welfare obligation is to address pain through the most appropriate management strategy and to make honest decisions about whether horses with persistent pain can comfortably perform the work being asked of them. Forcing horses with unmanaged kissing spines pain into training or competition using behavioral suppression rather than pain management is a welfare failure. Good veterinary guidance, rehabilitation physiotherapy, and honest reassessment after treatment are all welfare essentials.