You may have noticed your horse doesn't quite enjoy your rides as much any more or pehaps lays his ears back when you are grooming his back. He may have a sore back.There are several possible causes for back pain, and many times, the back pain is actually caused by soreness in another area of the body due to compensating for that soreness. You know even for yourself that if you have pain in one leg, many times you end up with two sore legs or a sore back because of limping off the fore leg. Same principle works for horses.
If your horse's performance is hindered, you may want to have his back checked out. Have your veterinarian check them out for sore hocks or other possible causes.
You saddle should be checked ti make sure the fit is proper and the bars under the saddle are not causing the problem.
An unbalanced rider or a rider that bangs down on the horse's back may attribute to a sore back as well.
Index for