Back Problems in Jumpers?

[Anna Meurer]

Just wondering if anyone else has experienced back problems with their jumper and had any advice on how to help them recover. I've been competing my mare in 2'6"-3'6" Jumpers this year and just recently she came up lame at a competition. When the vet came out she was so sore her back could barely be touched. I took her to the chirpractor, gave her bute, liniment baths and stretched her and gave her time off until she wasn't tender. I was able to gently ride her on the flat for about a week bu she came up really sore after her 2nd jump school. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to rehibilitate her?

[Barbara F.]

Hi Anna,
I know this seems simple, but have you had the saddle professionally checked? Sometimes it can appear as though as saddle fits well when the horse is standing still, but as soon as the horse needs to use its back, something starts pressing or pinching. Was your vet able to locate the seat of the pain, or was the horse tender all over her back?

[Rachel G]

I agree, get the saddle professionaly fitted, also with my horses, I get a chiro out at least 2 - 3 times per year. My TB jumper had a vertibra out which was causing him back problems, after the chiro was out, I did a liniment rub and he was fine to ride after. I guess it might be the way some horses land after a jump that can put there back out, afterall it is 1500 lbs leaving the ground and then 1500 lbs landing on a semi-hard surface, heck if we were that heavy it would put our backs out too!!

[Heather]

I agree with Barbara, have your saddle checked.

One way to tell if your saddle fits is if it leaves an even sweat mark, no dry spots. Dry spots mean the saddle is pinching in that area and almost like cutting off circulation.

How long was her time off? Just because she really didn't seem tender doesn't exactly mean she was fully healed. You know, when you break a bone or sprain an ankle...and it doesn't hurt anymore when you get your cast removed or start walking on it? But then you step wrong or you start jogging again and the pain is back? That may be what has happened this second time around. However I'm only a veterinary technician, not a veterinarian. And how old is your mare? And how long have you been riding her?

[Becky-Lou Kogstad EqTPM]

I would first check your saddle fit. As an equine Trigger Point Myotherapist, most commonly I find that improper saddle fit is the leading contributor to "sore backs". Warming up and cooling down are essential for proper muscle function. Working her "long and low", will allow her to stretch her back muscles out. Trotting poles are great as well. It is important to go back to your basics and re-educate the proper ring of muscles to strengthen, so she is able to come from behind and get "round". Going around inverted is the last thing you would want to be doing with her at this point. Another thought is check her selenium levels.
Hope this helps
Becky-Lou

[carmen griscti]

Have you considered an ill fitting saddle as this is a common problem with jumper saddles even if you are using a corrective pad. Would be happy to check the fit if you could send a pic of horse and saddle from the side without any type of pad underneath or even a pic of you on horse again fron the side. Carmen

[Anna Meurer]

Thank you so much for all the suggesstions. The saddle is leaving an even sweat mark but I will post/send a pic of her with just it. To answer the other questions, she is 10 years old, I've had her since she was five, been jumping for 3 years. She's 15.1, has jumped up to 3'9" but usually goes no higher than 3'6". The vet said he entire back was sore but pinpointed the lumbar vertebrae. The chiropractor said her back and neck were off-kilter and fixed them. She was off for almost a month with the exception of one trail ride. She was worked gently under saddle for a week before any jumping was attempted and then came up slightly sore after a 2'-2'6" jump school. She was moving tons better on the flat, nice and round and correct until the day after the jump school, so maybe she just pulled a muscle from the loss of conditiong from beign off for so long? Just out of curiosity, what does the selenium level mean in relation to back condition?

[Heather]

Yeah I would definitely give her more than a week of flat schooling before going over fences again. Those muscles need to be strengthened. And maybe after a couple weeks of flat training, maybe some free jumping so she can build the muscles without the extra weight of a rider.

With your flat schooling do some work over trotting caveletties as well to strengthen her back and prepare her more for jumping.

[Chris - resident queen of shops]

Hi there,

I would spend 30 days or so bring her back under saddle before jumping again. Hacking/trail riding with hill work, trot poles, cavaletti & lungeing her whilst encouraging a stretched outline with a loose swinging back should get her really loose & strong before you start back.
I use a sheepskin pad with Thinline inserts under all my close contact saddles & have found that the horses are all happier & my equine physio is delighted with their backs at the moment.

[Saphira]

She may need some physio. Physiotherapy works more with muscles than chiro. Chiro is good for putting bones back in alignment, but doesn't do anything to help keep them there. Physio works with muscles and strength. Muscles are naturally able lengthen and shorten, your horses back may be getting pulled out of alignment due to muscle strain.

[lauren]

first like a lot of people said would to check the saddle fits!!!! my horse had a sore back and we got the saddle proffesionaly fitted!!!! it turned out the saddle didnt fit properly!!!!!

[Lisa Paulson]

We have not had a problem like this, but when my stallion jumped six week long shows at Grand Prix level, he got sore in the back near the end of that stint jumping, just big fences . We used a competition line product that contains no banned substances called Ahhh.. Heavy Work Linament . I massaged it in to the back muscles and put on a light sheet evenings. It helped and I use it on my own knees too. They have a training line to with some other potent botanicals that are banned in competition, but I have to mention them as I believe they are one of the few that are safe to compete with. Made by What Works Equine Solutions , I find the ingredients are high quality oils .
Also lots of stretching exercises under saddle , breaks to freewalk during schooling, carrot stretches from the ground. Long warm ups and cool downs. More dressage work . Of course as other mentioned number one concern is the saddle fit!!! Proper hoof angles may help keep your jumper more comfortable.

Good luck,

Lisa, Synergy Sporthorses

[Sandy]

I see this is an older post, not sure if you're still monitoring this discussion, or if you've got your answers by now, but I'm just getting into the Barnmice discussions.
I have an entirely different aspect that you may want to check into. My horse developed back problems which 2 vets couldn't figure out. I sold my older saddle, bought a newer one, had it custom fitted. THEN, my vet came to realize that this may be an issue stemming from his hind legs. I had him xrayed and ultrasounded and it turned out to be a suspensory injury in his hind leg. Being such a pleaser, he kept going, compensating for his discomfort in the leg, leading to his back issues. His suspensory had sort of a swirling injury, which according to my vet, meaning that the ligament had torn and healed repetitively. If you haven't got an answer yet on his issue, maybe check into other areas besides just his back.