Grand Prix Guidance
The Equine Neck and Back
by Mark R. Baus, DVM
76
Community Horse Spring/Summer 2022
system of joints, intervertebral discs, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and sheets of connective tissue. Although the back has many functions, its primary purpose is to provide a
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o other region of the horse’s musculoskeletal system draws as much speculation as the back. As veterinarians, we commonly hear about the “cold-backed” horse or the “back-sore” horse. This assessment is made based on how the horse responds to pressing a sharp object, including fingernails, up and down the back. Since humans experience back pain frequently, we must assume the horse does as well. However, establishing the existence and the exact source of back pain is quite difficult. The horse’s skeleton is divided into two sections, the appendicular and axial skeletons. The appendicular skeleton refers to the limbs while the axial skeleton refers to the head, spinal column, sternum, and ribs. The spinal column provides the core frame for the musculoskeletal system and consists of many small bones (vertebrae) linked together in a linear fashion along the topline of the horse. The spine consists of seven cervical vertebrae in the neck; 18 thoracic vertebrae and six lumbar vertebrae in the back; five fused vertebrae of the sacrum and a variable number of coccygeal vertebrae bring up the rear. To provide the necessary rigidity and flexibility, the vertebrae are held together by a complex
firm but flexible frame for connecting the limbs to the body and supporting the body’s organs. As it concerns locomotion, the back plays a critical role transferring propulsion from the hind limb into motion. The hind limbs create mostly horizontal forces to move the horse forward, but it is the muscle masses of the back that create vertical forces to maintain balance, resist gravity, and propel the horse over obstacles. There is much debate about the movement of the vertebrae of the back during motion, especially when ridden. It was once thought that increasing flexion and bending of the spine was a critical function of the rider’s input during ath-
