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Equine Insights: Where should you sit on your horse’s back?

Posted by Dr. Hilary Clayton on Nov 5th 2024

Have you ever asked yourself, “how do I properly sit on my horse?” Today we’ll look at where we sit on the horse’s back and how the horse’s conformation affects our leg position. In previous blogs, I’ve explained how the vertebrae are joined together to form a bridge connecting the forelimbs and hind limbs that transmits forces and coordinates movements during locomotion. The vertebral …
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Equine Insights: The Veterinarian’s Role with Kissing Spines | Part 3 of the Kissing Spines Series

Posted by Dr. Hilary Clayton on Oct 24th 2024

Welcome to part three of the deep dive into the reality of kissing spines. Horses afflicted by kissing spines become more painful when ridden because the rider’s weight causes their back to hollow and presses the spines closer together. The horse tries to reduce back movements by tensing the muscles; as a result, the back stiffens and ceases to swing. It doesn’t take long for a …
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Equine Insights: What Causes the Development of Kissing Spines | Part 2 of the Kissing Spines Series

Posted by Dr. Hilary Clayton on Oct 4th 2024

Part two of the deep dive into the reality of kissing spines. We learned last time that kissing spines is a potentially painful disease in which the spines of the vertebrae rub against each other. Let’s take a look at what causes the development of kissing spines. What causes the development of kissing spines? It occurs most often in Thoroughbreds, Warmbloods, and stock …
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Equine Insights: Understanding Kissing Spines in Horses & Signs | Part 1 of the Kissing Spines Series

Posted by Dr. Hilary Clayton on Sep 16th 2024

Kissing Spines in Horses Last time I described the structure and mechanics of the horse’s back. In this blog, we’ll explore the most common vertebrae disease in the trunk region: kissing spines. Let’s dive into how to better understand Kissing spines in horses and the signs. Despite its friendly-sounding name, this can be a harrowing disease for the horse. The Equine Vertebra Ana …
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