Spinal articular dysfunction is common in athletic horses.
Authors: Patricio Claudia R, Winter Gustavo H Z, Garbade Petra
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary Spinal articular dysfunction represents a widespread finding in athletic horses, with this retrospective analysis of 492 showjumping horses revealing that every single animal examined displayed dysfunction across an average of 11.9 spinal segments, ranging from 2 to 23 affected sites. The three-year study, conducted by a certified International Veterinary Chiropractic Association veterinarian who systematically evaluated all 30 spinal segments in each horse, identified the lumbar spine (particularly L3, L2 and L4), the thoracic sling region (T7) and the atlanto-occipital joint (C1) as most commonly affected, with 89.8% of horses showing dysfunction distributed across all three spinal regions. Notably, cervical involvement increased significantly with age, appearing less frequently in horses aged six years and under compared to older cohorts. For practitioners evaluating performance issues or back pain, these findings underscore that spinal articular dysfunction is essentially universal in jumping horses and should be considered systematically rather than as an incidental finding; however, the retrospective nature of the data and lack of objective pain measurements or lameness grading mean the clinical significance of individual dysfunctional segments remains unclear and warrants correlation with functional assessment and performance outcomes in future research.
Read the full abstract on PubMed
Practical Takeaways
- •Expect spinal dysfunction in showjumping horses as the norm rather than exception—100% prevalence suggests screening should be routine in performance horses
- •Lumbar and thoracic regions warrant particular attention in athletic horses; cervical assessment becomes increasingly important in older animals
- •Back pain complaints from owners should prompt comprehensive spinal evaluation; chiropractic examination may identify dysfunction contributing to poor performance or stiffness
Key Findings
- •All 492 jumping horses examined had spinal articular dysfunction, with no animals free of dysfunction
- •Average of 11.9 ± 3.5 dysfunctional spinal segments per horse, ranging from 2 to 23
- •89.8% of horses had segmental dysfunction across all three spinal regions (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)
- •Lumbar vertebrae (L3, L2, L4) and thoracic sling area (T7) most frequently affected; cervical dysfunction increases with age