Ouch, my aching back! If our equine friends could only speak, this is what many of them might very well want to say to us.

Back pain in humans is very common, affecting a large part of the population and causing a significant amount of discomfort and disability with regards to work, sport and the activities of daily living. Our horses experience back pain in the same way, and it has a similar effect on their ability to carry out their required tasks, be it jumping, dressage, racing, or just happy hacking.

No matter what kind of activities the horse may be involved in over the course of its life, there will likely be some time when he experiences some form of back pain. Although the horse may be able to mask the pain and continue with the task at hand, at some stage the wheels will fall off and help is then required.

Remember, we ride these gracious animals – and we riders don’t necessarily all have the best balance or posture in the world.