What causes back pain in an unridden/unworked horse? Is back pain ever a non-secondary symptom or is this horse likely compensating for pain elsewhere? I am quite confident the issue is not saddle fit or overwork, since the horse is simply a pasture pet.
Not my own horse, so no pictures but I think the feet are in bad shape.
The horse is back sore all over the back and reacts to very light pressure all along the spine and at the withers.
Thoughts? I have advised the owner to have the vet out.
Hind end. Stifles particularly, ime. But yeah if the feet are crap, that could probably do it too 
Bad stifles can cause it.
One of my horses broke his wither and has back pain all over. Luckily it’s manageable with equioxx
Is there usually obvious physical deformity for that issue?
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There can be, but in his case no. Actually the first vet didn’t even catch the fracture on the x-ray. We were looking for kissing spine. (Which he didn’t have). I happened to notice something looked weird by his wither and got a second opinion and sure enough, at some point (I actually know when it happened) he fractured it and it didn’t heal back together right.
when he broke it he didn’t show any outward signs of lameness, there was no swelling, and because he was on break for an unrelated issue I never noticed under saddle.
It could certainly be kissing spines.
Thanks - has anyone seen back pain or even potentially hind end pain lead to moderate behavior issues in hand? Spooky/pushy/bolting when being led but otherwise gentle, calm and unreactive when standing still.
My gut says this horse needs shoeing changes, vet work and training, but assuming the pain can be fixed reasonably easy, this horse has much better prospects if his behavioral issues are caused by pain more so than a lack of training.
Yes, pain can cause all sorts of behavioral issues. Back pain can be primary or secondary. Primary back pain comes from kissing spines, arthritis, fractures, etc. Secondary back pain can come from poor hoof angles, but also from hock and stifle pain especially. While I’d wait until he’s sorted out medically to do any real training, I don’t let horses run over me regardless of how they feel.
Kissing spines, arthritis in back or hocks causing horse to compensate and stress back; Equioxx and shock wave therapy help a lot.
If feet are crappy, you can be pretty certain to find things going on higher up - whether cause or effect of feet is often a chicken/egg scenario. That kind of hypersensitivity could also indicate ulcers or Lyme disease - but some horses are simply more sensitive when in pain, just like people.
What makes you say the feet are in bad shape?
Poor farrier caused it in one of mine, specifically low heels. And it was missed by several decent vets. I would definitely start with getting his feet in shape and go from there.
Absolutely, and what you’re describing is classic.
Remember, horses are prey / flight animals. If a horse is in pain, his ability to flee danger is compromised, and in his mind, he’s an easy dinner. It makes perfect sense for a horse in chronic pain to be hyperaware, panicky, herd bound or barn sour. Routine barn situations can feel life-threatening to a horse in chronic pain.
All horses are individuals, and the especially sensitive and intelligent ones can really amplify their worry – to the point of seeming overly dramatic to us – but they are simply honoring what nature has taught them to stay alive.
We humans are omnivore/predators. We live by a completely different set of innate rules than a prey animal. It takes a serious effort on our part to conceptualize what it may be like for our horses to deal with sometimes, and all we can do is surmise, we will never truly understand their POV.
Yes definitely. Horse with stifle issues, but they were unilateral and not seen on a lameness exam. He was a total terror on the ground. Wouldn’t cross tie, barely lead, etc. got stifle injections and the behavioral issues went away
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