I have a very nice 3 YO in training with international gaits, he is uphill and has a very good attitude BUT … He has a very obvious roached back.
Are there any horses that have shown at FEI levels with roached backs ?
Any experience or input ?
picture?
I can’t think of a reason why a roached back would limit a dressage horse. If someone else can think of a reason would you please share?
I saw one this weekend. Not sure what level he was doing, but he was schooling in a double bridle.
Roach backed horses can have trouble with suppleness/bending, and with lengthening out, much the same as an extremely short backed horse would. Saddle fit can also be a concern. I am trying to remember how it was explained to me…I think it was that a “normal” horse’s neutral spine allows for movement both up and down. A sway backed horse is already as down as it can go, and a roached back horse is alread as up as it can go (or close to it), so the ligaments/muscles are tighter, the spine is held tighter, and the horse just can’t get the same movement/flex.
I am sure it greatly depends on the individual though.
I’ve known two to go to Grand Prix.
Depends on the severity in the individual horse, though.
Three–what breed(s?) ?
I’ve not yet met a 3yo done growing.
Mine tend to not finish up until 6-8.
A LOT can change.
Is it congenital? Or a growth stage? (Or a TB who needs a chiro after the track? )
A lot depends on where the roach is and how severe. Also depends on the horse. I have an OTTB with an obvious roach that competes at Intermediate eventing. It has not inhibited his ability to be competitive one iota-nor does it bother him in the least.
[QUOTE=pintopiaffe;5055183]
Three–what breed(s?) ?
I’ve not yet met a 3yo done growing.
Mine tend to not finish up until 6-8.
A LOT can change.
Is it congenital? Or a growth stage? (Or a TB who needs a chiro after the track? )[/QUOTE]
I guess the real question is how do you know if its congenital or a growth stage or a horse in need of chiro?
I also have a three year old warmblood X who just in the last six months looks to be getting a slight roach back. I had the vet out and the vet believes it to be an awkward growth stage as there is no lameness or soreness with it. Vet said to keep an eye on it. He is very butt high at the moment so I’m just holding my breath that when his front end catches up, and when he developes a topline, things look a little better as he is a NICE horse. I’m thinking of having the chiro out anyway.
Happyfeet, I had a horse do that at age 3. Developed a roach and his gaits changed. It took me a year to figure it out. He had never had shoes, and his feet looked great, but when you looked at where the heel touched the ground that point had moved way out in front of a line drawn from the middle of the cannon bone to the ground. Ideally the heel should be in line with that line, although most horses are a little ahead of that. My farrier started gradually moving his foot back under him, and temporarily extended the heels of the shoes back a bit. His movement gradually came back and the roach got less but never went away. We did have the chiropractor work on him after we corrected the feet.It has been no problem and he has been a successful dressage competitor. We always keep in mind the way his feet grow, and try to keep them back under his leg. He has a full brother who grows the same way, but his other siblings do not.
I will try to take some pictures tomorrow.
He is a 3YO holsteiner gelding. He is a big boy (at least 17.2H and he just turned 3 :eek::eek::eek:).
I have seen a couple of other horses from the same bloodlines that had a slight roached back, but his looked more obvious.
Now that he has put some weight on and he is starting to work and use his topline, it doesn’t look as bad.
Galloping Granny, (love the name) - My first thought was feet! I have a lovely trimmer who is correcting some minor imbalances. My horse had started to stand with his hind legs up under himself making the roach look more pronounced. I thought it was because his butt is a good two inches higher than his withers right now. But after one trim with the new trimmer he is standing more normal now, and it’s made a difference in his back (might be wishful thinking) The trimmer didn’t even do that much as she has a slow, gradual approach.
Did your chiro find anything? I’m toying with the idea. One of my barn friends wants to call one for her horse and I’m thinking it couldn’t hurt to have him looked at.
Mademoiselle, pardon the highjack!
Well, congenital, one would hope, you would diagnose from birth. Was the foal roached at birth?
Growth spurt–did the horse ever show it at other stages of growth or before now?
A 3yo THAT BIG… I’d be super interested in what his breeder has to say about how he looked at 3 days/3 weeks & 3 mos. If he did NOT show this then, I would suggest it is a growth issue… and as indicated, may be exacerbated by feet issues.
I still cannot wrap my mind around the FEI Young Horse stuff. I am hard pressed to have a youngster ready to back fall of their 3yo year, and IF they are ready for that, they always have the winter off and are brought up again in spring.
Mine are haunch high repeatedly in their 3rd, 4th and even 5th years. And I do sometimes hold my breath waiting for the end result…(catch up occasionally enough for me to get oxygen, but then there they go again!) but as they ARE purpose bred, they always do finish up uphill and lovely… but I sincerely not imagine doing First/Second level work as a 4/5yo.
Perhaps it is just my climate, or bloodlines… but… I’ve yet to see a 3yo that did not have a TON of growth yet to do. Not even necessarily height, but evening up, bulking out, etc. And yeah, height too… :uhoh: for the OP 
