Spinal articular dysfunction is common in athletic horses

Spinal articular dysfunction disrupts normal neural function and may lead to stiffness, pain or poor performance. Back pain is common in equine athletes, and it is a common complaint by horse owners requesting chiropractic evaluations.

To describe the prevalence of spinal articular dysfunction in showjumping horses.

Retrospective analysis of clinical records.

Records from 3 years of examinations in horses, from beginners to high-performance levels. Each horse had 30 spinal segments evaluated for the presence of dysfunctional articulations. Exams were performed by a certified International Veterinary Chiropractic Association veterinarian. Data recorded included age, sex, complaint and history of previous veterinary chiropractic examinations. Descriptive and statistical analysis was performed by age groups: G1 up to 6 years old, G2 from 7 to 10 years, G3 from 11 to 14 years, and G4 from 15 years and above. Significance was set as p < 0.05; results were presented as mean ± SD.

Four hundred and ninety-two jumping horses were included (4-19 years old). On average, animals had 11.9 (±3.5) dysfunctional spinal segments. The minimal number observed was 2 and the maximum was 23. No animals were free of spinal dysfunction, and 442 (89.8%) were found to have segmental dysfunction in all 3 spinal regions. The most affected vertebrae were L3, L2, L4, C1 and T7. Dysfunctional segments in the cervical region were diagnosed less frequently in G1 horses (p < 0.05).

Objective pain measurements were unavailable. Lameness, when present, was not graded and was not directly correlated with spinal dysfunction.

Jumping horses had a high prevalence of spinal articular dysfunction, mainly in the lumbar spine, thoracic sling area and atlanto-occipital joint. The prevalence of dysfunction of the cervical spine increases with age. No equine athlete in this study was free of spinal articular dysfunction.