back pain in horses
When diagnosing back pathology in horses, there is no gold standard test or objective system of quantifying that pain, Fiske-Jackson said—it’s as much about ruling things out as it is in. | Photo: Courtesy Dr. Andrew Fiske-Jackson

When a horse shows signs of poor performance, rearing or bucking under saddle, sensitivity when grooming, and being cold-backed, the owner often jumps to the conclusion that he has a sore back. When is an issue truly back pain, however, and when is it secondary to another orthopedic issue?

Andrew Fiske-Jackson, BVSc, MVetMed FHEA, Dipl. ECVS, MRCVS, senior lecturer in equine surgery at the Royal Veterinary College’s Equine Referral Hospital, in the U.K., tried to answer this question during the 2018 British Equine Veterinary Association Congress, held Sept. 12-15, in Birmingham.

When diagnosing back pathology in horses, there is no gold standard test or objective system of quantifying that pain, he said. “It’s as much about ruling things out as it is in

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