Kissing Spine is a common cause of back pain in equines. It has the potential to cause a significant degree of pain, which can result in various signs and symptoms; bucking, rearing, bolting, reduced ridden performance such as refusing, rushing, tension or lameness. Horses may also exhibit behavioural change during grooming, tacking up and mounting.
Kissing spine is also known as Dorsal Spinous Process Impingement or Basstrup’s disease. It is most commonly found between T10-18. Kissing Spine is a common radiographic nding but does not always cause clinical symptoms. In one study over a seven year period, a cohort of 4407 horses, presenting with lameness of performance issues were evaluated, 7% were found to suer from back pain on clinical examination. 70 horses that had never had any history or sign of back pain were also radiographed. Of the group with back pain 68% had some radiographic ndings of kissing spine and the non-back pain group had radiographic ndings of kissing spines in 39% of the horses.(1) When they are symptomatic they are the second most common back pain diagnosis in horses, with short backed horses being more commonly effected.