Kissing Spine in Performance Horses: Osteopathy's Role

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Nearly four in ten horses may be carrying kissing spine without ever showing an obvious symptom — a statistic that unsettles anyone who's ridden a horse suddenly resistant to the bit, girthy at saddling, or reluctant to canter a corner. For performance horses asked to jump, spin barrels, or invert repeatedly over fences, the thoracolumbar spine absorbs a disproportionate share of that strain. Over time, the dorsal spinous processes can migrate closer together, sometimes fusing, and the horse quietly adapts its posture to manage the discomfort, often long before pain becomes visible. This thesis follows two horses, litter mates, both diagnosed and surgically treated for the condition at very different ages, to examine what osteopathic assessment can add once a veterinary diagnosis is in hand. Rather than treating the back in isolation, the work traces how compensation moves through the ribcage, pelvis, and limbs, applying the "bow and string" model of equine biomechanics to explain why a hollowed posture becomes self-perpetuating. Myofascial release, craniosacral work, and Osteopathic Articular Balancing are each examined for what they can offer at different stages of rehabilitation, alongside the retraining exercises that help a horse rebuild the core strength needed to lift its back and protect the spine going forward. The result is a rehabilitation framework built as much on collaboration with vets, farriers, and saddle fitters as on hands-on technique, a reminder that recovery from kissing spine is rarely a single intervention.