Therapeutic Exercises for Horses With Topline Dysfunction - EquiManagement on Audio

0:00All the articles you have come to love in Equamanagement Magazine are now available on the Equamanagement on Audio podcast. Each article is released as its own separate episode to make them quick and easy to listen to. Just search Equamanagement on Audio on your favorite podcast player to listen to all the latest articles. Therapeutic exercises for horses with top line dysfunction. Back problems causing poor performance and lameness in horses are often referred to as simply back pain. Dr. Tena Urcini, assistant professor at University of Tennessee's Equine Performance and Rehabilitation Center, has coined the term top line dysfunction to more accurately describe this complex condition. During a presentation at the 2025 American Association of Equine Practitioners Convention in Denver, Colorado, she described the causes of top line dysfunction and how to evaluate and address it, intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

1:03Urcini described three main components of back issues, weakness, hypomobility or stiffness, and generalized pain. While horse confirmation can lead to dysfunction, incorrect planter angles that cause hind limb lameness also can contribute by altering spinal motion patterns. Another possible cause of top line dysfunction can occur in young horses that are overworked and not strong enough to carry the load or in older horses with spinal osteoarthritis. Besides these intrinsic factors, external factors also can lead to top line dysfunction. A horse and rider mismatch where the rider and tack combined weight exceeds 20% of the horse's weight is one factor. Asking the horse to perform something it cannot do is another. A rider who allows a horse to move in a strung out posture limits the horse's use of its abdominal muscles to lift the back as they should. Any discipline that promotes a lordosis posture doesn't enable muscles to build correctly to keep the spine mobile, and saddle fit is always a potential problem.

2:09Assessing the horse, it's important to assess the horse's top line for muscle fluidity, muscle symmetry, or abnormalities, balance and whole body control, said Urcini. Does the horse experience spasms when the back is engaged? Does the horse respond normally to a sternal or pelvic lift? When using baited carrot stretches, does the horse have sufficient range of motion to reach the elbow, flank, stifle or hawk for a sufficient time to grab the treat? Or is he evasive because he doesn't have the mobility to stretch and reach? Stretches and exercises, baited stretches help with hypomobility and stiffness. Dynamic exercises are also important, such as asking the horse to perform serpentines that cause his back and torso to be mobile as he bends around blocks or cones. Urcini recommends placing the cones at a distance that prevents the horse from swinging his butt out in avoidance of using his back. Other dynamic exercises include leg yield in hand, rather than under saddle, because the horse might be too weak to carry a rider.

3:15Placing a hand on the horse's side replicates leg position to ask for bending and sideways movement. To address weakness, Urcini recommends using ground poles and transitions within and between gates to promote whole body balance and fitness. Longlining removes the rider component, but enables incorporation of transitions, collection, bends, and lateral work. Equicore resistance bands also promote symmetry and activation of the multi-fightous muscles. Asking a horse to step onto four by four pedestals at different heights, eight inches and 12 inches stimulates body control and forces him into a base narrow posture. This exercise challenges postural control and strength. When available, an underwater treadmill is a valuable tool to help remedy top line weakness. Urcini recommends implementing at least 30 days of in-hand work before asking for written work under saddle. The timing depends on the severity of a horse's top line dysfunction, as well as a rider's ability.

4:17Long and low exercises such as training level dressage help engage the hind end. Transitions exercise the back to engage leg yield not side pass also helps with bending spiral in and out on circles further activates the back muscles. and