How often should your horse have his back checked?

Below is the reply I sent to a lady in response to an email thanking me for some contacts she made through my regular newsletter who were able to help her find and address the cause of her horse's unhappy behaviour. It's worth remembering as you read this that Carl Hester's horses are treated every 2 weeks - clearly he believes (and I would say has proved) that regular physical therapy is beneficial for horses!

"I'm so glad we've been able to help your horse between us all. However, I am saddened by the fact that the issue was missed by your regular [yearly] physio and osteo. This is something I come across all too regularly. It seems that behaviours such as those your horse was demonstrating (and many other horse behaviours) are just taken to be 'normal', and so the practitioner doesn't place enough significance on the areas of soreness they find. All too often they just report to the owner that the horse is 'fine', when in my opinion he clearly isn't (or perhaps that's how the owner interprets the message, and its a communication problem).

I also find it sad that so many practitioners recommend yearly or six monthly check ups for horses that have pain issues that I believe they need maintenance treatment to help with. It seems to me that practitioners are frightened to offer the treatment that the horse needs, maybe because they are frightened that the owner will think they're being greedy. In my opinion a horse that is doing a reasonable amount of work (I.e. most riding club type horses) should have a physio assessment and treatment every 3 months, unless they are particularly healthy in their musculoskeletal system. That way any pain issue has not been there too long before treatment, and if no pain issue has arisen then the treatment will enhance the horse's performance, improve his willingness to work, and reduce the risk of injury and the chances of a pain issue arising. Of course, if the practitioner is not actually spotting the problem in the first place, this doesn't help! Horses didn't evolve to live in restricted areas, eat from haynets, or carry the weight of a rider, so no matter how careful we are, they are likely to suffer strain through their musculoskeletal system. Only a well trained, experienced and empathetic practitioner can assess the effects of this strain (I.e. not the average horse owner, although I do have many people telling me that they've felt their horse's back and there's nothing wrong - would they go to a lay person if they had a back problem themselves, or would they go to a professional?!), and treat and advise appropriately.

I'm sorry to have gone on, as you can probably guess this is a source of frustration to me on a daily basis! Particularly when I am called to address a horse's behaviour who has supposedly had his back checked, but to my eyes the behaviour is clearly pain related - I have dozens of stories of that being the case. Would you be willing for me to share your email with readers of my newsletter to encourage others to look for the solution that's right for their horse, and to trust in their instincts?"