My Rescue Horse Was Diagnosed With Equine Lordosis. Here’s What I Learned.

Four years ago when I took a chance on a “rescue” prospect, I wasn’t really
 sure what I was getting myself into. It turned out that this horse was
 labelled a rescue prospect because he had a swayback at only seven years old.
 I had never seen a back like his on an older horse, let alone one of his
 age, and so I was inspired to do the best by this new life that had come in
to mine and research what may be wrong with him and what (if anything) I
 could do about it.

I discovered that my new equine friend had lordosis.
 Lordosis is a congenital spinal condition where the thoracic vertebrae at 
the wither do not develop properly. The deformed vertebrae are called
 hemivertebrae, because of their “half” development. The hemivertebrae are 
shorter on the underside than a normal vertebrae, which causes the spinal
 column to dip (and, in turn, causes a swayed appearance).

When I began to read more into the condition, I made some somewhat
 startling finds. All my preconceived thoughts about what this horse could
 or could not do had pretty much been quashed. I discovered that lordosis
 doesn’t have any particular influence on a horse’s health or soundness, and 
that the affected horses function as though they are normally conformed.

Dr. Patrick Gallagher completed research into lordosis and studied a 
variety of horses with the condition. He found that the spinal deviation 
had no disabling affect on the horses who had the condition and noted that 
even the most severely affected individuals could be trained, ridden, and 
even participate in horse shows.

Dr. Gallagher found that the effect on gait, if any, was minor and 
might be dealt with by proper shoeing and training. He also recorded that the 
biggest concern for horses with the condition is saddle fit. A saddle
 placed onto a swayed back will bridge, placing uneven pressure on the
 back. This can cause pain and eventually, injury. Therefore, it is 
important that the owners of horses with lordosis take care when choosing 
and fitting a saddle.

(Alex Brollo/via Wikimedia Commons)

Once I had a greater understanding of the condition, I began to wonder
 just how horses acquired it. Currently the American Saddlebred Horse 
Association (AHSA)is funding a research project called the Lordosis Fund.
 The aim of this fund is to find the genetic link that causes the
 condition. This research is still underway, however, the
 researchers have been able to identify that lordosis is inherited
 recessively, and have isolated a chromosome that may hold the key to how
 the condition is passed on.

As an owner of a horse with this condition, I felt it important to begin to 
talk about lordosis, to raise awareness about it, and show the 
equestrian community that horses with the condition can be useful
 partners. When I began to talk more about my experience and my research, an 
interesting thing began to happen. I began to be contacted by people from 
all over the world who also had horses with lordosis. In the last four
 years, I have met some incredible equestrians and some incredible horses—there’s been FEI-level dressage horses, a competitive show jumper, a
 barrel racer, a saddle seat competitor—and that’s just to name a few!

About the Author

Alyssa Knee is an Australia-based amateur rider and author. Brunette in Breeches is her equestrian lifestyle blog where Alyssa shares her passion for everything equine and provides a look at the life of her Lordotic horse, Spike.