How can you 'fix' a swaybacked horse?

Question

im just wondering, because i have a horse that is just barely swaybacked. and when i saw barely, i really mean barely.

will riding help stop the swayback, wont that bring muscle?

oh, and i found out, she is used to over 230 pounds. =]

thank you everyone!

Answer 1

you can't fix swayback. riding too early and old age brings it about. i'm sure you can still ride her like you've normally been, it just might make it worse as time goes on.

Answer 2

There is an exercise you can do to strengthen the muscles along the spine which will bring the back up some - take your curry brush and brush the stomach of your horse vigorously for five minutes at least three times a day - if you are doing it in the right area you will see your horse tighten those muscle and watch the back raise up.  this won't change the curvature of the spine but with increasing the muscles in the area will provide more support for the spine.

Answer 3

riding will increase the sway but if you take it easy on her she will make a great riding horse for kids. You cant fix it. A vet might but its just like breaking a horses leg it rarely heals properly. Best to baby her and keep her aound for kids or sell her.

Answer 4

My moms horse had the same problem when we first got him. Know that he is being worked and has muscle it looks a lot better. You can still tell if you run your finger along his back but if you are standing there looking at him you can bearly tell. So to answer your question the sway back will never go away that is just the horses conformation. But if you horse gets muscle in will help disguise that he does have a sway back.

Answer 5

Swayback is actually a gentic disorder, they either have it or they don't and time will usaully tell you.

What you can work on is trot poles and getting them to stretch down like a quater horse.

What you probally are seeing isn't swayback but just a loss of muscle from carrying what sounds like a large person and not being asked to work correctly.

Dressage work would help

Answer 6

riding will make it worse actually. What causes sway backs is weakening and relaxing belly muscles which stop holding up the back,and you can help strenghten them by lunging over small xrails. It won't make it go away, but it will slow the processdown some.

Answer 7

Hi there!

I am sorry but there is no way to fix a swaybacked horse.  It's a natural part of a horse growing old, it is unfixable.  Here is a link with some good information on swayback:

http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/he...

I know what you are gowing through, my horse has recently started showing signs of his back swaying from age.  He just turned 12 and I have had him for 4 years.  Just like your horse it's not that bad but it is there, just barely.  I'm sorry but there is not way to fix it.

I would give toning him up a try but the sway will always be there.

Sorry if this isn't the answer you were hoping for.

Hope I Helped and best of luck! :-)

Another link with more information on YOUNG horses with swayback.

http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx...

Here is another link with more information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swayback

It appears that "swayback" is also called Lordosis do you can do a Yahoo! search and get ALOT of helpful and informative information...

Answer 8

My dad has my bay gelding that is retired now.   Got him unbroke when he was 5 in 1984.  Big ugly shoe box head, sway backed.  Yes, I bought him that way.  He ended up being the hardest working, do anything & go all day horse I have EVER owned.

Why did I get him?  No idea, people always made comments about him, but he was one of 4 King Fritz colts pulled out of a herd that were basically let run wild.  

But, after a grand entry run on him at our local rodeo (back home)in 1988, I was walking him back to his stall when a professional steer wrestler by the name of John W. Jones Jr. who was at the time chasing his 2nd World title stopped me, walk around my ugly bay horse & told me he like the way my horse carried himself & the way he moved.  He said he would trade me anyday!!!  I am standing there looking at his little bay horse, with it's perfect head & conformation & who knows what kind of a price tag, but I was more PROUD of my ugly horse.  He was just a ranch horse, but when we put black hoof polish on him & sequined legs wraps for the rodeo parade & rodeo grand entries, he thought he was the most gorgeous horse in the world.  His head was high, his chin tucked, his tail out, ears up & he even "pranced".  He is now 29 & will still gladly walk a kid around the corral, swayed back, ugly head & all.

The swayed back never got better, no matter how much muscle he got & back then, we did A LOT of moutain work, but it never bothered him either, until he was 18 or so.  Then we started slowing him down when we noticed he could't or wouldn't pull a steer anymore.  But, we had an equine chiropractor out & he did some adjusting & he acted like a colt again.  We still didn't rope on him anymore, but took him for light riding, moving cattle or checking fences, etc.

Answer 9

As you've already been told, you can't fix a swayback. However, you can help the horse by lightening her load to nobody over 150lbs, and adding another pad under her saddle with wither relief, and a riser pad to level out the saddle. You may also end up having to get her saddle re-fitted so it doesn't pinch and cause more pain.

Answer 10

You can't.  You can help the horse somewhat by doing work to develop the back muscles. But the the vertebral column. . . is what it is.

Answer 11

You can't do much, other than to work on developing the abdominal and haunch muscles.  the ligaments of the back are lax and won't tighten, even with exercises to develop collection, a swayback horse can't do it.  Only a very light rider should ride a swaybacked horse, so 230 lbs was too much weight for her to be carrying.

Answer 12

You can't "fix" a swayback horse. Swaybacks are going to be swayback.

Answer 13

there really is no way to fix a sway back

Answer 14

this is how you fix a sway back horse,first you untie the cinch (or girth for english) then lift the saddle up off the horse,lead that horse away and lead another under the saddle,place saddle on new horse,re pull the cinch (or girth for english) and ride away.place swaybacked horse in large pasture so it can live in comfort.

Answer 15

you can't... just let her carry kids or live in a pasture... live in comfort...