Cold back?? WHAT??

Question

I have seen the perfect horse!! but its says you have to lunge her for 5 mins before mounting because she has a cold back? what does this mean? is it a problem?

Answer 1

i guess it has to be warmed up overwise u myt break her back

Answer 2

googled it and found this for you... hope it helps!!! Cold backed horse is a quaint term for a horse with a sensitive back, or who’s sensitive to the girth. A horse with this condition may also be called “cinchy” or "girthy". Cute terms, but what does it all mean?

A cold backed horse is one that has a negative reaction to being saddled or mounted. Usually, the reaction is immediate and after a short time, the animal gets used to the sensation and is fine to ride.

As always, different horses react differently. The horse’s response can vary from mild to dramatic. A mild reaction might be collapsing his back and shrinking away from the saddle after being cinched up. More dramatic reactions could be trotting or cantering off immediately upon being mounted, perhaps with a well-timed buck or two thrown in for good measure.

The descriptions of extreme reactions range from the hilarious to the horrifying. One person described a horse that “humps all up, pig-roots and kicks like a trooper.” Another said her horse collapsed onto the ground and dented a car! The horse was fine, but we can’t say as much for the car.

Much of the available research and opinion indicate that this cold backed horse condition is a behavior and not an injury. We’re not so sure. Horse trainer Doris Eraldi says, “It’s very likely the horse is reacting to pain or the memory of pain. This is usually the case if the horse tries to lie down when girthed up or mounted, or those who pull back wildly.” Check out our library for more detailed information on cold backed horses.

On the behavioral side of the argument, she also suggests that, “Horses can develop cinchy habits in response to poor rider techniques - over-tightening the cinch so that it cuts off the horse's breath, ‘plopping’ down into the saddle when mounting, or immediately digging your heels into his sides are can all be very unpleasant for the horse. There are some horses who are simply very sensitive to the pressure from the girth - it is almost an instinctual reaction to attempt escape when they feel the cinch tightening.”

Our fifteen year old thoroughbred hunter exhibited intermittent cold backed horse tendencies; a few months ago he started shrinking away as soon as we tightened the girth, and we’re very gentle. I was always taught to ease myself into the saddle and always have, but after not being ridden much for a few months, Montego started to practically collapse as soon as I’d get into the saddle. On a few occasions, he nearly went down to his hocks, but then he’d recover and seem fine.

We took him to the vet, who couldn’t find anything wrong with him. Then we took him to a Veterinary chiropractor, who gave him a thorough exam, including x-rays, and told us that he had an old injury, and it looked like he’d flipped over backwards and damaged his spine. But it was long healed and his only issue was some slight arthritis. We were given a prescription for Bute and some other anti-inflammatories and told to keep him stall rested for a month, which we did. But even after all that, he still went in and out of soundness and cold backed horse behavior.

Acupuncture or acupressure will undoubtedly be helpful in treating a cold backed horse, and equine massage therapy will naturally be beneficial if the problem is physical. But Pulsed LED Therapy, also known as Low Energy Photo Therapy (LEPT) is what cured Montego, and that’s how we became involved with Dan Sumerel and the STS-2 Scanner and Equine Treatment Unit.

A number of scientific studies by Medical Schools, Government Institutions, and independent research organizations have shown that this therapy is fast, effective, painless and risk free.

Dan scanned Montego and found about 140 points that indicated the presence of some physical trauma, many of which were on his back and neck. He then treated him with the ETU and after 24 hours, re-scanned him and found only about fifty points. We treated him a couple of more times and within a week, were riding him with no evidence of any cold backed horse behavior.

I’m not telling you that the STS-2 is guaranteed to cure your horse’s cold-backed behavior. Get a good vet’s exam first. Then review your own behavior: Do you cinch the horse too tightly too quickly? Does his saddle fit properly? Do you drop heavily into the saddle when you mount?

If the vet can rule out critical trauma, and your saddling techniques are civilized and polite, it could be that the horse has some muscle soreness or other physical issue that will benefit from LEPT. Learn how to make an appointment to have your cold backed horse scanned. If you’re within an hour of Gladstone Equine's base in Midlothian, Virginia, there’s no charge for travel time. If you’re further away, we can probably recommend a practitioner in your area.

Answer 3

it means..that if not properly  warmed up they are going to buck your butt off.....really not that big of a deal....just make sure and warm him up good....good luck

Answer 4

It's basically a horse with a sensitive back. Check out the link below.

Answer 5

aoife r you should make sure the information you're copying off google is correct.  Hello, that's a short concise explaination of the problem.

Owning several horses who were "cinchy", I'll tell you that there is a BIG difference between cinchy and cold backed.

Neither of my horses (I've had two that I got that way and had to work around it.) were "cold backed", but if you tied them up and then went to cinch them up, they'd pull back, hit the end of that leadrope and if it or the halter didn't snap, they'd keep doing it until they were free.  Cinchyness is caused by some idiot normally cinching up a horse too tight.  Once a horse has had this done, they ALWAYS remember it and in some circumstances make life rough for the current owner.  In 1970, I bought an AQHA mare, Irish Squaw, who'd apparently been in a wreck and had a calcium deposit on her left knee, one on her withers and when she walked on the pavement you could hear her right rear leg SLAM down.  When I cinched her up, I ALWAYS untied her, then hopped up on her and rode her to the picket line where I'd tie her up awaiting a group of rental riders to take out.

A couple of years later, I still had the mare and outside of her being cinchy, she worked well for me.  I was getting into hunters then and she was off sitting in pasture, so I allowed some friends from highschool to borrow her for an FFA rodeo.  I told them that she was cinchy but apparently they cut her in two again and she scared the beejeepers out of them.  Anyway, they couldn't get her saddled and when I went to cinch her up for them she went FLYING backwards so fast that she fell over!  It took a while to straighten her out and she never really was "right" again.

The second one, the gal who owned him NEVER said a word about him being cinchy...  The first time I saddled him, now nearly 30 years after my first experience with Squaw, I got that "funny feeling"...  I untied him really FAST before I cinched him up and didn't have a problem.  The second time, I didn't listen to my gut feeling and he SAT on my truck!

My one and only really cold backed horse was a colt I'd gotten back in the late 70's.  He rode off fine the day before after I'd lunged him for about 20 minutes.  The next day, I was so pleased with the work I'd gotten from him the day before, that I didn't think about it, stepped on board and as I'm walking along in the arena with a friend, the colt nosed a mare, I snatched his head the opposite direction to correct him and he took his head and put it between his legs and off I went!  As my leg was mending, an old friend came out and put some miles on him and would just buck him out (He thought this was GREAT fun!) until he rode quietly.

As I said, there's  a BIG difference between being cinchy and cold backed.

Answer 6

My sisters horse is cold backed, she only has to put the saddle on and do it up loosely, and leave it on for a good 5/10minuits before getting on, and she if fine, it would not stop me buying the perfect horse.

Answer 7

Cold-back is when your horse needs to have some time to feel the saddle on her back before anyone gets in it. Before you get on lunging her will get her used to the feeling of the saddle so when you get on she won't be as uncomfortable with you up there. Cold-back is just something the has to get used to and you can start to descend the time your lunging.

One week you can lunge for 5 mins every day..

2ND week 3 minutes... until you no longer have to really lunge no matter what it is a good idea to lunge a horse before riding anyways.

Answer 8

it means she is a little "humpy" which basically means if you take off on her cold she might buck a little.

Answer 9

a cold backed horse is one that needs to be warmed up before you can sit down hard on her back or it is very uncomfortable for the horse.

if you get on like normal on a cold backed horse it may bolt, rear, buck, or lay down.

its no big deal just lunge a little and when you get on 2 point for like a few minutes and ait down really really gentle on her back

after that she should be fine just like a normal horse

Answer 10

It just means they have a back issue. It kind of like they are sore but it goes away when they are warmed up. It is not a major problem if you are willing to work around it. If she has been lunged before every ride she should be good with it and wont be a brat about it. I would not be to concerned if she is perfect otherwise.