Kissing spines in horses: What feeding can achieve – and what really makes the back strong

The moment the vet says "kissing spines" and shows you the X-ray where the spinous processes are closer together than they should be, stays in many people's minds for a long time. In the evening, you sit at the kitchen table, type "kissing spines horse feed" into your phone and just want to do something. The feed room often feels like the one place where you actually have matters in your own hands.

Let's be completely honest straight away: you cannot heal a back with kissing spines through feeding. That is a matter for your vet and targeted training – not for the feed bucket. But that does not mean feeding cannot contribute anything. The body you are rebuilding – the topline, the joints and tendons that carry it through every training session – benefits from good, consistent care. This is exactly where this article comes in: honest, easy-to-understand and confident answers based on research and stable practice. What kissing spines really is, when the vet is needed, what rehabilitation training relies on – and where good joint and tendon care through feeding sensibly fits into the picture.

What lies behind kissing spines

On top of every vertebra sits a narrow bony projection, the spinous process. In a healthy back, these processes stand next to each other at equal distances. With kissing spines, they move too close together, touch each other or slide over one another – in technical jargon, "impinging" or "overriding" spinous processes. This happens most often in the saddle area, exactly where weight is placed on the back. Imagine a row of fence palings whose top ends lean towards each other over time until they touch – that is roughly how you can picture it.

Why is this an issue? Changes to the spinous processes are not uncommon; many horses have them without ever showing problems. Conformation and build play a role, but so does how a horse is trained: a horse that moves a lot with a hollow back and a weak topline loads this area differently to one that has learned to round its back and carry itself. A poorly fitting saddle is also one of the factors. Importantly: an X-ray finding alone does not constitute a problem. Many horses with close spinous processes are completely symptom-free and work entirely normally.

And so to the good news first: many horses with mild changes live and work comfortably, and with a clear diagnosis and a good rehab plan, most return to work. You should pay attention if your horse shows new resistances under the saddle – bucking, rearing, rushing off – becomes sensitive or unwilling when being saddled and girthed, hollows its back under the rider, suddenly changes its behaviour or drops in performance; sometimes hindlimb lameness also occurs. Such signs need to be investigated by a vet. The vet makes the diagnosis through examination, palpation and X-rays, often supplemented by a local anaesthetic to ensure that the pain really is coming from the back. In short: kissing spines is diagnosed and managed with the vet, not guessed at the feed trough.

What does recovery rely on? The core is almost always targeted rehabilitation training: exercises that strengthen the back and abdominal muscles, build up the topline and help the horse to carry itself in a relaxed, long frame again. This includes working long and low, pole and cavaletti work, calm in-hand work, later transitions and hill work; many also work with lungeing aids or a water treadmill, which activates the core muscles. Which exercises suit your horse and in what order is best decided with your vet and physiotherapist – a good rehab plan is always tailored to the individual horse. Many ask about homeopathy: there is no robust evidence for this regarding structural changes in the back; the mainstays remain diagnosis, pain management and rehabilitation training.

And this is exactly where the connection to feeding is made. The horse that you are rebuilding step by step works with its entire musculoskeletal system: with joints, tendons and ligaments that support every training session. Movement, training and carefully considered feeding make a strong team here – the targeted work builds the muscles, and good joint and tendon care through the feed supports the active body doing this work. Let's look at which building blocks play a role here.

The building blocks – and what the research shows

When it comes to the daily care of joints, cartilage and connective tissue, four building blocks come up time and again. Let's look at them individually – first, what they are for, then what the research says.

Glucosamine. Glucosamine is a naturally occurring building block from which the body forms so-called glycosaminoglycans – the basic substance of cartilage and joint fluid. You can think of cartilage as an elastic cushion that covers the ends of the joints and absorbs shocks; glucosamine provides the material for exactly this cushion. In a study at the University of São Paulo (Yamada and colleagues, 2022) [1], 16 horses with experimentally induced osteoarthritis in the fetlock joint received an oral supplement containing glucosamine and chondroitin over 120 days; in the treated group, individual findings such as lameness evaluation and an inflammatory marker in the joint fluid improved. An indication that this building block can support cartilage metabolism.

Collagen. Collagen is the structural protein that gives connective tissue, tendons and cartilage elasticity and strength – you can imagine it like the fine fibre ropes that give the tissue its tensile strength. In a human study (Clark and colleagues, 2008) [2], 147 active adults with activity-related joint pain took 10 g of collagen hydrolysate daily or a placebo over 24 weeks; in the collagen group, activity-related joint pain decreased significantly. A study on humans, then – but a wonderful example of the role collagen can play for actively used joints.

MSM. MSM, organic sulphur, is a building block of connective tissue and is known for its antioxidant properties. Hard work creates a type of cellular stress in the body, producing free radicals. In a study (Marañón and colleagues, 2008) [3], 24 showjumping horses in competition received MSM at a dose of 8 mg per kilogram of body weight; the exercise-induced stress markers in the blood were significantly lower. An indication that MSM can support the body in coping with the demands of training and sport.

Hyaluronic acid. Hyaluronic acid is the main component of joint fluid, the synovia – it is, so to speak, the oil that ensures a joint glides smoothly. In a study (Bergin and colleagues, 2006) [4], 48 young horses received 100 mg of oral hyaluronic acid or a placebo daily for 30 days following joint surgery on the hock; the treated horses subsequently showed less swelling in the joint than the placebo group. An indication of the role that hyaluronic acid plays in a well-functioning joint environment.

What does this mean overall? These four are real, well-founded building blocks of healthy joints and healthy connective tissue – they do not work immediately, but rather unfold their benefits best as part of a good overall picture of movement, management and feeding. And to be clear: the changes to the spinous processes themselves are not treated by this – that remains a matter for the vet and rehabilitation training. The exciting question is how these building blocks work together.

Dosage and practice

The amounts used in the studies provide a good guide: MSM at around 8 mg per kilogram – for a 500 kg horse, that is around 4 g – hyaluronic acid at 100 mg daily, collagen hydrolysate in the human study at 10 g per day. nuvallo move is designed around this logic: the usual daily ration is 6 nuvallo move Snacks (around 30 g) for a horse weighing around 500 kg. Lighter horses receive 4 to 5, heavier ones 7 to 8 nuvallo move Snacks. For acute issues, you can feed double the amount for the first 2 to 3 weeks and then return to the normal daily ration.

A word on interaction, the much-cited synergy effect: this means that several building blocks work at different points and complement each other – which is why a well-balanced combination product does not need an extreme single dose of just one substance. More on this in a moment.

And a transparency note, which you can see as a plus point: many products do not even reveal how much active ingredient is actually in the daily ration. This is not mandatory for feeds (EU Regulation 767/2009). A clear statement of the amount per daily ration is therefore a good sign – with nuvallo move, it is right there on the label.

That leaves patience, and the good news here too: joint and tendon care is not a one-week job. Plan for at least 8 to 12 weeks of consistent feeding; many see the first positive changes after just 4 to 6 weeks. Continuous care pays off.

Why the combination is more than the sum of its parts

The core idea behind a combination product is that the building blocks work in different places. A daily ration of nuvallo move contains 1,500 mg of glucosamine as material for the cartilage, 2,550 mg of collagen for the structure of connective tissue and cartilage, 2,250 mg of MSM as a sulphur building block and support during exercise-induced stress, and 150 mg of hyaluronic acid for the joint environment. Each starts at a different point – together they create a complete picture.

A study by Murray and colleagues (2017) [5] indicates that there is something to this approach. In a blinded crossover trial, 24 horses received a combined joint supplement (containing glucosamine and MSM, among other things) for 21 days and a placebo in a second phase; under the supplement, the evaluations of movement, orthopaedic examination and physiotherapeutic assessment were better. The investigated product contained further substances such as chondroitin and omega-3 fatty acids, so it is not identical to nuvallo move – but it is a confident indication that the interaction of several building blocks can be worthwhile, especially in the phase when a horse is being rehabilitated.

The conclusion for practice: a well-balanced combination product does not need extreme single doses – this is exactly what nuvallo move is made for.

The biggest challenge in practice: feeding

Now comes the point where most good intentions fail in reality – and this has nothing to do with the ingredients list, but with the feed bucket.

The classic problem is powder. It is dusty, it changes the consistency and taste of the feed, and some substances – MSM, for example – taste bitter. Many horses simply eat around it and leave exactly the remains containing the active ingredient at the bottom of the trough. And even if your horse eats the powder initially: does it really get the full dose? You probably know the usual tricks – introducing it slowly, dampening it, stirring it into mash, hiding it in a banana or apple, mixing it with sugar beet pulp. This works well for some horses. For others, it simply doesn't. And then you stand at the trough in the evening and wonder whether the expensive supplement has just ended up in the bucket instead of in the horse.

Why we did away with powder. We know this picture from our own experience – with our own horses and from talking to hundreds of horse owners. At some point, we asked the question differently. Not: "How do we make a better powder?" But: "How do we ensure that every horse reliably takes in the full dose – and is actually happy about it?" The answer is nuvallo move: a functional joint snack that you feed by hand, on a stomach-friendly base free from wheat and maize. No weighing, no dusty powder. Every nuvallo move Snack contains a defined amount of active ingredients, nothing can be sorted out, there is no stress at the trough – and feeding becomes a reward.

To keep it honest: with a back issue like kissing spines, the diagnosis and rehab plan belong in the hands of a vet and physiotherapist – nuvallo move is not part of this treatment, but rather the reliable daily joint and tendon care for the active horse that you are bringing back into work. Because ultimately, the best supplement is not the one with the longest list of ingredients or the highest laboratory value. It is the one that actually ends up inside the horse.

Good to know: nuvallo move at a glance

• ADMR-compliant, competition-safe and no withdrawal period
• No added sugar
• Manufactured in Europe, to the highest quality
• 30-day satisfaction guarantee

Who is behind nuvallo

Katja and Andrés are the people behind nuvallo. With over 20 years of practical experience in equestrian sport, we know only too well how important a healthy, well-muscled back and mobile joints are for our horses. In conversations with countless horse owners, we repeatedly notice a lack of understandable, honest information – and that is exactly why we write these articles.

Sources & studies

[1] Yamada, A. L. M., do Prado Vendruscolo, C., Marsiglia, M. F., Sotelo, E. D. P., Agreste, F. R., Seidel, S. R. T., Fülber, J., Baccarin, R. Y. A., & da Silva, L. C. L. C. (2022). Effects of oral treatment with chondroitin sulfate and glucosamine in an experimental model of metacarpophalangeal osteoarthritis in horses. BMC Veterinary Research, 18, 215. DOI: 10.1186/s12917-022-03323-3

[2] Clark, K. L., Sebastianelli, W., Flechsenhar, K. R., Aukermann, D. F., Meza, F., Millard, R. L., Deitch, J. R., Sherbondy, P. S., & Albert, A. (2008). 24-Week study on the use of collagen hydrolysate as a dietary supplement in athletes with activity-related joint pain. Current Medical Research and Opinion, 24(5), 1485–1496. DOI: 10.1185/030079908X291967 (Human study)

[3] Marañón, G., Muñoz-Escassi, B., Manley, W., García, C., Cayado, P., Sánchez de la Muela, M., Olábarri, B., León, R., & Vara, E. (2008). The effect of methyl sulphonyl methane supplementation on biomarkers of oxidative stress in sport horses following jumping exercise. Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica, 50, 45. DOI: 10.1186/1751-0147-50-45

[4] Bergin, B. J., Pierce, S. W., Bramlage, L. R., & Stromberg, A. (2006). Oral hyaluronan gel reduces post operative tarsocrural effusion in the yearling Thoroughbred. Equine Veterinary Journal, 38(4), 375–378. DOI: 10.2746/042516406777749218

[5] Murray, R. C., Walker, V. A., Tranquille, C. A., Spear, J., & Adams, V. (2017). A randomized blinded crossover clinical trial to determine the effect of an oral joint supplement on equine limb kinematics, orthopaedic, physiotherapy, and handler evaluation scores. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science, 50, 121–128. [summarised – volume and pages verified; DOI not conclusively confirmed]

Please note: The descriptions of kissing spines (development, diagnostics, warning signs and rehab) reflect current veterinary knowledge and do not replace an examination and advice from your vet.