ABSTRACT
Abnormal head and neck posture, neck swelling, neck stiffness or reduced range of motion, difficulties in lowering the head and neck to graze and an abnormal grazing posture, unexplained forelimb lameness, stumbling and ataxia and weakness are the most common reasons for considering a problem in the cervical region of the axial skeleton. This chapter also considers the thoracolumbar spine, the central part of the horse’s musculoskeletal core, which is made up of the neck, back, sacral area and tail. Lameness problems can alter spinal function through compensation to abnormal movements elsewhere in the body. Finally the chapter looks at disorders affecting the pelvis.
