‘Every step has been worth it’: owner told horse with kissing spines was ‘naughty’ and to ‘get rid of him’ speaks up to help others
The owner of a thoroughbred whose unwanted behaviour was dismissed as “naughtiness” but who was found to have severe kissing spines and other issues has spoken up in hopes of helping other horses and owners.
April Griffiths said she was told to “stop faffing and get on with it” with her former racehorse Louie or to “get rid of him”. But she persisted, spent thousands of pounds trying to help him – and said that despite this and the heartbreak, she would not change anything.
“Other than, I wish it had been easier for Louie,” she told H&H. “He’s so lovely and he’s been through so much.”
Louie retired from racing as a four-year-old at the end of summer 2024 and April bought him off the track; she had been looking for a horse to get back into riding, having had her children, and competing.
She gave him a good holiday, then started groundwork, and first rode him last February.
“The first few times I was on him, I didn’t really ask much,” she said. “I was just trying to get him used to being in the arena. The issues started once I started asking him for things; when I tried to pick up my reins, he’d get quite upset.
“Even in walk, he planted, or bucked, refused to go forward. He’d throw his head up so high, it was dangerous.”
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April went back to groundwork and hacking, with which Louie was much happier, but she said he was still hollow. She had lessons, and asked experts for advice.
“I put it down to the fact he was young, green, had just come out of racing; he didn’t know what I was asking, didn’t understand,” April said. “I had lessons and people said ‘No, he knows exactly what he’s doing, he’s playing up’.
“I only wanted the best for him; I asked for professional opinions, and people said he was just green and needed rehab.”
April sent Louie away for schooling, to a trainer who she said told her it was “really difficult to say whether it’s related to pain or he’s being really naughty”. When Louie came home, six weeks later, “he was more backwards than he’d ever been”, April said.
“He’d been in draw reins and a Pessoa; he was probably more backwards because of the pain,” she added.
“I wasn’t happy, I thought there had to be something wrong. He was a lovely boy on the ground, it was out of character. I think it’s professionals as well; people always put it down to naughtiness rather than actually ‘Let’s completely rule out pain before we even start anywhere’. I was asking for advice and going by what everybody was telling me, but I wish so badly that I’d seen it sooner.”
Scoping for gastric ulcers found only minor issues, for which Louie was treated, so April took him to Rainbow Equine Hospital for further investigation.
“Even when the vet was watching him trot, he didn’t think it was kissing spines – until we had the X-rays,” April said. “They put him about eight out of 10 for pain and it was massive, through the whole of his spine.
“I opted for the surgery – he needed bone shaving and ligament snips – because the vet said he was only young, and it was so severe, medication wasn’t going to make a difference.”
April “rehabbed him to the T” after the surgery, including extensive physio, groundwork and natural horsemanship input.
“It was a long journey and emotionally draining; seeing him struggle with the box rest was heartbreaking,” she said.
“But when I got back on him, he still wasn’t right, I knew there was still something. Everyone thinks I’m crazy, asking ‘How are you still going? How haven’t you given up yet? But I know him and I knew he wasn’t right.”
Louie went back to Rainbow this month, where the vet found he was lame in his left fore; April and her physio also suspected sacroiliac pain.
“So we did the bone scan, to find anything that was a problem,” she said. “I’ve got the Agria lifetime insurance; I’m very lucky I did get that.”
The scan revealed some issues remaining in Louie’s withers, which have been medicated, and in his navicular bone, for which he is having remedial shoeing.
“I don’t think that will be a long-term thing but it isn’t cheap,” April said. “The vet said the foot could be a thoroughbred thing; he’s flat-footed and just needs more support. He said the back is to do with the kissing spines and to give Louie a couple of weeks off and get back on.
“It’s just so hard. When I got him, I never thought I’d be on the journey. I can’t tell you how much I’ve learned, about Louie, loads about myself, about being patient and taking things little by little, and seeing the small wins.
“I’ve learned so much, I wouldn’t change it. The cost and stress can feel overwhelming but every step has been worth it to see him slowly improve.”
April said she will work with her physio on the rehab and groundwork, and get back on board once Louie is ready; she hopes he will be able to enjoy a ridden career but will see how he progresses.
“Loads of people have just said ‘You’re absolutely crazy, you should just get rid of him and get something else’,” she said. “But what benefit would there be in me doing that? One, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself because I wouldn’t know where he’d go. Two, he’d be somebody else’s problem, and I can’t do that to somebody else, or to Louie.
“And three, I’m at the point now where I feel if I can’t fix him or help him, I don’t think anybody could, because I’ve done everything I possibly can.”
Listen to horses
April believes her story shows the need for support for people taking on former racehorses – and how vital it is we listen to what horses are telling us.
“Through all of this, one thing is clear: the behaviours I initially thought were ‘naughty’ were signs of pain,” she said. “Loads of people have said ‘You’re faffing around him, you just need to get on with it’. But you know.
“I want the very best for Louie and will do anything to give him the chance to come right. I know this is still a work in progress, and he may never fully recover, but for now, I stay positive and hopeful that with continued care and patience, there is a real chance for him to improve. Louie is a gentle, loving horse, and the behaviours he displayed were never about attitude – they were his way of telling me he was hurting.
“I hope by sharing our story, other owners may recognise pain earlier, feel less isolated in their journey, and understand the support needed for horses transitioning from racing to new careers.”
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You may also be interested in:
Kissing spines in horses: what all owners need to know
‘They’re trying to tell us – we need to listen’: rider of ‘naughty’ horse diagnosed with kissing spine wants to help others notice signs earlier
3 quick muscle-building exercises that make a valuable addition to your horse’s daily routine
Kissing spines: why treatment or surgery is just the start of the journey
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.