Taping for Horses that Have a Sore Back: A Comprehensive Guide
If you’ve owned a horse, you’ve likely dealt with your horse having back pain. Some studies show that back pain affects up to 90% of horses.
It’s the number one symptom I see in my practice and the primary reason people message me asking for help with their horse.
“Back pain” is a very broad term and has several causes. For the sake of this blog, “back pain” will include any pain along the horse’s spine from the withers to the tail.
Before we go any further, if you’re looking for ways to get started with taping and want to learn how to tape your horse as a horse owner or equine professional, check out my equine taping certification here.
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Equine Back Taping Guide
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Taping as a Therapeutic Intervention for Back Pain: A General Overview
Kinesiology tape is one of the most forgiving and effective treatments for back pain. Tape works by communication with the nervous system through the skin. The tape sticks to the hair, lifting the hair and the skin, decompressing the pain receptors under the skin.
If you have ever smashed your finger and rubbed it, you’ve done the same thing.
By communicating with the nervous system and the brain, the tape is able to improve pain and change movement patterns to create long term change.
Benefits of Taping for a Horses Back Pain Compared to Other Treatments
Tape is a great treatment option for treating a horse’s back pain because
It works! It breaks the pain cycle, sometimes immediately
It can be used while in work, rehab, and recovery
The owner can learn to do it themselves and replace as needed
It can decrease delayed muscle soreness when used during work
It helps to retrain the brain, creating new and correct movement patterns
It can decrease compensation patterns
Its non-invasive
Understanding Equine Back Pain
Why is back pain so common? Back pain is often caused by us poorly managing the horse. Between muscle imbalances, poor movement, injuries, and ill fitting tack, and any combination of these, horses are
Common Causes of Equine Back Pain (ill-fitting saddles, overwork, injury, arthritis)
Common causes of back pain in horses are intertwined:
Muscle imbalances, starting as early as birth
Incorrect movement mechanics during work
Poor self carriage
Overwork
Poor fitting saddle
Imbalanced riding
Injury
Arthritis
Kissing Spine
Imbalanced Pelvis
SI Joint Pain
Muscle imbalances can be seen as early as birth. Foals are often twisted and compressed at the end of their time in the womb as they run out of space. Their birth and journey through the birth canal can add to the imbalanced forces on their little bodies. If they never get a chance to unwind, it sets them up for a lifetime of being twisted, especially at the sacrum and the withers (Cue high/low syndrome, but I digress) Their spine will always take the wear and tear of being twisted.
Incorrect movement patterns can sometimes be traced back to muscle imbalances as well as poor training, asking a horse to perform maneuvers they’re not strong enough for, and training gadgets that force a horse into a frame they’re not strong enough to hold on their own. Correct strengthening and progress through training sets a horse up for long term success.
Poor self carriage comes from a weak core due to never being taught how to use their body correctly for specific maneuvers, being taught incorrectly, or rushing their learning so that they never grasp it. Teaching self carriage is best taught without gadgets and by allowing the horse to, well, self- carry. Forced frames lead to long term failure and poor muscle development.
Overwork leads to fatigue and extreme fatigue leads to failure. If someone asked me to do 10 pull-ups I simply could not do them. No matter what punishments you threatened me with, or how many cookies you bribed me with: I cannot do 10 pull-ups. It is important to consider the horse’s strength and ability when we ask them to perform specific skills because it will ultimately lead to failure.
A poor-fitting saddle is an achilles heel to an otherwise healthy moving horse. Your horse needs to be able to move comfortably in all gaits in their saddle. Points of pressure cause them to change how they move their entire body.
How particular are you about finding a shoe that fits just right? The correct arch for your foot shape, doesn’t rub the back of your heel, the correct width in the toe box, and correct height that doesn’t press down on the top of your foot. Saddle fit is comparable. There are way more features to consider than just a gullet width or bar angle.
If the shoe causes one small blister you start to limp and compromise all other walking mechanics. Again, saddle fit that hurts a horse’s back will be similar to the poor fitting shoe.
Taking the time to ensure a correct fit will protect all of your other efforts to address back pain.
Imbalanced riding has a similar effect as a poor fitting saddle. Sometimes horses will also try to compensate for an imbalanced rider. Imagine giving someone a piggy-back ride while they hang all of their body weight to the right. You would have to adjust your movements to compensate for them to find the center of gravity for you as a unit.
Back pain can be caused by acute injury as well, such as a fall or an accident. Horses live most of their life outside of our direct supervision, so its important to consider that you might have no idea what happened to cause an injury and that’s ok.
Arthritis in the back often presents as stiffness that improves with slow movement. A horse may be reluctant to move, and especially work.
Kissing Spine is something that can be diagnosed by radiograph. Its important to consider that a radiograph is not always consistent with the pain level a horse presents with. A radiograph may show severe impingement of the dorsal processes and yet a horse presents clinically with minimal symptoms and pain. A radiograph may also show minimal impingement but the horse presents with severe symptoms and pain. We ultimately listen to the horse.
An imbalanced pelvis creates torsion in the whole body. A pelvis is often imbalanced on a diagonal axis creating a twist in the spine. Left imbalanced, the muscles will tighten on one side, and loosen on the other side. A chiropractor and a therapist can team up to correct the imbalance using adjustments, myofascial release, and rehab exercises.
Sacroiliac (SI) joint pain is, well, a booger. The SI joints are incredibly deep and difficult to assess and treat. While also being incredibly painful.
Gluteus medius. There’s no way to properly address back pain without recognizing the gluteus medius.
This muscle is almost “threaded” into the longissimus dorsi. The longissimus dorsi is the long muscle beside the spine that you are touching by running your hand along a horse’s back.
The longissimus dorsi courses from the neck to the lower back where the fibers run directly into the gluteus medius fibers. In a dissection it is almost impossible to split the two muscles. The gluteus medius also is the bulk of the tissue above the SI joints.
Treating back pain often includes addressing the glutes as well.
Signs and symptoms to watch for
There are specific signs and symptoms to watch out for in your horse when it comes to considering back pain.
Here are some specific signs & symptoms:
Moving away from touch or palpation along their back
Throwing their head up during movement
Poor muscling in the topline (weak “deflated” muscles and incorrectly overdeveloped)
Poor self carriage (high head, swayed back)
Pain signs in the face
Poor performance
Reluctant to work
Pain with tacking, or resistance to tacking
Difficulty with leads and tight turns
Importance of veterinary diagnosis before treatment
Taking your horse to a performance vet to have their back pain evaluated can give you better insights as to the primary source of their pain, but a specific diagnosis for general back pain isn’t necessary to apply tape to your horse. Tape is very forgiving, non-invasive, and low risk. The benefits of taping your horse for pain far outweighs any risk posed by the tape.
Basics of Therapeutic Taping for Horses
Some basic principles of therapeutic taping for horses:
Apply to a clean, dry horse with no product on the hair
No stretch on the ends of the application for anchor points
Less stretch on the tape is better for pain relief (0-15%)
Symmetry is ideal
Rub the tape after application to create heat and activate the adhesive
Never stretch the tape beyond 50% stretch
History and development of equine taping techniques
Because back pain is so common, it is consistent that back applications are also some of the most used taping applications. Applying tape to a horse’s back is simple and a great way for new tapers to introduce taping into their routine. Many applications have been crossed over from principles of taping humans, and many applications have been developed through clinical practice, case studies, and tracking improvements in horses.
How taping works (support, circulation, proprioception)
Tape applications can be applied differently according to what your goal is. Applications for pain relief, circulation, and muscle recovery are generally applied with less stretch.
Applications for muscle support, joint stability, and proprioception generally use more stretch.
A basic knowledge of anatomy will improve the effectiveness of your applications by understanding what you are applying the tape to under the skin.
Different types of therapeutic tape available for equine use
One of the most common questions I am asked is “What tape is best for horses?”.
Rocktape and Hestaband are the brands I prefer. Rocktape has a superior adhesive and a durable, thick fabric weave that holds up in the elements. Hestaband offers both satin and cotton options. The satin tape from Hestaband has a great feel due to its tight fabric weave and strong recoil. (Think Spanx)
Other budget-friendly options on Amazon that I have tried that stick well for the price and are great for learning and cheap enough to make frequent accidents with: Stark Tape, Hampton, SBSox, and Gsbomzap
Pre-Taping Considerations
When taping is appropriate vs. when to seek other interventions
Taping is most appropriate for mild back pain, muscle soreness, and muscle recovery. More severe pathologies such as moderate to severe lameness, falls, and injuries, may benefit from a vet evaluation and a more rigorous treatment plan.
Preparation of the horse's back (cleaning, clipping if necessary)
To prepare the horse for their application, it is best to simply brush off all the dirt and wipe them well with a microfiber towel. Make sure the horse is free of any coat conditioner or products.
It is best not to add anything to the coat such as rubbing alcohol or witch hazel because some adhesives are designed to repel certain products (such as Hestand repels rubbing alcohol)
Clipping is not necessary and usually makes the tape stick worse. (The only exception is shaving the fetlock, but that’s a blog for another day, today is taping the back)
Ensuring proper tape adhesion
A dry, clean horse with no added product will ensure the best tape adhesion. Correct anchors on your tape will help the application stay longer. An anchor is the 2-4 inches at both ends of the application with no stretch.
Step-by-Step Taping Techniques
Basic support patterns for general back soreness
Specialized patterns for specific conditions (kissing spine, sacroiliac issues)
Proper tension and application techniques
Case Studies and Applications
Examples of successful taping for different back issues
Before and after comparisons
Testimonials from equine professionals
Complementary Therapies
Combining taping with other treatments (massage, chiropractic, rest)
Tape maximizes other treatments and works best as one component to a full wellness or rehab plan.
Regular chiropractic adjustments and massages are great proactive plans to keep the body balanced. Strategically taping the horse after these sessions can reinforce the treatment they received.
Taping for muscle recovery can maximize time in rest.
Completing rehab exercises with tape will improve a horse’s proprioception to help them locate and use muscles correctly.
Here are 7 research articles that show tape decreases muscle fatigue
“The number of heel raises in the taped group significantly increased by 18.76 % Y-shaped application of KT with 50% tension over the calf muscle region is effective in reducing its fatigability.” Side note - how many of you have lost a competition by less than 18%? That’s a 3 second difference on a 17 second pattern. I’m not saying it’ll take 3 seconds off your pattern, I’m just saying that’s actually a HUGE improvement.
“Conclusions: KT appears to improve the time to failure of the extensor muscle of the trunk obtained using the Biering-Sorensen test. These findings suggest that KT influences processes that lead to muscle fatigue and that KT could be effective in the management of lower back pain.”
“Thirty-seven randomised controlled trials were included. KT was superior to controls for improving lower limb muscle strength in individuals with muscle fatigue effect” Effects of Kinesio tape on lower limb muscle strength, hop test, and vertical jump performances: a meta-analysis, May 2019
Conclusions: Following ankle muscle fatigue-inducing exercise, which reduced static and dynamic balance abilities, ankle balance taping (ABT) improved static and dynamic balance with eyes open and closed. Therefore, we suggest that ABT helps recover immediately decreased balance resulting from muscle fatigue after daily physical activities and sports activities, thereby preventing ankle injuries
“The number of movement repetitions significantly differed between the groups in the fatigue protocol. Overall, it was concluded that Kinesio taping was an effective factor in reducing fatigue and contributed to endurance by delaying the onset of fatigue.”
The impacts of Kinesio taping on muscular fatigue and proprioception following fatigue among adolescent basketball players, 2023
“Results: After kinesiology tape application, the peak moment of the quadriceps muscle was significantly increased in both groups.“ Immediate effect of patellar kinesiology tape application on quadriceps peak moment following muscle fatigue:
“Conclusion: KT, with or without tension, has a tendency to reduce back muscle fatigue and reduce pain in individuals with chronic non-specific low back pain. The influence of Kinesio taping on muscle fatigue in individuals with low back pain.
Exercise rehabilitation protocols to use alongside taping
A rehabilitation protocol should be personalized for each horse by a rehab therapist to address specific needs and consider the horse’s current strength and abilities.
A rehabilitation program should focus on awareness of a muscle as well as both lengthening and strengthening of muscles. Muscles that are only strengthened and never lengthened are not truly strong. They are overworked and fatigued.
You can check out my blog on exercises for horses with sore backs here.
A general protocol could look something like this example.
Month 1: Core Awareness and Isometric Activation
Balance pads (Sure Foot is worth the investment)
Gentle tail pull
Lowering the head
Butt tucks
Tummy lift
Month 2: Posture Awareness with Movement
Continue Month 1 with added exercises
Hand walking with low head and lifted core
Backward shift to barrel lift
Backing
Month 3: Active Strengthening
Continue Month 2 with added exercises
Walking over poles
Walking hills
Backing up hills
Month 4: Under Saddle
Correct head placement under saddle at a walk
Walking over poles
Backing in a straight line
Smooth up and down transitions between gaits
Long-term management strategies
Have your saddle fit regularly assessed. The jeans that fit you 2 years ago might not fit anymore and our horse and their saddles are the same
Maintain regular appointments with your care team and body workers
Educate yourself on modalities that support your horse such as cupping and taping
Regularly focus on core strengthening exercises to maintain length and strength of postural muscles
Potential Concerns and Contraindications for tape
When not to use taping
Tape should not be used on any open wounds or horses with kidney or heart conditions.
Signs that the tape should be removed
Because the tape communicates with the nervous system, some horses can become overwhelmed by the tape. A horse that is overwhelmed will act frustrated, irritated, or panicked if they are not processing the tape well. They may paw, try to move away from you or what they are tied to, or roll if they are loose. If this happens, remove the tape and the horse should return to their normal temperament.
Addressing skin irritation and other potential issues
Skin irritation is rare, but can happen. If the horses seems to be itchy, or trying to scrape the rape off with their teeth, feet, or on buildings, remove the tape so it doesn’t continue to irritate the skin.
Case Studies
“This mare is typically an easy going 2’6 packer that is brave and loves her job. She recently began stopping at fences, being resistant to move forward and off the leg, and was having “spooky” behavior. She even became reluctant to do groundpole work. During her bodywork session I found inflammation around the lumbar area with limited range of motion. She also palpated very reactive in the SI area. Her bicep Femoris muscles were underdeveloped, with her gluteal muscles being over developed and rigid. She received a full body work session, including massage therapy, facia, blading, cold blazer therapy before applying this kinesiology tape application. After her treatment, she had a few days off and was mindfully brought back into flat work and over fences. We had great improvement in her willingness to move off the leg, jump, and what’s more comfortable overall. She is now currently on a maintenance schedule to keep her comfortable.” —Kelsey Griffing
2. “One in particular that I have massaged for 6 years and been taping for almost 4…
He always had crazy lumbar tension that would be compensated along his topline, hamstrings and inflamed his hocks.
I had been encouraging the owner to address the hooves for all 6 years-but it was this last year that his environment finally supported healthier hoof angles and he is now comfortable with just the slightest reactivity at the lumbar which I’m pretty convinced is his medial glute firing now that it can with his better hoof angles for biomechanical movement.” —April Schaeffer
3. “From Undermuscled to Unstoppable: A Mare’s Athletic Triumph with Kinesiology Tape
In December 2024, I began working with an incredible mare who was under-muscled for her demanding role as a competitive show jumper. She had the heart and potential, but her body needed to catch up. To build the muscle and stamina required for high-level competition, she embarked on a rigorous training and competition schedule. My job? To ensure she recovered as quickly and effectively as possible, both between events and during intense competition weekends.
While I employ a range of techniques—manual therapy, fascia blading, and joint mobilization—one modality has stood out as a game-changer: kinesiology tape, particularly applied to her back. This simple yet powerful tool supports her muscles, improves circulation, and reduces soreness, allowing her to bounce back faster and perform at her peak. The tape’s gentle lift on her skin promotes blood flow and aids in muscle recovery, keeping her back supple and strong despite the physical demands of jumping.
The results speak for themselves. In just six months, this mare has skyrocketed from dominating 1.20-meter classes to crushing the competition in 1.45-meter events, earning substantial prize money along the way. Her grooms, owner, and rider provide exceptional care, and I’m honored to have their trust to do what I know works best for her. While I can’t take all the credit for her success, kinesiology taping has undeniably been a key ingredient in her transformation. It’s helped unlock her potential, turning an under-muscled mare into an unstoppable force in the show ring.
Here’s to her continued rise—and the power of a little tape on her back!” —Layla Harris
Conclusion
Tape is a safe and effective way to treat back pain, improve recovery, and maximize rehab efforts. It is most effective when used as part of a long term plan. It will not mask pain or make up for poor mechanics, ill fitting tack, or compensation patterns.
Tape is most effective when applied correctly with the knowledge of anatomy and biomechanics guiding the application. Find qualified professionals in your area to determine to source of the pain and create a plan for your horse.
A list of professionals you may benefit from:
Veterinarian - evaluate and treat back pain of all variations
Chiropractor - evaluate and treat imbalances in the spine
Hoof Care Provider - create a balanced foot for the horse to live on
Rehab Therapist - to address soft tissue imbalances and apply the tape
A saddle fitter - check
Learn How to Tape Your Horse (Professionals and Horse Owners)
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Equine Back Taping Guide
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