03/07/2026
What was supposed to be a winter of dialing in and building on our progression through the summer, turned out to be a winter of rest, tests X-rays and groundwork for Polaris. Right before Thanksgiving we were struggling with slight soundness issues that suddenly got worse. We tested for many injuries/issues/illnesses, and everything came back negative or inconclusive. Dr. Jen at Blauner, Buchholz and Associates, and I discussed next steps and decided to do X-rays of Polaris’ back, which showed she has significant kissing spine. As serious as this diagnosis is, we are so fortunate to have such extensive and knowledgeable resources available to Red Rox.
Since the diagnosis, Polaris and I have been working hard on building her back muscles and topline to support her back. We did injections, she gets weekly Magnawave treatments with ND Equine Wellness, and we started with groundwork to focus on body awareness and engagement and progressed to using equicoreconcepts to strengthen her back and topline muscles. I am so glad to be partnered with Forestier Sellier USA; the gullet on all of their saddles is wider than most to ensure the panels sit properly on the back muscles and clear the spine completely. With kissing spine, it is crucial that this happens with the saddle to avoid any discomfort.
All of the time, effort and knowledge from everyone has kept Polaris comfortable and helped her soundness significantly so that we are finally able to start back under saddle. Our goal was to move up a level when we competed next, but I’m just happy that with slow, careful rehab and maintenance we are sound again and have the potential to get back to where we were and move forward!
