telling if your horse has a sore back

So I think im just being paronoid b/c almost a yr ago my horse had a sore back from my saddle (it was fixed) but whats a good way to tell if your horse has a sore back? I no some signs are more obvious then others and im sure I could tell if he has a bad back but I just want to make sure. Thanks in advance!

Take your fingers and use some pressure to run them along the horses spine. If they are sore they will react. Do it lightly first, then with more pressure. If you get to the point you have a lot of pressure and they aren't reacting you should be fine.

Some horses that spent a lot of time with hurt backs due to saddle issues will come to expect that the saddle means they are going to hurt and will react even if they aren't sore.

I have tried the spine thing and the only thing that happens is sometimes he will take a step forward or back (he usually he does that when he's in crossties) and his ears stay pricked forward the whole time and he doesnt swish his tail or anything so I would think he is good to go. thanks for the suggestion but anyone with an idea please post! Thanks!

Do you feel any heat? Only in certain spots? Closer to the withers? Farther back? Whole back? If no, then I would ride him and see what happens. If he acts up, have the vet out. Maybe buy some liniment to put on his back to help.

Not just the spine - well, I never run my fingers along the spine, but I focus more-so on the muscles around the spine. Just messaging will show signs and putting pressure on the area's where your saddle sits.

Curry him along his back [not the spine itself] really good. He will flinch and try to drop his back to get away from the pressure if it hurts.

What she said. I should have been more specific and added the muscles. There are some good TTouch exercises you can use. But the best way to tell is if he is moving away from pressure there's probably an issue.

A change in behavior can be a good indicator that something is wrong - with a sore back it may mean reluctance or mis-behaving under saddle.
If you lunge or use a round pen than free movement on one rein but not on the other could also point to something wrong.

Well I have been riding him and grooming him along the back and all that stuff and there doesnt seem to be anything wrong. Me and my sister watched for signs of distress and like I said the only thing he does is walk back and forth every now and then but his ears stay forward he doesnt swish his tail and he looks pretty happy so I would think he is alright. The other thing I wanted to ask is since I just got a western saddle and they are pretty heavy compared to english, is there like a certain kind of pad you can put on ur horse that has extra padding and helps with the weight? I mean he is a horse so I no he can carry it lol! But I would still like to maybe get a pad that is more comfy to the back

Hey I was also wondering if you guys new any back massages for the horse that will help ease pain and tension and just feel plain good to them. If you no any please say so b/c I would like to start doing them to my horse before and after a ride