Stress and the thoracic sling
Stress is bad for so many things, including locomotive problems. A stressed horse will be more likely to overextend the base of his neck, causing many issues.
A horse who’s always alert, will tend to overextend the base of the neck.
The subject of the thoracic sling and its importance in healthy biomechanics has been talked a lot recently, and rightly so. More and more owners are starting to realise that this is an important area that needs a lot of attention, especially in the first stages of training.
When dealing with thoracic sling issues, we focus on the muscles and fascia, but we often forget that the horse's mental wellbeing plays a part here too. Most problems that occur with the thoracic sling, occur due to the base of the neck (the junction between the neck vertebrae and the thoracic vertebrae) being pushed down and overextended. When this is the case, the front legs are overburdened and the spine is not in a neutral position. But what causes overextension of this area?
When the horse's head is up, the spine is pushed into extension. This goes for the base of the neck as well. When the head lifts, the declivity between the last neck vertebrae and the first thoracic vertebrae is pushed further downwards. This is not a bad thing by itself, as it is a normal part of equine locomotion and function. It does, however, become a problem, when the horse spends most of his time with the head up. I'm not just talking about horses who are ridden with a high head carriage. That's just one hour of the day. I'm talking about horses that are constantly alert, constantly monitoring their surroundings with their heads up. Im talking about horses who are under chronic stress.
Standing around with the head lifted overextends the base of the neck and stresses some of the muscles of that area. Tense muscles around the thoracic sling and the base of the neck can cause many issues, because this is a very complex area from an anatomical standpoint. The brachial plexus – a complex bundle of nervous tissue, originates from the last few neck vertebrae and is highly susceptible to compression from the overly-tight muscles. Compression of nervous tissue causes pain, locomotive defects and potentially neurological symptoms. It is definitely something we want to avoid.
So, if you are on a mission to teach your horse how to correctly use his thoracic sling, make sure to take into account his mental state too. If your horse is a worrier and feels like he needs to be alert at all times, take some time to try to help him relax. Some horses need a change in environment, a change in horse buddies around him, or a change in sleeping conditions. Others just need to be taught how to relax. Meditation can help with there. Take the time to show your horse he is safe. It will make everything easier.