Equine Massage: A Practical Guide (37 page)

Signs and Symptoms:
When the muscle is tight, the horse shows discomfort by extending the neck or by pulling the head and neck to the affected side.The horse also resists movements to the opposite side. At rest, the animal will have a tendency to keep the head low, continuously stretching it to relieve the muscular tension. In motion, he will clearly show neck and head discomfort.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 2 the horse will respond with some skin twitching along the neck and by dropping
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his head. If the stress point is very tender the horse will flinch, perhaps trying to pull away from the pressure.This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress Point 2 is felt as a rigid knot with flinching in the neck.

It is located on the insertion tendon of the splenius muscle at the base of the skull.The whole muscle will feel tight along its course.

This point may feel very tender to the horse.

#3 Stress Point—The Brachiocephalic

Muscle

Myology:
The brachiocephalic muscle (located in the superficial layer) runs on each side of the neck, attaching on the base of the skull and first cervical vertebra and running downwards to anchor on the upper end of the humerus (point of shoulder).When both sides contract simultaneously during motion they bring the point of the shoulder up toward the head.When one side of the brachiocephalic muscle contracts, the horse will move his neck to that side.

Signs and Symptoms:
When the muscles are tight, the horse shows discomfort by stretching his neck upwards or to the opposite side during rest periods. During motion, the horse is fine on straight lines, but on circles he will be off. Eventually he will be off on all movements.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 3, the horse will respond with skin twitching along the neck and by stretching his head to the opposite side. If the stress point is very tender the horse will flinch, perhaps trying to pull away from the pressure.

This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress Point 3 will be felt as a rigid knot three quarters of the way down from the poll, with flinching at the point of shoulder.

It feels very tender to the horse.The whole muscle will feel tight along its course.

#4 Stress Point—The Sternothyrohyoid and Omohyoid Muscles

Myology:
The sternothyrohyoid and omohyoid muscles (located in the deep layer) run on each side of the neck.They attach from the first cervical vertebra and run down and attach to the middle of the anterior edge of the scapula (shoulder blade). These muscles contribute to lateral neck flexion and to rotation of the head.

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Signs and Symptoms:
When one muscle is tight, the horse shows discomfort, stretching his neck to the opposite side. In action, the horse resists movement to the direction opposite to the muscle with the stress point.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 4, the horse will respond with some skin twitching along the neck and by stretching his head to the opposite side. If the stress point is very tender the horse will flinch, perhaps trying to pull away from the pressure.This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress Point 4 will be felt as a rigid knot in front of the anterior (closer to the neck) edge of the shoulder blade. The active stress point will be very tender to the horse. The whole muscle will feel tight along its course.

Other Tension Areas in the Neck

The
ligamentum nuchae:
Runs from the poll all the way to the withers and provides a strong attachment support for all neck muscles. Muscle squeezing applied along its length will do wonders to relax this strong ligament.

The
serratus cervicis:
Found on both sides of the neck, this muscle attaches on the upper edge of the scapula and runs forward to attach on the cervical spine. Its contraction causes the scapula to move forward during retraction of the foreleg.

The
scalene muscles:
Found on both sides of the neck, these muscles attach along the cervical vertebrae and run upward to attach to the base of the skull. The contraction of one scalene muscle will cause the head to rotate to the corresponding side.

The
intervertebral muscles:
These small muscles run on each side of the vertebral column and attach on every second vertebra.

Their contraction causes the neck to rotate on itself (torque) as well as assists lateral flexion of the neck. Stretching of the neck muscles (see chapter 8) will help bring these deep muscles into relaxation.

The Shoulders

Powerful, flexible, pain-free shoulders are essential for peak athletic performance. A horse uses his shoulders to stretch the legs forward while extending the front legs and to fold the legs up tight in front of the body when jumping.A horse with prominent withers usually shows freer shoulder rotation.

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205

10.6 Shoulder and Foreleg Section (Deep and Superficial Muscle

Layers) with Associated Stress Point Location

(A) Deep Muscle Layer

[8]

SP 14 lower end of triceps

[1] SP 5 spinalis dorsi muscle

muscle

[2] SP 9 supraspinatus muscle

[9]

SP 15 cranial superficial pec-

[3] SP 10 infraspinatus muscle

toral muscle

[4] SP 11 thoracic part of the

[10] SP 16 caudal superficial pec-

serrate muscle

toral muscle

(B) Superficial Muscle Layer

[11] SP 17 caudal deep pectoral

[5] SP 6,7,8 trapezius and

muscle

rhomboid muscles

[12] SP 18 radial carpal extensor

[6] SP 12 latissimus dorsi muscle

of foreleg

[7] SP 13 upper end of triceps

[13] SP 19 lateral carpal flexor of

muscle

foreleg

The shoulder joint is formed by the scapula and humerus.

Visually noticeable points are: the upper edge of the scapula (by the withers), the scapular spine, the point of shoulder (head of humerus), and the point of elbow (head of the ulna).

The Scapula

The scapula has no direct joint linkage with the horse’s trunk.The scapula is attached by a muscular sling that supports the thorax and reduces concussion from the front legs. The slope of the scapula and the angle formed by its junction with the humerus provides shock absorption and has much to do with the smoothness of gait of a riding horse.

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The scapula is moved backward by the serratus thoracis muscle (SP 11) and forward by the serratus cervicis muscle. The upper scapula is linked to the withers by the rhomboid muscle, the trapezius muscle (SP 6 to 8), and the deltoid muscle.

The scapular spine bisects the length of the scapula, separating the supraspinatus muscle (SP 9) and the infraspinatus muscle (SP

10).These two last muscles secure the shoulder joint.

The Humerus

The humerus moves forward when pulled by the brachiocephalic muscle (SP 3) and the biceps muscle, and moves backward when pulled by the triceps muscle (SP 13, 14). The pectoral group of muscles (SP 15 to 17) assists both actions as well as providing adduction motion.

Good flexibility and muscle power at the shoulder joint will ensure a high level of performance from the forelegs during jumping and galloping. Long, sloping shoulders are valued because the shoulder joint can go higher and the humerus can become almost vertical—the best combination for a longer stride.

The longer the humerus, the longer the stride.

After each training session, follow with complete stretching exercises for the foreleg. Watch for discomfort, resistance, or restriction in the range of motion of that limb.Take notes! Follow with a gentle massage emphasizing drainage. Check thoroughly all related stress points.

#5 Stress Point—The Spinalis Dorsi

Muscle

Myology:
The spinalis dorsi muscle (located in the deep layer) attaches to the spinous processes of the first few thoracic vertebrae (withers) and upper rib attachment; it runs backwards and down the sides of the horse to fix on the lower ribs. Its contraction contributes to the spinal extension and to lateral flexion of the horse’s body.

Signs and Symptoms:
When this muscle is tight, the horse shows pronounced soreness over the withers. The horse reacts to the tightening of the girth. During movement, the animal resists the downward movement of his head and lateral movement to the side opposite the tightness.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 5, the horse will respond with some skin twitching along the back muscles and the upper shoulder. He might drop his head. If the stress point is very
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tender the horse will flinch, and perhaps try to pull away from the pressure. This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress point 5 is felt as a deep rigid knot. It is located on the insertion tendon of the spinalis dorsi muscle, along the crest of the withers at the level of the ninth thoracic vertebra. It feels very tender to the horse.The whole muscle will feel tight along its course.

#6, 7, and 8 Stress Points—The

Trapezius and Rhomboid Muscles

Myology:
The trapezius (located in the superficial layer) and rhomboid muscles (located in the deep layer) attach on the lower cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae (wither area) as well as the nuchal ligament.The rhomboid runs down to attach on the upper part of the scapula.The trapezius muscle runs downward to attach along the scapular spine. Both muscles draw the scapula upwards and either forwards or backwards, depending on the action in play.

The cervical part of the trapezius pulls the scapula forward and the thoracic part of the trapezius pulls the scapula backward.

Signs and Symptoms:
When the muscles are tight, the horse reacts to the tightening of the girth. When in action, the animal loses flexibility in his shoulder movement, which results in reduced motion, poor coordination, and loss of power from the foreleg. All this will trigger other compensating stress points among other muscle groups, both in the shoulder and in the hindquarters.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 6, 7 and 8, the horse will respond with some skin twitching along the shoulder and eventually along the back or neck; he might drop his head. If the stress point is very tender, the horse will flinch, perhaps trying to pull away from the pressure. This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress points 6, 7 and 8 will be felt as tight lines running from withers to scapula, which will feel very tender to the horse. Both muscles will feel tight all along their course.

#9 Stress Point—The Supraspinatus

Muscle

Myology:
The supraspinatus muscle (located in the deep layer) anchors on the anterior (or cranial) part of the scapula and attaches on the anterior aspect of the head of the humerus. The supraspinatus and infraspinatus muscles play a very important role
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in prevention of lateral dislocation of the shoulder joint. Any lateral work (for example, side pass) will put stress on these two muscles. When contracting, the supraspinatus muscle extends the shoulder joint as well as prevents lateral dislocation.

Signs and Symptoms:
When this muscle is tight, the horse will hold the leg bent at the knee (flexed) due to the referred pain (the occurrence of pain in an area of the body compensating for an injury or soreness in a corresponding portion of the body) into the shoulder joint.

The referred pain affects the shoulder joint because the supraspinatus lower tendon attaches in the fascia that surrounds the shoulder joint. So when this muscle aches the soreness spreads right over the joint capsule fascia. During movement, this tightness causes lameness in the shoulder, resulting in abnormal stride of the foreleg in all planes, therefore affecting the horse’s gait.

Treatment:
When you apply pressure to SP 9, the horse will respond with skin twitching along the shoulder and he might drop the leg on the same side. If the stress point is very tender, the horse will flinch and perhaps stamp his feet on the same side or try to pull away from the pressure.This is a sign of excessive tightness and stress; if you feel heat, suspect inflammation.

Stress point 9 will be felt as a large, tight knot in the upper end of the muscle. It will feel very tender to the horse. The whole muscle will feel tight along its course.

#10 Stress Point—The Infraspinatus