When I’m working with a horse, I often find some sort of tension or tightness in the thoracic sling. When I mention that terminology to the owners, I often get the response, “The thoracic ‘what’?” I figured it was worth a little discussion!
The Thoracic Sling Explained
Unlike humans, horses have no collar bone. The shoulders are attached to the body and supported by muscles, fascia and ligaments. All of the muscles in this region incorporate the Thoracic Sling. Muscles involved include the Serratus Ventralis, the Pectoral Muscle group, the Subclavian muscles and the Trapezius.
Those same muscles are also involved in the steering and balance portion of your horse. Think of the front end of your horse as the steering wheel, while the hind end is the engine. That’s where the drive comes from – if you mention this to your husbands, they’ll love your car analogies! Spoken from an experienced wife of a car-loving husband!
Wild Horses vs. Domestic Horse Life
It’s worth mentioning the difference between wild horses and domestic horses as well. Wild horses are constantly on the move, eating from the ground as well as from various branches; they’re very seldom standing still. In contrast, many domestic horses are stalled or limited in their movement, as well as their need to eat from varied positions. This puts a strain on their stay apparatus, which was not designed to support standing for such long periods of time. This is one possible reason for your horse to revert to being on its forehand, as well as for the strain and tension in the thoracic sling.
Keep in mind that horses were not designed to carry riders. The horse has to learn to carry a rider in the first place, learning how to balance itself and use their muscles properly all while balancing a rider – who hopefully is balanced themselves 😉
Riding discipline also plays a part in strain to the thoracic sling. Think of those disciplines where your horse will have to support itself on the forehand forcefully – barrel racing, cutting, coming down from jumps, trail riding on varied terrain, etc.
We can Help!
What can you do to help? Work with a trainer to be sure you’re engaging the correct muscles and helping your horse to balance themselves. Regular bodywork will help to ease any tension or nerve impingements that may be going on in this region. There are also numerous stretches that can be done to help the health of these muscles.
Check out my video below for some more visuals and details on this important group of muscles!