Muscling your horse’s back is essential to his health and performance. This area contributes to his posture, balance and ability to support the rider’s weight. But to safely develop this area, it’s important to understand its anatomy.
The horse's back : muscle groups to know
The horse’s back is made up of several muscle groups.
The first is made up of superficial muscles, including the brachiocephalic trapezius and latissimus dorsi. These are responsible for the back’s major movements.
Next are the deep muscles, with the common mass composed of the longissimus and iliocostalis muscles.
They represent the bulk of the horse’s dorsal musculature and are linked to the pelvis, towards the back.
With the pelvis, towards the hindquarters and the lower cervicals towards the forequarters.
Finally, there are the juxta-vertebral muscles, which stabilize and support the spinal column, with the multifide thoracolumbar and multifide cervical muscles the multifide-cervical, which extends it into the cervical region.
All these muscles are supported by the nuchal and supraspinatus ligaments from the withers to the sacrum. They too play a central role in dorsal back function.
Note: muscles never work alone. They form chains or muscle responsible for coordinating movements.
In addition to understanding how these muscle groups function, it’s important to the dorsal and ventral chains, which work in complementary ways in the functioning of the horse’s back.
The dorsal chain enables the neck, back and hip joints to extend when they contract.
The ventral chain helps stabilize the trunk and maintain an adequate posture.
Together, they enable flexion of the neck, back and hip joints lower the neck and raise the back.
To train your horse’s back correctly and effectively, it’s vital to know its anatomy is crucial.
To find out more, we invite you to read Julia Prével’s book “Myology of the horse: muscle by muscle”. A fun and accessible book
to understand the anatomical functioning of your equine.
Exercises to strengthen your horse's back
Please note: as with all training, a good warm-up is essential to prepare your horse’s muscles for exertion.
For this, you can opt for a 10-15 minute walk in hand. Warming up helps to increase body temperature and improve circulation. Indispensable for avoiding possible injuries!
Elevated workouts
Working on uneven ground is an excellent way to strengthen your horse’s back. To do this, you can ask him to back up in hand on an uphill slope.
Gait transitions
Pace transitions involve the horse’s back. A good exercise to strengthen under the saddle.
Neck extension
Working with neck extension is also recommended, while maintaining impulsion and engagement of the hind legs.
Floor bars
Slightly raised ground bars will ask your horse to lower his head down to look where he’s placing his hooves. He will then naturally adopt a attitude than usual, which is good for the back muscles.
Stretching and resting
Stretching and recuperation are also essential for the proper development your horse’s muscular development. Give your horse sufficient time to rest between intensive training sessions, and make sure you provide him with a balanced diet and a comfortable environment to promote muscle muscular recovery.
See also: Horse nutrition: understanding the gastrointestinal system
Muscling your horse's back: what to avoid
Avoid working your horse with his head up. This posture will hollow out his back, creating pressure points and conflicting processes.
Finally, don’t be impatient. These exercises should be learned according to your horse’s level.
By following this advice and implementing these exercises progressively and you can help your horse develop a strong, muscular and healthy back, muscular and healthy back, which will help to improve his performance and well-being.