VeeFit

I share the below post to hopefully make horse owners/riders aware of what our horses will put up with....so many horses are in pain from undiagnosed or misdiagnosed injuries and yet they still try for us. In this case Mr T did show it and luckily found an owner who put him out of his misery! SO please, when your horse is misbehaving, or won't go forward, or is super spooky, anxious, or just really lazy .... ask yourself WHY!!!??? BEFORE you go to the spurs, whip and "training aids" etc....and also remember a LOT of these injuries can't even be seen with a regular X-ray or ultrasound machine if done at a barn and not in a veterinary hospital!

“My horse is fine, I had X-rays done”

How often do we hear people defending their unhappy horse because they had X-rays done?

X-rays show bone, only bone and there can be so much more happening in a horses leg. There are limitations to any diagnostics done and X-rays are firmly limited to bone or any calcified/mineralised soft tissues present if dense enough. The X-ray beam must also be at 90 degrees of the issue to show clearly. You can also see the break down of the cartilage in the area, he was an 8 year old TB gelding. He was only grade 1 out of 5 lame but he lacked a good suspension phase in the stride and his movement was choppy.

The problem below was a tiny bone fragment that had been covered in cartilage and scar tissue to protect the joint. There was localised inflammation around the capsule of the joint as well as a break down of cartilage in the fetlock joint. It did not show in the X-rays aswell as a few other issues. The full findings are available on my patreon page.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/comparing-vet-106702710?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Excellent read!! 🤩

The Benefits of Osteopathic Articular Balancing for the Equine Athlete

By Paul McAlister

Discover how OAB improves equine balance, circulation, and musculoskeletal function, supporting injury recovery, performance, and long-term well-being.

What to read it? Head to the comments 👇

This!!!!!

Empathy 🐴

A while ago I somehow strained my neck and I was unable to turn my head without pain. I couldn’t sleep except in one specific position due to the pain and by the end of each day it would go into spasm just from having to carry my head around without support.

As I very carefully and tentatively worked through my physio exercises, I couldn’t help but think about horses and how much we as an industry oversimplify pain and discomfort.

I’m pretty sure if you had imaged my neck last week it would’ve looked fine, you could poke and prod at my neck and it wouldn’t hurt and, while it caused me pain to do so, I still had a normal range of motion. You couldn’t tell by looking at me that I was in pain, luckily I could vocally moan about it to anyone who asked.

I know I’ve written about pain a lot in the past, and I will link some of those posts in the comments, but I don’t think we can talk about it enough.

There is still the general consensus that we can “rule out pain” by doing lameness work-ups, some imaging or a bute trial. Aside from the fact diagnostics in the equine industry are still extremely limited, why do we never think about the fact pain can be present even if we can’t see a cause? A pulled muscle is not going to show up on an x-ray, but it can still really hurt and bute does not magically make any source of pain go away.

So many of the ways we are encouraged to train, ride and manage our horses are really hard on their bodies and likely to be causing soreness regularly. If we’re riding into a strong contact or our horse is bracing and pulling a lot, they’re going to be sore. If we're yanking our horses around on leadropes we're going to be causing soreness. Yet we’re taught to see everything as a disobedience or behavioural issue to stamp out. I think of all the times horses try to say no and communicate their discomfort and we call it “sass” or “attitude”.

I was so irritable when my neck was hurting, if someone had tried to make me move quickly or push through my exercises I would’ve bitten their head off.

I’m tired of watching stressed, uncomfortable horses being hassled into compliance and sold as success stories, when all that has happened is they’ve learnt no isn’t an answer. Being ridden around with a compressed neck is no good for any horse’s body and yet it is still the norm. Your after video is usually a horse being ridden over bent no longer “fighting” the contact. Or a horse tolerating being mounted with tense eyes and short reins. Compliance = success regardless of what the horse is expressing.

Next time you feel your horse is being annoying and they just won’t “do the thing”, consider for a second they might not physically be able to do so without causing themselves discomfort and whether the thing you want them to do is appropriate at all. Our horses will be much better off if we can just have a little empathy.

So many of our horses are living in compromised bodies. Understand that if they’re saying no they have good reason and repeatedly putting them into training situations to battle through with them is not ethical. 🐴

Pictured is beautiful Farley learning that being with people can be safe and even fun ❤️

Interesting read…. Its rarely an attitude problem with horses!!

Fascial Entrapment Neuropathy

Fascial entrapment neuropathy in horses occurs when peripheral nerves become irritated or compressed by restricted, thickened, or dehydrated fascia rather than by bone or obvious structural injury. Because fascia forms a continuous web around muscles, nerves, and vessels, restrictions in one area can affect nerve function locally or at a distance.

In horses, this can develops from repetitive movement patterns, poor saddle fit, trauma, compensation from lameness, prolonged tension, or age-related changes in tissue elasticity. The result is impaired nerve glide and reduced circulation to the nerve, leading to pain or altered sensation without clear findings on imaging.

Common signs may include:
• unexplained sensitivity to grooming or tacking
• intermittent or shifting lameness
• resistance to bending, collection, or transitions
• shortened stride or asymmetrical movement
• behavioral changes such as irritability or avoidance

These signs are frequently misattributed to training issues or attitude, particularly when diagnostics appear normal.

How bodywork and massage help

Skilled manual therapy can address fascial entrapment by restoring tissue glide, improving hydration, and reducing abnormal tension patterns around the nerve. Slow, precise techniques help decrease pressure within fascial layers, support circulation, and calm the nervous system. As the fascial environment becomes more supple and responsive, nerve irritation often diminishes, allowing more comfortable movement and improved coordination.

Big picture

Fascial entrapment neuropathy highlights the importance of viewing equine pain through a whole-body lens. When fascia regains elasticity and balance, nerves are no longer forced to function in a restricted environment—supporting soundness, comfort, and more willing movement.

https://koperequine.com/fascia-the-skeleton-of-the-nerves/

This!!!!! 100%!

💨 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺: 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲

From an Equine osteopathic perspective, the diaphragm is one of the most influential structures in the horse’s entire body, yet it’s still commonly thought of as “just” a breathing muscle.

𝘠𝘦𝘴, 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

But more accurately, the diaphragm is a pressure regulator, a mechanical integrator, and a meeting point between structure, organs and the nervous system.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝘀:

The diaphragm is a large, dome-shaped musculotendinous structure separating the thoracic (chest) cavity from the abdominal cavity.
It is not a flat sheet > it is a dynamic, three-dimensional structure designed to move, adapt and transmit force.

𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺 𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:

♦️The Sternum (Sternal Fibres): The ventral part of the diaphragm attaches to the xiphoid process (the rear part of the breastbone).
♦️The costae (ribs)often listed around ribs 9–18, depending on the source
♦️The lumbar spine (crural attachments)

At its centre lies the central tendon, a strong tendinous region that acts as a hub for pressure transmission and mechanical continuity.

From this centre, the diaphragm forms two domes, left and right, which attach caudally into the lumbar spine via the crura:

➡️The right dome and right crux are stronger and extend further caudally into the lumbar region
➡️The left dome and left crux are shorter and less robust

This asymmetry is normal, but it has important implications for spinal mechanics, visceral tension and movement patterns.
(These implications will be explored in later parts of this series.)

‼️𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀:

The diaphragm is structurally integrated into the ribs, sternum and lumbar spine, it cannot move well if those structures cannot move well.

𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦:

During the process of both inspiration and expiration, the diaphragm should move rhythmically:

Caudally and ventrally (backwards and downwards) on inspiration
Cranially (forwards towards the head) on expiration
When the diaphragm contracts, it flattens and moves caudally.
This caudal–ventral movement creates expansion in three dimensions:
Vertical: the dome descends
Transverse: the ribs widen and elevate
Sagittal: the sternum lifts

𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁:
Pressure within the chest cavity drops, drawing air into the lungs
The abdominal contents are gently compressed and then released
Pressure is redistributed rather than trapped

During expiration, the diaphragm returns cranially with a smaller amplitude, relying on rib mobility and abdominal compliance to regulate airflow and pressure efficiently.

Crucially, as the ribs move ventrally at the costovertebral joints, the spine is passively guided into extension, allowing the vertebral column to follow the respiratory motion while maintaining integrity of the spinal canal.

Straight away, we can see why rib mobility, sternum alignment and thoracolumbar freedom are so important for something as seemingly simple as breathing. Here we can think of why thoracic adjustments without rib n diaphragm & visceral assessment may not bring real long term alignment!

Why this matters beyond breathing
Because the diaphragm attaches to the ribs, sternum and lumbar spine, and blends into fascial continuities with the liver, stomach, spleen and kidneys, its movement affects far more than respiration.

When diaphragmatic motion is free and elastic:
✴️The ribs, spine and viscera move as a coordinated unit
✴️Blood and lymphatic flow are supported
✴️Pressure is managed efficiently throughout the body

In faster gaits such as canter and gallop, this becomes even more relevant.
At that point, breathing and locomotion are mechanically linked ↙️ the diaphragm becomes the primary driver of respiration, working in rhythm with spinal motion and abdominal mass.
If it cannot move well, the horse must compensate elsewhere.

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽:

When diaphragmatic movement is restricted; whether by rib stiffness, fascial tension, visceral load or neurological irritation, the effects are rarely local.

This is why diaphragm restriction may present as:
°Reduced performance or stamina
°Rib or thoracolumbar stiffness
°Apparent loss of core stability
°Hindquarter or “terrain-related” issues
°Horses that look barrel-shaped or bloated > then visibly change after treatment

Many owners are surprised when a horse looks physically slimmer or lighter post-treatment.

That isn’t weight loss, it’s pressure redistribution.

🧠 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟭 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗺 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁.

Over the coming parts, I’ll begin to unpack:
Its anatomical relationships in more depth
Why ribs and sternum matter so much
How pressure, posture and organs influence one another
And why diaphragm work is never just about breathing.

Some parts will be subscriber-only, where I’ll go deeper into clinical thinking, assessment priorities and real-world patterns I see repeatedly in practice.

📩 For professionals: this topic alone forms multiple days of CPD content coming in March.. There is far more to this than can ever fit into a social media post.

👉 Part 2 next weekend: the anatomy and pressure story behind the diaphragm.