Muscles being discussed: Rhomboids
Location: The rhomboid muscles are located in a horse’s neck (along the crest) and continue under the withers. They originate from the top of the neck at the supraspinous ligaments and then attach under the scapula cartilage (top of shoulder) and trapezius muscles (withers).
Function: Helps to move the scapula upwards, forwards, and backwards. When the leg is weight bearing helps to lift the neck.
Symptoms of tension:
· Reluctance to bend/flex the neck
· Atrophy of withers
· Swelling, soreness, or heat at withers
· Reluctance to lift neck
· Difficulty with collection (hollow back, disconnected hindquarters, heavy on reins)
· Shortened/choppy strides (in front end)
· Problems picking up correct lead
· Reluctance to go up or down hills
· Head tossing when saddled
· Refusing jumps
Causes of tension:
· Poor fitting saddle (unnecessary pressure/pinching at the withers; sometimes white hairs will appear on the withers as a result)
· Injury to withers (ex – horse flipped over and landed on withers)
How massage can help: Massage is a great way to address tension in the Rhomboids. By addressing knots and breaking up adhesions in the muscle tissue, massage can help loosen up tense muscle fibers allowing your horse to have better flexion and movement. I’ll use multiple massage techniques such as jostling, compression, trigger point therapy, and cross fiber friction to address these issues.
Photo Credit: willierossin/stock.adobe.com