Let’s talk topline!
The holy grail of horsemanship and what it actuelly mean to you!
The equine topline is a subject of conversation that should be familiar to many people. It is a word that is often thrown around the yard and is used extensively when evaluating horses. It is an exquisite example of nature as a master painter, decorating the already majestic horse with a silhouette that is at once both soft and powerful.
But what is the topline, really, besides a vague adjective used to define whether horses are healthy and working correctly? What significance does the topline actually play, and what are the easiest ways to go about improving it?
These muscle groups include:
The Trapezius Muscles
The Longissimus Dorsi Muscles
The Medial and Superficial Gluteal Muscles
The Latissimus Muscles
I know it sounds like I am talking Latin, which really, I am, so allow me to elaborate a little on these muscles.
The Trapezius muscle is a triangular shaped muscle with two portions that run from the neck to the spine of the scapula, and the spine of the scapula to about the mid-spine respectively. This muscle is flat and thin, but it is easy to see when it is not being correctly exercised.
The Latissimus muscle, on the other hand, joins to the bottom section of the humerus and then extends into the connective tissue, or fascia, and supraspinous ligament in the back. This muscle is also thin, like the trapezius, but is broad and helps draw the body forward during the stance (or weightbearing) phase of the stride.
The Longissimus dorsi muscle has several portions, some of which extend into the neck but most of which lie on either side of the spinous processes where they are easily visible and palpable. This muscle is heavy and thick and should be well-developed in a working horse.
Finally, the gluteal muscles (or main hindquarter muscles), supply drive and help power the horse’s engine if you will. They attach to portions of the pelvis and hindlimbs and work mainly to extend the hip.
After familiarizing oneself with the various muscles that make-up the topline, and having a basic understanding of their positions and functions, it is easy to see why a well-muscled topline is considered one of the main tells as to whether or not a horse is working correctly. That being said though, what appearance would the topline need to be considered well-muscled? Actually, an objective scoring system does exist which might help a person to measure their horse’s topline more accurately. This system is known as the Topline Evaluation Score (TES). It consists of a hands-on assessment of the three main areas of the topline. First, place your palm on the side of your horse’s whithers. If it collapses inwards, there is some muscle atrophy present. In the same breath, if your hand flexes outwards, there is good muscle in the area. Once this is done, place your fingertips on your horse’s spine with your palm facing down. Again, a hand flexing outward indicates good back muscling. Lastly, place your palm downwards in the lower lumbar, or loin area, and again in the croup area of your horse and determine whether your hand collapses inward, remains flat (adequate muscling) or juts outward. If all of the above areas are adequate to good, the topline scores an A. If two out of three areas are adequate, a score of B is allotted. This continues until D, where no part of the topline causes the hand to flex outwards.
Scoring a C or a D using the above system will mean that your horse possibly needs to attend topline bootcamp. In order to understand why this is the case, it might be prudent to imagine the horse’s spine as a suspension bridge. The spine itself being the framework of the bridge, and the muscles being the suspension cables. In order to support a rider, the suspension cables need to be able to hold the bridge up lest it collapse in the middle. In the same way, a horse requires decent spinal muscling in order to support a rider. A good topline means a strong core, which equals a horse who is able to ‘sit’ on his hindquarters and move with impulsion whilst remaining soft in the rider’s hands.
Thankfully, there are many exercises that can be utilized in order to improve the topline muscles:
1) Long and Low
This term refers to a horse who is working with his head and neck stretched downwards and outwards while still engaging behind.
This posture assists with lifting of the spinal column, but it also engages the horse’s core muscles.
2) Hillwork
Hillwork (particularly uphill) is great for really engaging those gluteal muscles, in both horses and people! So, if you’re after the perfect apple bottom, keep focusing on those inclines!
3) Poles and Gridwork
Fancy footwork may not seem like the best way to get your horse’s topline fine-tuned, but it really helps engage the core muscles, among many other benefits
4) Lateral Work
Lateral work (eg shoulder-in, leg-yielding) encourages core activation but also keeps your horse supple. Muscles need to remain extensible – a stiff back does not necessarily equal a strong back.
5) Reflexes and static stabilizations
These simple but effective core activating movements are performed from the ground and are the equine version of a crunch. They will be unpacked and explored in future blog posts so keep your eyes peeled.
7) Carrot Stretches
Fun for horses and their people! These simple stretches serve the dual purpose of strengthening and suppling and can be utilized daily for best results.
As I’m sure you have gathered from the contents of this post, the equine topline is a complex but incredible structure and is the backbone (ironic, no?) upon which all our training and rehabilitation schedules should be based; a weak back is a weak horse and a weak horse is also often a painful horse. There are also many things that you as a rider and/or owner can do to strengthen this essential group of muscles, both from the ground and in the saddle. We owe it to our horses to keep them as strong, happy and comfortable as possible!
Author: Caleigh Snyman (registered veterinary physiotherapist).
