09/02/2025
THE NEUROLOGY OF THE HORSE’S TONGUE AND IMPORTANCE IN PERFORMANCE
The tongue - we rarely see or think it but it is one of the most integral parts of the horse.
My work with people has put this into stark perspective - because we and our horses are mammals and have very similar central nervous systems we can take huge lessons from our own tongues.
The tongue has a part several functions - tasting, licking, chewing, swallowing but it has a whole other mechanism that we use daily but never give a thought to.
THE TONGUE IS ONE OF THE MAJOR COMPENSATORS IN THE BODY along with the jaw, hyoid and ankles (in a human).
What is a compensation?
A mechanism that the brain uses to strengthen the body’s pre-existing weaknesses due to physical and emotional trauma.
We may see our horses having issues with it’s tongue with symptoms such as:
These symptoms could indicate a horse is experiencing tongue pain or discomfort:
Dropping feed/hay
Not eating
Hyper-salivation
Bad breath
Bleeding from the mouth
Swelling in tongue and/or cheeks
Standing with head outstretched
Resistance to the bit or to handling of the head
Tongue hanging from mouth
Discolouration (a healthy tongue should be pink and moist)
Explosive reaction from nerve impingement
What is especially important to consider in horses?
Physical trauma in the body means that hey need their tongue to make that area stronger. Who we strap their mouth shut, we remove this ability to compensate, making weak muscles work, causing pain and risking injury.
When we put bits in mouth that do not have room for the horse’s individual tongue or use straight bar bits we risk compressing the tongue which causes trauma to the tongue and affects the horse’s ability to compensate.
When we pull straight back on the reins at a low level this nutcrackers and pinches the tongue causing pain and trauma.
Is there trauma in their body or emotions that the tongue is compensating for?
Iridology is a fantastic tool for locating areas of past trauma and I have found it very useful to consider when looking of the root cause of any compensation in the body.
When we see the horse eliciting their symptoms - what are they doing? If ridden, is it all the time/ lateral movements/right rein/left rein/walk/trot/canter/loose rein/tight rein/on a corner/on the straight/transitions - by seeing what muscles they *should* be using at that moment and what they are doing instead with their body, it can lead us towards the cause.
So much pain is hidden in our horse - as prey animals they are masters of disguise and it is only when our horses are really in pain do we actually see them as ‘lame’. There are so many signs before that. Looking at all these signs allows us to build a picture of what is going on within the horse and find it’s hidden pain.
The tongue muscles themselves tell a story.
The sternohyoideus and sternothyroideus muscles directly connect the horse’s tongue and mouth to the chest of the horse. This fascial and muscular connection carries on through the pectoral muscles along the ventral aspect of the horse, along the abdominal muscles and into the pelvis.
The tongue (via the hyoid) is connected to the shoulder, poll and head directly and to the hind limb indirectly via the facia - so tongue problems are who body problems and vice versa.
So what can you do to delve deeper into why your horse needs to use it’s tongue as a compensation?
First, look for something that can changes what you see in the tongue or the body - better or worse is always a good sign because it gives you clues. I would recommend slow motion filming at walk for comparison.
Change the bit (material/height/width/joints), take the bridle off, ride from the head collar, take the saddle off ride with the bit, change rider, weight the right side of the horse in your stirrup, weight the left side of the horse in your stirrup, put your body weight forward and backing the saddle, put varying degrees of pressure on the reins, halt and walk on with no/little/steady contact, lateral work with the shoulder leading and the hind end leading.
Each movement will give you clues and now you can start to look a t your horse’s history and piece together what you see.
For example -
Horse sticks tongue out during left shoulder in and right hand corners and has a profits thumb/scar on the right shoulder would lead me towards the injury that caused the scar, the scar itself and the physical and emotional trauma that the brain is still compensating for before I would be led towards direct tongue trauma.
Sometimes we see symptoms cascade - it starts with just a little tongue poke and then the tongue is out all the time - especially at competitions - as the stress levels rise and the capacity that the horse has at home, when he is relaxed, diminishes.
It is a truly fascinating way to approach management of our horses and it offers so much freedom from the norm when we are able to give the vet a host of relevant information to help them help us and our horses in the highest way possible.
https://onlinepethealth.com/the-role-of-the-tongue-and-hyoid-in-movement/
