07/24/2026
๐ด A horse having repeated SI joint treatment.....that also won't let anyone touch its ears?... read on........
Coincidence?
I don't think so.
It makes me ask whether there's a connection.โ๏ธ
๐ด ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐น ๐๐๐ป'๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐น๐น. ๐๐'๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ-๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฆ๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ. ๐
๐งฉ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฑ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ & ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐๐ ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐
An anatomical structure far more clinically relevant than many realise.
๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐?
Myo = muscle
Dural = dura mater (the protective membrane surrounding the spinal cord).
๐ The myodural bridge is a direct anatomical connection between the re**us capitis dorsalis minor and the dura mater (a deep postural muscle located at the poll, originating on the dorsal arch of the atlas (C1) and inserting on the skull).
Function: This fascial connection allows the muscle to dynamically adjust dural tension, protect the spinal cord, and help pump cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during head and neck movements.
๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ป:
โข Atlas (C1) & Axis (C2)
โข Atlas & Occiput (CO)
โ ๏ธ This region is one of the few places where the spinal cord is not fully protected by bone.
The greater occipital nerve also passes through this area, making it particularly vulnerable to irritation and strain.
โก ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐?
Because of its intimate relationship with the upper cervical region and the brainstem, dysfunction here may influence:
๐ Hearing
๐ฎโ๐จ Swallowing
๐ Eye control
๐ช Muscle tone
Clinically, horses with dysfunction around this region may present with sound sensitivity, altered responses around the poll, difficulty accepting the contact, changes in muscle tone and behavioural changes that appear disproportionate to the original injury.
This is one reason why horses with poll trauma or pull-back injuries can show long-term physical and behavioural changes.
I don't simply look at the poll.
I ask:
Where did the body stop transmitting force efficiently?
Sometimes the answer is the poll.
Sometimes it's the pelvis.
Very often it's both.
โ๏ธ ๐๐บ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐๐ฒ!
If your horse, particularly a young horse:
โ Pulls back while tied.
โ Immediately shakes its head afterwards.
๐ I would strongly recommend having the horse assessed by a qualified equine osteopath within the next week or two.
And whenever possible, avoid teaching young horses to tie solid to an immovable object.
๐ฅ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฃ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ:
โข Sound reactivity โ spooky, noise-intolerant horses following poll injury.
โข Ocular issues โ tracking difficulties, blink changes, head-shy behaviour.
โข Swallowing/bit problems โ sudden bit resistance, choking tendencies, tongue thrusting.
โข Chronic poll and upper cervical tension โ guarding even at rest.
โข Behavioural changes โ anxiety, head tossing and hypersensitivity around the poll.
โ ๏ธ ๐ช๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด
When a horse is ridden with a tight, restricted, or braced poll:
1๏ธโฃ The re**us capitis dorsalis minor clamps down.
2๏ธโฃ It pulls directly on the spinal cord's protective lining.
3๏ธโฃ This sends a wave of tension all the way down the spine to the tail. Suddenly, the horse cannot engage their core, lift their back, or step under with their hind legs. The horse's global fascial network and natural elastic recoil are disrupted.
A restriction at the poll is never just a neck issue-it changes how the entire body moves and absorbs impact.
Halters and bridles sit directly over this region.
A single pull-back has the potential to create significant strain around the cranio-cervical junction.
Likewise, some training techniques, including the nuchal ligament flip, place unnecessary stress through this area, potentially contributing to long-term dysfunction.
๐ก Equine Osteopathโs Tip for Riders:
True collection cannot be forced with a heavy hand or gadgets, forcing the head into a frame freezes the poll, pulls on the dura mater, and hollows the back.
True connection comes from an open, soft poll and throat, that allows the horse's natural suspension and kinetic energy to flow freely through the spine.
Look for a soft chewing motion, a relaxed ear, and a swinging back. That is the sound of a happy, tension-free nervous system! ๐
๐ The "Head-Shy" Warning Sign:Is your horse suddenly defensive about their ears being touched, or difficult to bridle? Before labeling it as a behavioral quirk, consider the anatomy. When the re**us capitis dorsalis minor is locked up and pulling on the dura mater, the entire poll area becomes highly sensitive, inflamed, and painful. What looks like head-shyness is often just a horse trying to protect a highly compromised, uncomfortable nervous system!
One of the biggest misconceptions in the horse world is that the pelvis exists to generate power.
It doesn't.
Its primary role is to transmit the enormous forces generated by the hindlimbs into the rest of the body.
That sounds like semantics.
It isn't.
The pelvis and lumbar spine function as one mechanical unit, not three separate joints. The sacroiliac joints must be rigid enough to transmit force without collapsing, yet mobile enough to adapt to every stride, every corner and every uneven surface.
When that force is transmitted efficiently, the horse moves effortlessly.
When it isn't, the body has only one option.
It redistributes the load.
Compensation begins.
That compensation doesn't stop at the pelvis.
It travels through the lumbar spine, rib cage, thoracic sling, cervical spine and ultimately the cranial base.
๐ ๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ป ๐ง๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด
Here's the case I see over and over, and it's one of the patterns that first made me question whether we were looking at these horses as one connected system.
A horse that won't let you touch one or both ears.
The same horse is also having its SI joint medicated by the vet, sometimes repeatedly.
Owners rarely connect the two.
Anatomically, the dura mater forms one continuous membrane from the cranial cavity to the sacral region. The dural sac extends caudally to approximately the S2 level, where it continues as the filum terminaleโa specialised fibrous extension of the pia mater that continues through the sacral canal before ultimately attaching to the coccygeal region. Cranially, the dura continues through the cranio-cervical junction, where the myodural bridge provides a direct anatomical connection between the suboccipital musculature and the dura mater.
Because of this anatomical continuity, osteopathic models have long considered the sacrum and cranial base to be functionally linked.
Importantly, the mechanical dysfunctions we assess clinically in the sacroiliac region are not the same as craniosacral motion. They are different models describing different aspects of function.
However, within osteopathic thinking, it is reasonable to consider that persistent dysfunction around the sacral region may influence tension within the surrounding fascial and dural system. That is one reason I never assess the poll without assessing the pelvis, or the pelvis without assessing the poll.
It's not because I believe one mechanical sacral dysfunction directly "pulls" on the occiput.
It's because the horse functions as one continuous mechanical, fascial and neurological system.
That's why you may see:
โข Ear sensitivity or head-shyness with no history of a poll injury.
โข Recurrent SI joint pain requiring repeated medication.
โข Difficulty accepting contact despite repeated local treatment.
These may appear to be unrelated problems, but they exist within one continuous system.
Treating the SI joint locally every few months, without asking why it repeatedly becomes dysfunctional, risks only addressing one part of that system.
โจ For horse health, behaviour and performance...
Don't just ask where the horse hurts.
Ask where the body stopped transmitting force efficiently.
Sometimes you'll find the answer where the horse reacts.
Sometimes you'll find it somewhere completely different.
And that's exactly why I believe the whole horse should always be assessed.
๐ซ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐
Disturbance of the CO junction and the myodural bridge isn't "just muscular."
The horse is not built as separate pieces.
It is a continuous mechanical and neurological system, designed to transmit force efficiently from the hindlimbs to the head.
When that transmission is lost, compensation begins.
The myodural bridge is one of the anatomical structures that reminds us just how connected the entire horse really is.
๐ฆ๐๐ฏ๐๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ for updates on webinars and courses:
https://www.helenthornton.com/email-updates
https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Schematic-overview-of-the-epidural-and-subarachnoid-space_fig1_340893783
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0967586816309778
