C & M Therapeutic Services, LLC

28/09/2025

26/09/2025

What is happening in our horse's body when there is atrophy - a deep dive!

The tonicity of a muscle is the most important thing -

Normal - A healthy muscle has a level of tonicity that allows it to be firm and responsive, providing the necessary tension for posture and movement without being excessively stiff or tense. This muscle can contract and relax optimally to perform the movement it is supposed to.

Abnormal Tonicity:

Hypertonia: Increased muscle tone, resulting in stiffness, reduced range of motion, and potential spasticity (increased resistance to movement, especially when rapid). This muscle is always tense and cannot relax, it is tight and contracted and interrupts fluid motion of movement it is involved in.

Hypotonia: Decreased muscle tone, leading to floppy muscles, reduced resistance to passive movement, and potentially developmental delays. This muscle is always weak and cannot contract and contribute to the movement it should be involved in.

The response to trauma that the brain places is one of protection and compensation involving changing the tonicity of muscles by creating hyper AND hypotonia muscles - if all muscles were made weak the horse would fall over/not lift head/can't walk etc

Of all the animals and people I have worked with which is moving up in the numbers nowadays, I have only ever seen one person who was experiencing total weakness, and in this case, her arm had been paralysed for 9 months.

It turned out that the cause of her paralysis was actually caused by trauma to the spinal accessory nerve - and by resetting the nerve endings that were involved in the accident, the arm regained movement within ten minutes of starting the session and by the end it was nigh on doing full rotations.

This is not made up - there is a video of her and her riding instructor/friend talking about that session on my fb page.
The brain is in charge of all of this with its primary purpose being to protect the body, and it is excellent at doing this job.

To be protected, the body must function, especially in prey drive animals like horses, so the brain is going to do everything it can to avoid being in a state where it cannot move. That does not mean the movement will be perfect and that is where we see atrophy, hypertrophy, lameness etc, but the horse can move to escape predators.

For a horse to be in state that it cannot lift it's head the vast majority of these muscles would need to be in a state of weakness. And I mean weak. No hypertonic muscles to support the muscles. And if that happens, the horse likely would have had cranial trauma, blunt force trauma to the neck, nerve or spinal cord trauma and it would be quite hard to miss.

When we are talking about atrophied muscles there is something no-one ever talks about and that is the tonicity of the muscle. A muscle can be atrophied and in a state of hypertonicity or hypotonicity and this is because the brain is in control and will not let all atrophied muscles be really hypotonic because it needs to have hypertonic muscles to support the weak muscles.

This is a very basic description of the functional neurology behind the state and tonicity of muscles and how the brain places compensation on a body and the reason why we do not see horses, despite how badly they are injured, who cannot lift their head up.

It takes alot for the brain to allow the body of a horse to become in a state that it is so vulnerable to death in and the brain will don everything it can to avoid this happening, but the bottom line here is that just because a horse can function while displaying hyper/hypotonic muscles, should it be asked to function over one of the toughest tests available.

In every arena of equine competition and leisure horses we see alot of atrophy of horses neck, scapula and thoracic sling which creates a body unable to use itself properly, especially abducting (moving the front leg away from the centre line of the body).

The real danger of this is the additional strain the other areas of the body are taking to hold this weakness up and complete the movements asked of the body without using these muscles, which leads to injury, extremely difficult rehab cases and ultimately the early demise of the horse because they cannot even live in comfort in the field unridden in their highly dysfunctional body.

Would you like to know how to engage your horse's thoracic sling? I find that emotional and physical trauma release is huge - horses with heart emotions running riot will never have a functional thoracic sling because the emotions interfere with the muscle that control the right fore limb, just like people having heart attacks - the first warning sign is a sore right arm because of the heart's related muscles.

I find the strongest trauma release is targeted release via The SHIIFT Method (which is why I use it most), but somatics, BTMM and scent work - or even just simply matching your breath and/or blinks to the horse all also encourage emotional release via bringing the body into parasympathetic mode and allowing the horse to move into a space of processing and releasing the emotions.

And I would encourage you to be taking deep consciously connected breaths (and keep that monkey mind out of the way) when you are doing any type of release work with your horse to get the most out of it for both them and yourself.

25/09/2025

24/09/2025

23/09/2025

23/09/2025

21/09/2025

🧩 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 & 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 🐎

An anatomical structure that is far more clinically relevant than many realise.‼️

🔍 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆:
Myo = muscle
Dural = dura mater, the protective membrane surrounding the spinal cord
This bridge represents a direct anatomical connection between the re**us capitis posterior minor muscle and the dura mater of the spinal cord, occurring in the spaces between the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), and between the atlas and the occiput.

Importantly, this region is one of the very few places in the body where the spinal cord is not fully protected by bone.

Alongside this muscular-dural connection, the greater occipital nerve (arising from the dorsal ramus of C1) traverses this region, making it particularly vulnerable to mechanical irritation, strain, or compression.

⚡ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
Because of the proximity to the brainstem, dysfunction at the cranio-occipital (CO) junction and the myodural bridge can create widespread neurological consequences.
The brainstem governs essential autonomic and sensory functions — including auditory processing, swallowing, extraocular muscle control (vision), and muscle tone regulation.

⚠️ Chronic irritation here can therefore manifest as heightened hypersensitivity (sound sensitivity, light sensitivity, swallowing difficulties, abnormal muscle responses).
This partly explains why horses with poll trauma or pull-back injuries can present with long-term behavioural and physical signs that appear disproportionate to the initial event.

⚠️⛔️ PLEASE PLEASE TAKE NOTE
IF YOUR HORSE OR YOUR YOUNG HORSE PULLS BACK AND SHAKES THEIR HEAD IMMEDIATELY, get a qualified equine osteopath to see the horse within a week or 2 if possible.
Young horses 🐎 ❌️❌️ DO NOT TEACH TO TIE UP VIA A SOLID ANYTHING! ❌️❌️

💥 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:

𝘏𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘺: horses that spook excessively or become intolerant to normal environmental noises after poll injury, likely due to altered brainstem auditory processing.

𝘖𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴: difficulty with tracking, changes in blink reflexes, or a horse appearing “head shy” around the eyes

𝘚𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘪𝘵 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦: horses that suddenly resist the bit, choke more easily, or develop tongue thrusting behaviours — often linked to brainstem-mediated swallowing reflex disruption.

𝘊𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨: persistent bracing of cervical and poll musculature, even at rest, due to ongoing nerve irritation.

𝘜𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦𝘴: anxiety, head tossing, or hypersensitivity to light touch around the poll.

⚠️ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
This is precisely the region over which a halter or bridle headpiece lies. A single pull-back incident can cause profound trauma, not just to the soft tissues, but directly to the spinal cord and brainstem integration. These injuries often require years of careful management to recover, if at all. It also explains why palpation of the poll can elicit exaggerated responses — the tissue here is not just “muscular” but deeply neurological.

In practice, I have also observed training techniques in dressage where riders pursue the so-called “nuchal ligament flip.” This is not a desirable training adaptation — it is an induced strain on the nuchal ligament and supporting suboccipital musculature. Deliberately training a dysfunction in this region risks perpetuating cycles of instability, pain, and neurological irritation.

🚫 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
Any disturbance of the CO junction and myodural bridge is not an isolated lesion. It can trigger an ongoing cycle of neurological stress, pain amplification, and compromised sensory integration — in other words, an unrelenting loop of agony.❗️

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻, 𝗜 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗶𝗱𝘀.

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝗷𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗰.

𝗦𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀: https://helenthornton.com/contact

20/09/2025

This is a great visual of how the thoracic sling is activated by dynamic movement.

It helps me to think of there being four slings:

The left and right upper slings that provide rotational stabilization of the spine towards vertical balance, and the left and right lower slings that ‘collect’ the body back over the limbs toward vertical alignment, using the adductor muscles (orange and yellow).

This is why lateral work is important!

We can start working on the lower sling with shoulder-in and turn on the hindquarters, but work like haunches-in and counterbent turns starts to work the upper sling. Halfpass requires the most of all the slings.

Of course, none of this works in isolation. We have to simultaneously develop the ‘gluteal bridge,’ (my own term for the combined structure and function of the glutes and longissimus back muscle). But that’s a different post for a different time. 

Image from Animal-Balance

19/09/2025

🤎 "When you ride alone — you meet yourself."

There’s something powerful in the silence that surrounds you when it’s just you, your horse, the dust of the road, and the wind at your back. In those moments, all the noise fades — the thoughts, the pressure, the expectations… and what’s left is just you — real, raw, and honest.

Riding alone isn’t about escaping the world — it’s about returning to yourself.
No crowd. No applause. No advice. Just the road ahead and the echo of your own soul.

Sometimes the most important journey in life… is the one that brings you back to who you truly are.

🐎 Step beyond the noise. Feel the rhythm of the hooves. And finally, give yourself permission — to simply be.

17/09/2025

Yesssssss y’all

15/09/2025

Did you know…

· 52% of 30-year-olds and 80% of 50-year-olds have disk degeneration, and 50% of 60-year-olds have facet degeneration – all without any clinical signs of back pain?
· Studies show humans with clinical neck pain (stiffness, headaches, shoulder and nerve pain) correlate very poorly with radiographic changes.
· It’s also been proven that disruption and dysfunction of the thoracolumbar fascia and deep leg fascia are a cause for non-specific lower back pain in humans.

This is why matching the clinical presentation to the imaging is crucial. Just because there is pathology does not mean it is causing pain. Just because there is pain doesn’t mean there is pathology. Evaluating and thus treating dysfunction in horses always needs to go back to a thorough physical exam backed by a deep understanding of nerve patterns, biomechanics, and how the body works as a whole.