Let's Talk Topline And Our Horses

Topline

You have most likely heard people talk about Topline and how your horse should probably have more of it?

❓But what is Topline?

❓Why is it important?

❓And how can we help our horses develop it?

I am going to try and keep this post fairly simple, I could go into much more detail but this post isn’t about that, it’s about sharing some of the basics, and if you want more I am happy to elaborate in future 😊

The term ‘Topline’ refers to the muscles that run along the top of your horse’s neck, back and rump.

A horse that is strong and well developed will have nice plump and rounded muscles along the length of the spine from head to tail.

This gives the horse the appearance of having a strong crest of the neck, a ‘filled’ wither and a flat/straight back with a rounded bottom.

It’s important to remember that in this post we are referring to the MUSCLES of the Topline and this should not be confused with a horse that is overweight and may appear to have Topline but in fact is just carrying too much adipose (fat) tissue in these areas! 🙈

Topline is important as if your horse has well developed muscles along the Topline they will be stronger and find it easier to carry you as a rider 🏇

For a horse to have good Topline they must also have good posture. And a horse with good posture is moving in a healthier way, and in a way that allows their muscles and other soft tissue to do the job they are meant to do, not only to physically move your horse where you are asking it to go but also to absorb concussive forces and protect their precious bones and joints 🦴

A horse with good Topline is also more likely to have longevity as a riding horse. And we all want our horses to go on for as long as possible don’t we? 🙏🏻

A horse with good Topline will also be more enjoyable to ride. They will be more willing to do their job as moving with a rider on board is easier for them.

They will also be more likely to carry themselves also known as ‘self carriage’ so will not feel heavy in the hand.

Every horse deserves to have a good Topline, and it is something that is achievable for any horse whether they are a top level competition horse, a horse that is only used for hacking or even a retired horse – just because your horse is not being ridden doesn’t mean you can’t help them develop and/or maintain a healthy Topline.

But what I really wanted to share with you is it’s actually not just about the Topline it’s also about your horse’s abdominal strength. Arguably more so, as quite simply without strong abs you can’t have a strong back.

This is why when discussing healthy posture and muscle development with my clients I tend to focus on the abs and ways in which we can engage them and build core strength and stability in our horse and as a by product of this guess what – your horse develops a healthy Topline.

Those Topline muscles are in fact part of your horse’s global stabilising muscles.

I hope you are all still following me okay?

So I guess you will all now want to know how we start targeting our horse’s abs to get the process rolling?

And there are TONS of stable based, in hand and ridden exercises you can do.

I can share some of these with you, you can find lots of information online and there are a few ideas on my website too.

But what is most important is not just doing the exercises but doing them precisely and in good form.

There is no point doing any exercises if your horse is not doing them correctly or you are over-facing your horse for the place that their body is at right now.

Asking your horse to perform a task their body is not ready for will actually encourage them to recruit other muscles to compensate, so will not be beneficial at all and could actually be detrimental to their development.

If you are unsure about what exercises you could be doing I would recommend speaking with your therapist who will know your horse and what they are capable of and be able to advise on progressions of the exercises as your horse gets stronger.

I hope you find this post useful 😊

Jess | Jessica Limpkin Equine Massage Therapy