Tightness in the forelimbs? It's more common than you may think!

One area of tension I commonly find on horses I am treating is the foreleg extensor muscles.

These are the ones at the top of the forelegs on the front of the leg (see image for the arrows pointing to them on my young horse Eric)

Clients are often surprised when I tell them that their horse has tight forelegs, as it’s not an area many consider.

But actually this area of the body has to deal with a great amount of concussive forces, repetitive strain and is also in use for the majority of our horse’s day, since they spend most of it standing up!

Did you know, your horse’s legs have no muscle below the knee/hock❓

This area has only tendons and ligaments to support the skeleton 🦴

Both Tendons and ligaments are made of denser, more fibrous tissues than muscles.

They aren't very elastic and don't have a lot of room to stretch like muscles do.

They also have a lower blood supply than muscles which is why when your horse sustains an injury to a tendon or ligament it takes such a long time to heal🩸

The tendons and ligaments, being less elastic than the muscles are also not able to absorb concussion as well as the muscles can.

Therefore as your horse’s front feet touch the ground, the forces travel up the leg, and one of the first muscles to absorb these forces are the foreleg extensors.

Your horse’s forelimbs in particular are subject to much higher concussive forces than the hindlimbs. This is because horses by nature carry around 58% of their bodyweight on the forelimbs, so are naturally ‘on the forehand’.

Add to that the things we ask them to do such as:

▪️Trotting on the roads

▪️Jumping fences

▪️Riding on hard/firm surfaces

▪️Riding repetitive patterns

▪️ Going up and down hills

▪️Travelling in a lorry / trailer

▪️ Standing for prolonged periods on concrete or hard standing

All of these things add to the concussion that needs to be absorbed by the limbs.

The soft tissue acts to provide this support in order to protect the precious skeleton/joints.

If we do not keep the soft tissue healthy and free from restriction it will not be able to do it’s job and the joints will then begin to receive more of the concussive forces.

Bone by nature adapts to forces, and if these bony changes otherwise known as Osteoarthiritis occur in the joints they can be damaging to your horse.

Affecting their range of motion and causing them discomfort ☹️

If the forelimb extensor muscles begin to get tense and tight due to concussion you will also begin to notice that your horse is unable to extend the forelimb as well as they usually would. Affecting their gait and performance 🐎

To add to this, if these muscles become tight the body with recruit other muscles to compensate for the tightness, which then also become fatigued and overused causing secondary tightness and soreness 🔁

So it goes to show that looking after your horse’s foreleg extensor muscles alone could help prevent a number of other issues in your horse ✅

But how can you look after them❓

One technique that is suitable for most horses and very useful indeed is Cross Fibre Grooming.

You can find out how to do this on my website – follow this link: https://www.jessicalimpkin.co.uk/equine-massage-homework

This technique can be used all over the body, but please don’t neglect your horse’s forelimbs.

A good groom in this area just a few times a week may help prevent some of the issues discussed in this post 😊

And I can also promise you that most horses do have tightness here and therefore your horse will love it – and love you for it too! ♥️♥️

Jess | Jessica Limpkin Equine Massage Therapy