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CONNECTING all the Pieces
Story & Photos By Dr. Jill Costello Chavers
There is an often-ignored tissue that travels through, between and around every cell that makes up an animal’s body (yes, humans are animals too). It is called fascia, and it is a network of proteins, fat and water that connects everything in our bodies together. It allows our muscles and organs to slide past each other and stretch when we move around, connects our skin to our muscles to our tendons to our bones, and communicates what one part of the body is doing to the rest of our body and brain. It forms the channels that our nerves and blood vessels travel through. And most importantly for a sports medicine vet like me, it carries the force generated by muscles and converts it to movement.
A jumper’s fascia lines: Teal is the superficial ventral line, orange is the superficial dorsal line.
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Fascia’s strength
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comes from fibers of collagen woven together. The fibers surround each cell, coming together to bundle groups of cells together, then larger groups, eventually wrapping around en�re muscles and groups of muscles. Where the fibers all come together at the end of a muscle is the tendon. Each fiber is connected to the adjacent fibers on each side and in front and behind. There will be different amounts of elas�city depending on what the job of that sec�on of fascia does. It is loose and elas�c between our skin and muscles, and �ght and s�ffer in our tendons and ligaments. All these connec�ons allow the forces generated or experienced by the body to be shared. There is also no beginning or end to the connec�ons, each fiber can be followed as it travels on around and through the body, from the bo�om of your horse’s rear hoof to the �p of their nose. Water, hyaluronic acid, and fat make up the spaces between the layers of fascia, allowing them to slide past each other and stretch. Layers and groups of fascia are organized based on what movement that group is responsible for, and those groups can be organized into “trains”, or fascial connec�ons grouping muscles together, coordina�ng and balancing movement. Movement can be up and down, side to side, or twis�ng, and that is how the fascial trains are described.
In horses, there are 11 fascial lines on each side (some start on one side and end on the other). There are 7 superficial lines running through the muscles just below the skin, and 4 deep lines that travel through the chest and abdomen. Each line has another line that counterbalances it. The balance between the superficial dorsal line and superficial ventral line is what as riders and trainers we focus on influencing the most, that is the frame, or through-ness, or self-carriage. The dorsal line starts at the jaw, travels up between the ears then through the upper muscles of the neck, underneath the top of the shoulder blades, along the dorsal back muscles, across the top of the pelvis, down the hamstrings, the back of the hindleg through the flexor tendons to the bo�om of the foot. It is balanced by the ventral line that also starts at the jaw but runs down through the low muscles of the neck, between the front legs, through the pectoral muscles onto the low muscles of the chest, through the abdominal muscles, up to the hip joint then down the front of the hind limb through the patellar ligament, down the extensor muscles and tendons of the hindlimb ending on the front of the coffin bone. The start and end of the lines are arbitrary because they are con�nuous with each other.
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When one line is shortened, its balancing complementary line must lengthen and vice versa. Injuries occur when the lines become chronically imbalanced, when one is contracted too �ghtly, or one holds more tension than the other. For example, horses ridden overly deep, where the poll is at or lower than the withers with the nose behind the ver�cal, experience severe tension along their dorsal lines, pulling their backs rigidly up, extending the pelvis out, and forcing the hind legs to push out farther behind. Their center of balance o�en shi�s further forward, loading more weight on the front legs. The ventral line muscles cannot shorten enough to balance out the tension across the back. Eventually the imbalances cause fa�gue injuries that show up as chronic neck, back and sacroiliac pain, contribute to arthri�s in the hocks and s�fles, and cause forelimb lameness. Thinking about balancing the length and tension of your horse’s fascial lines from top to bo�om and side to side will help them use their bodies correctly, developing less strain and pain (and fewer bills from me). You may contact Dr. Jill for further information or make an appointment to see her directly at www.magnoliasporthorse.com Dr. Jill is a graduate of the Auburn University College of Veterinary medicine. She is certified in Equine Rehabilitation and Performance Medicine (CERPV) and trained with the U.S. Equestrian High Performance veterinarians in VA. Dr. Jill is a member of the Large Animal Diagnostic Imaging Society, a group formed by the American College of Veterinary Radiologists, for practitioners on the cutting edge of improving diagnostic imaging quality. The cornerstone of her practice includes sport horse fitness and rehabilitation, building strength, preventing re-injury, and difficult to diagnose causes of poor performance. Dr Jill is an expert in clinical research, has authored various scientific abstracts and articles. She is familiar with the rigors of training and showing because she is an FEI Dressage rider herself. Elite Equestrian does not endorse or confirm content suggestions in any articles. See credit page for disclaimer.
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