Fascia in horses explained
What is fascia?
Fascia in horses is the tough connective tissue that creates a 3-dimensional web which extends without interruption from a horse’s head to their hoof.
Fascia surrounds and infuses every muscle, bone, nerve, blood vessel and organ, all the way down to the cellular level. The fascia system can affect every system and function in the body- muscular, cellular, neurological, metabolic, etc. The white, glistening fibers you see when you pull a piece of meat apart or when you pull chicken skin away is fascia.
What is fascia made of ?
Fascia is composed of an elasto-collegenous complex which has three parts:
•Elastin- The most elastic part of the complex. It makes up the core of the complex.
•Collagen- These fibers are extremely tough and give support to the structure. They coil around the elastic fibers in a relaxed, wavy configuration .
•Ground substance/matrix- A gelatinous-like component that transports metabolic material through the body and also acts like a cushion.
What is fascia's role ?
The fascia system generally supports, stabilizes and cushions. Fascia creates separation between vessels, organs, bones and muscles. Fascia creates space through which delicate nerves, blood vessels, and fluids must pass. Fascia is the three-dimensional web that runs throughout the entire body, literally connecting us from head to toe.
Head to Hoof
Fascia is where the life force lives. A pathway for life and energy throughout the whole body.
Fascia is a hydraulic system, hydration system, regulation system, and communication system. Life force energy and fluid travels throughout fascia’s microtubule pathways transmitting information instantaneously.
How fast does the Jockey send the signal from the brain down through the hands to cue the horse to react? Instantly. The signal is let out from the jockey's fascia system (fascia runs from head to toe/hoof including the brain and heart) and is received by the horse's fascia system instantaneously (faster than the speed of light). The fascia system communicates faster than the nervous system. If the cue was sent from the nervous system, giving and receiving cues would be much slower between the rider and horse. When the horse is being raced at full speed the jockey makes a split second decision to increase speed, change leads and go in-between or around horses. Both fascia system's are working together communicating clearly despite the excitement or exertion of the race. Knots and muscle spasms cause interference with reaction time. Equine MFR helps the fascia system to send and receive clear cues.
If knots and muscle spasms are present causing restrictions and constrictions blocking the flow of fluid, the dehydrated tissue becomes shortened, thickened, and hardened. The shortened tissue pulls bones and the body out of alignment all the way down to a micro measurement. The crushing pressure causes interference in getting the signal and message through the clogged systems as opposed to systems that are not being crushed and that are communicating clearly via a healthy maintained fascia system.
Fascia runs from a horse’s head to the hooves. It connects all systems down to a cellular level, continuously communicating information about what’s happening in the body. The tissue that is affected creates a dam like effect that blocks the fluid flow of nutrients absorption, metabolic waste elimination, oxygen, blood flow, and energy.
Fascia in the hoof that is receiving the strike from the stride is responding to the body. If the body is balanced it will be ok and normal. However, if the body is wrenched, has restrictions, constrictions and is off balance it will show up in a variety of symptoms. What happens up top leads to what happens below.
Just Got Out was foaled March 12, 2011. The photo is of Just Got Out’s hoof on 4/2/17.
This picture was taken the day after she came in 3rd in the Sis City Starter Stakes. This was the good hoof. The other hoof had an abscess. After the abscess healed, she won 2 races with $47k and $40k purses. She was claimed on 7/2/17. After moving up to allowance races, she won a $100k stakes purse for the next trainer on 1/21/18. Not bad for a $16k claimer. She had 17 EQ MFR treatments to support her turn around and growth from January 21, 2017 to June 29, 2017. In between all while growing out her good hoof (see above) that took longer and after healing her other hoof abscess she had 2 wins, 2 seconds, 3 thirds and 2 forth places.
Each horse’s own body tells it’s unique truth.
Why should a Thoroughbred Racehorse be treated with Myofascial Release?
Horses that are in a daily training regimen while their body is continuously growing, developing and evolving will receive the support and attention the fascia system needs to perform to it's optimum aptitude.
Why get the knots out? Muscle spasms/knots cause pain and have the capacity of up to 2000 pounds of pressure per square inch. That pressure causes strain on bones, irritability, compensation of stride and range of motion loss. Equine Myofascial Release supports the body and motion of the horse as it develops and grows stronger.
