Transcript:

[0:00]

Hi everybody, welcome back to Mad Barn Academy, and if this is your first time tuning in, then welcome. We hope to earn your subscription today. I'm Dr. Fran, one of the veterinary nutritionists here at Mad Barn, and our topic for today's video is going to be on topline — specifically, what factors go into supporting a strong and healthy topline.

[0:21]

Every day our team gets questions from horse owners who are concerned about or unsatisfied with their horse’s topline muscling. While nutrition certainly plays a key role in muscle development and maintenance, there are other important factors to consider when it comes to topline. So, let’s chat through that. Let’s get started.

[0:47]

Let’s start off with defining what topline muscling actually is. Topline isn’t just one muscle — it’s a collective term for a group of muscles located along the horse’s back, croup, and rump. These muscles are responsible for extension or rounding, lateral flexion of the spine, stability of the spine and rib cage, the upper parts of the limbs, as well as postural support.

[1:23]

In order to build and maintain these muscles, just like any other muscle in the body, horses need balanced nutrition, appropriate physical stimulation of those muscle groups, and pain-free engagement of those muscles.

[1:38]

There are several different muscles that play a role in a horse’s topline. Depending on the source, different muscles may or may not be included in that collective topline term. I’ve included a list of the most commonly referenced or major topline muscles here, separating them between our more superficial muscles and our deeper muscles.

[2:02]

The superficial muscles are located on the most exterior part of the horse and are the ones you can palpate if you put your hands on your horse’s back. The deeper muscles sit beneath the superficial muscles, deeper inside the body, and even under the spine. There are many minor contributors to topline that I haven’t listed here so as not to get bogged down in details.

[2:37]

What’s important to remember is that the whole body is connected. Weakness anywhere — even far away from the back — can negatively affect posture, how the horse carries themselves, and thus the strength of the topline muscles.

[3:00]

When assessing a horse’s topline muscling, we use a scale, similar to body condition scoring, to stay objective and track changes over time. For topline, there are four grades we score on:

• Grade A: Ideal — muscles are full and sit above the level of the spine (important to differentiate this from fat).
• Grade B: Adequate — muscles are even with the spine but could be more developed.
• Grade C: Poor — spine protrudes slightly, muscles are sunken and underdeveloped.
• Grade D: Very poor — spine is easily seen and felt, muscles are very sunken.

[4:40]

There are many reasons why a horse might have a poor topline, making it challenging to identify the cause. The foundation of muscle development is appropriate exercise and nutrition. If those are well-balanced, we then consider other issues such as primary or compensatory back pain, or medical conditions like kissing spines, gastric ulcers, and Cushing’s disease.

[5:48]

First, let’s talk about nutrition. It’s the foundation for building strong and healthy musculature. The horse must receive adequate protein for their level of exercise. Quality forage will usually meet protein requirements, but if forage quality is low or exercise is intense, protein supplementation may be needed (e.g., 14–18% crude protein concentrates, alfalfa, soybeans, or other high-protein feeds).

[6:37]

It’s also critical to ensure balanced vitamin and mineral intake. Forage alone does not meet all requirements, and even many concentrates are not fully fortified or optimally balanced. Deficiencies or imbalances can impair metabolic processes necessary for muscle health. We especially focus on vitamin E and selenium, which are important antioxidants for neuromuscular health.

[7:12]

Next is exercise. When it comes to muscles, you either use them or lose them. We have to engage and work these muscle groups consistently to develop and maintain them. Strengthening core and postural muscles is hard work — like Pilates — so patience and consistency are key, especially if starting with an unconditioned horse.

[8:18]

The goal of topline-targeted exercises is to improve core and topline strength by encouraging stretching and lengthening over the back, engaging the core, and challenging proprioception (the brain’s awareness of limb and foot position). Examples of ridden exercises include long and low work, lateral work, transitions (especially downward), backing, pole work (e.g., over cavaletti), and hill work both uphill and downhill at the walk and trot.

[9:10]

We can also use static (non-ridden) exercises, similar to physical therapy. These can be done daily, even on rest days. As the horse gets stronger and more flexible, you can hold positions longer and increase repetitions. Examples include carrot stretches (down and side to side), tummy lifts (tickling the girth area to round the back), and bum tucks (tickling the hindquarters to engage them).

[10:31]

If you’re doing all the right things and your horse is still struggling with their topline, it’s time to involve your vet. They can help identify underlying issues. This may involve x-rays of the back, blood work, or other diagnostics. Situations that warrant a vet check include pain on palpation over the back, resistance to rounding exercises despite consistent training, other performance or soundness issues, signs of gastric ulcers or Cushing’s disease, or rapid/asymmetric muscle loss.

[12:20]

Thanks for listening! Don’t forget to like and subscribe, and check out the other videos on our channel — we post new videos regularly on a variety of horse health topics. Additional links and resources are in the description below if you want to learn more about ridden and static exercises for improving topline. Until next time, bye!