Emma Barber Veterinary Physiotherapy

20/10/2026

THE BOW AND STRING THEORY IN HORSES

For decades, the Bow and String Theory has been used to explain how a horse’s back functions. But how accurately does this theory represent the complexity of the horse’s anatomy?

The concept compares the horse’s vertebral column to a bow, with the abdominal muscles acting as the string. When the abdominal muscles contract, they can contribute to lifting and flexing the back, while other muscular forces influence extension.

So, is the theory correct?

There is certainly scientific evidence supporting aspects of it. We know the abdominal muscles contribute to spinal movement and stability, that head and neck position can influence the back, and that the vertebral column responds to forces generated throughout the body.

However, the theory also has limitations.

A horse is not a mechanical bow. Its spine consists of numerous individual vertebrae capable of moving in three dimensions, supported by an incredibly complex network of muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia.

The theory also struggles to adequately explain the influence of the pelvis, lumbosacral junction and the multiple pathways through which forces are transmitted throughout the body.

And this is where I think we need to be careful.

The Bow and String Theory has heavily influenced how we interpret correct movement in horses. We often hear phrases like “lift the back”, “engage the core” and “work over the topline”.

But does a rounded back automatically mean the horse is functioning correctly? Does a lowered head mean the abdominal muscles are properly engaged? And is spinal extension necessarily a bad thing?

Not necessarily.

Spinal extension is a normal and necessary part of locomotion, just as flexion is. A healthy back needs the ability to move, stabilise and adapt to the forces placed upon it.

Through anatomical dissection, we can appreciate just how interconnected these structures really are. The abdominal muscles aren’t one continuous string, and the back muscles aren’t simply cables running along the spine. Their architecture, attachments and relationships are far more complex.

The Bow and String Theory isn’t necessarily wrong, but it is incomplete and it also didn’t account for the relationship to the limbs.

It remains a useful model for understanding certain mechanical relationships, but we should be cautious about using it to explain every aspect of spinal function or to determine what correct movement should look like.

Science should evolve as our understanding evolves.

Perhaps instead of trying to make the horse fit the theory, we should be asking whether the theory truly explains what we’re seeing in the horse. Every horse is an individual and the anatomy varies wildly as we see in dissections.

The photo below is of a broodmare whose prep***c tendon ruptured 4 months before foaling. She lived for 10 months total after the foal was safely delivered, a miracle on its own. Just 10 months for the tensegrity chain to be broken via the pre p***c tendon and then topline vanished. It wasn’t a food problem, it was a functional mechanical problem. Tensegrity had been lost. Muscles need activation to stay functional, both in the nerves and the vascular system. When I see muscles wasted away the tissues colour is light pink from poor vascularisation, this indicates the muscles been functioning poorly. Well innervated and vascularised muscle looks like a deep red, think prime fillet steak. You can clearly see her pelvis has fallen to an anterior tilt because the prep***c tendon had ruptured loosing tension on the ventral chain. The video of her dissection is available on patreon.

https://www.patreon.com/Becks_nairn/posts/prepublic-tendon-136347818?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

https://www.patreon.com/Becks_nairn/posts/todays-16-year-135886244?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link

Tensegrity is an inter connected chain in the horse and one ventral or dorsal line is not better than the other. Extremes are not good for horses in my opinion, examples would be absolute elevation(vertical riding) and on the forehand peanut rolling(western pleasure) you should develop the ventral and dorsal lines in respect for each other, each with unique benefits to the body.
When we look at the body before rigor has set in, in fresh dissection we see how everything is tensioned. Agonist and antagonist, flexion and extension, dorsal and ventral flexion ect…..the yin and yang of the body.

It’s a beautiful piece of organic engineering. I go into this subject further in my book, it’s such a large topic.

If you would like to read the science I will list the studies below.

1. Van Weeren, P. R. & Haussler, K. K. (2010). Science overview: Development of a structural and functional understanding of the equine back. Equine Veterinary Journal. A particularly valuable review of historical models, including the bow-and-string concept and its limitations.

2. Slijper, E. J. (1946). Comparative biologic-anatomical investigations on the vertebral column and spinal musculature of mammals. Proceedings of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Foundational work associated with the modern bow-and-string model.

3. Stubbs, N. C., Hodges, P. W., Jeffcott, L. B., et al. (2006). Functional anatomy of the caudal thoracolumbar and lumbosacral spine in the horse. Equine Veterinary Journal, Supplement 36, 393–399.

4. Zaneb, H., Peham, C. & Stanek, C. (2013). Functional anatomy and biomechanics of the equine thoracolumbar spine: A review. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, 37, 380–389.

5. Baudisch et al. (2024). Computed tomographic study analysing functional biomechanics in the thoracolumbar spine of horses with and without spinal pathology. Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia.

6. Baudisch et al. (2025 volume; published online 2024). Influence of surgical intervention at the level of the dorsal spinous processes on the biomechanics of the equine thoracolumbar spine. Equine Veterinary Journal. This experimental study adds insight into spinal movement and the role of associated soft tissues.

15/10/2026

11/10/2026

Weight Gain: The Only Thing Getting Easier With Age🫣

⚠️ WARNING: TABOO SUBJECT AHEAD!

I'm about to publicly discuss something women are apparently supposed to suffer through privately, preferably while smiling, wearing flattering clothing and pretending everything is absolutely fine. Those of a delicate disposition may wish to avert their eyes. The rest of us can enjoy the scandal of acknowledging reality.🫡

I've written before about those hormonal changes we're apparently not supposed to mention, despite the havoc they wreak on our lives as horsewomen. Previously, I've explored their effects on our confidence, anxiety and riding, but now I want to investigate one of the most infuriating developments of midlife that is very much connected to this discussion: the apparent ability to eat practically nothing, exercise constantly and, if we're lucky, maintain our weight.😓 If we're unlucky, we gain more. 😫

I've begun wondering whether evolution equipped women over 40 with a remarkable survival advantage, allowing us to survive on the nutritional equivalent of three almonds and a cup of tea. Perhaps our ancestors relied on middle-aged women to get the tribe through a famine? 🤔I have no evidence for this theory, but I'm increasingly convinced we could survive an ice age on a packet of crackers.😆

I've experienced this superpower myself. My beloved w**e and cheese have become dangerous recreational substances. One glass of w**e and two pieces of cheese, collectively weighing about 300 grams, can apparently produce TWO EXTRA KILOGRAMS on my bathroom scales. Seriously, I prove this every single time.🤯

Obviously, I haven't manufactured two kilograms of body fat overnight, and I have a theory about what's happening, but it's still a spectacularly irritating result from such a modest contribution to human happiness.😒

Fortunately, social media has all the answers. Fast, don't fast, eat carbs, avoid carbs, lift weights, avoid weights, do cardio, avoid cardio, balance hormones, heal your gut, reduce cortisol and, when all else fails, purchase shapewear with enough compression to qualify as industrial machinery. Every second post offers salvation from someone whose scientific credentials are difficult to establish but whose confidence is apparently unlimited. All will be revealed once you've purchased the book, watched the webinar and enrolled in the diet and supplement subscription.🤨

My career in pharmacy, healthcare and educating health professionals has proved rather useful during the two years I've spent investigating this madness.😵‍💫 Some of the apparently conflicting advice addresses legitimate but different aspects of weight regulation. Other advice is commercialised bullsh!t dressed in scientific terminology and sold to women who are already feeling miserable.🧐

And equestrians have a particularly unfortunate problem. We participate in a sport requiring skin-tight clothing while sitting astride a horse in a position that does our expanding waistlines absolutely no favours. Then someone takes a photograph. You can spend an entire ride feeling wonderfully balanced, capable and elegant, only to discover that the camera has documented an entirely different experience. Suddenly, opening the photographer's gallery requires the sort of emotional preparation usually reserved for receiving the results of a particularly unpleasant performance review.🫠

And this is where weight gain can really undermine confidence, because it can attack from several directions at once. We become self-conscious about our appearance, uncomfortable with how our bodies feel, less certain of our physical abilities, joint pain, and increasingly aware of how much space we occupy on our horses. We start worrying about how we look riding, whether we're fit enough, whether we're too heavy, and whether everyone else is noticing the same things we are. Even when nobody has said a word, we can become our own most enthusiastic critic.😔

Unfortunately, weight also matters to our horses. Additional kilograms mean additional load, and while the consequences depend on the horse, rider and workload, we cannot pretend otherwise. For women who care deeply about their horses, that reality adds another layer of guilt to an already difficult personal experience.😢

And I wonder whether this is where motivation starts quietly disappearing. When riding becomes associated with physical discomfort, self-consciousness, guilt and the possibility of seeing another photograph you'd rather forget, it can gradually lose some of its appeal. Perhaps you start making excuses, postpone the lesson or decide the horse could do with another day off. The less you ride, the less riding-fit you become, and the harder it can feel to get started again. Eventually, you might conclude you've lost your passion for riding, when perhaps you've simply lost some of the physical comfort and confidence that once made riding such a pleasure.🥺

A 2026 study by Bradley and Mills surveyed 1,629 female equestrians. 66% reported weight gain, 71% decreased strength, 74% joint discomfort and 75% decreased riding confidence. That's three out of four women reporting a loss of riding confidence. The study doesn't establish that weight gain caused it, but it certainly suggests we should be taking these experiences seriously.🧐

I've spent two years investigating the biology behind this frustrating reality, and I'll be sharing what I've learned this week. There are understandable reasons our bodies change, and the more we understand them, the better equipped we become to make decisions about our health, weight and riding.🤓

In the meantime, if you're struggling with this, please know you're in very good company. You haven't suddenly become incapable of looking after yourself, and you're certainly not the only woman wondering whether her body has developed the metabolic efficiency of a drought-resistant camel.😖❤

Stick with me over the next few days where I will explain some interesting stuff...

Collectable Advice 313/365. Please SHARE and help me spread this socially unacceptable conversation. There are far too many women suffering in silence, and frankly, we need to talk about this crap "superpower"!😬

Make sure you click follow on my page to get notification of the next instalment.

IMAGE📸: After six months of strict dieting, resistance training and daily exercise, this rider has successfully lost 523 grams. Sadly, the achievement was reversed by a glass of w**e and a brief encounter with Brie.😜

04/10/2026

A huge difference to Ellins leg today! The oedema has just about settled down and the fetlock back to a normal size for Ellin.

Without the application of K-Tape it would likely have taken many more days to settle down as Ellin is such a poor healer. She can also be predisposed to lymphangitis, so I’m pleased the leg has settled down.

Will leave the tape in place for about her couple of days to help reduce further inflammation, reduce pain and provide some support.

💪