Oblique Capitus Cranial

Oblique Capitus Cranial (Equine)

The Oblique Capitus Cranial muscle originates at the ventral surface of the wing of atlas and inserts in to the nuchal crest of the occipital bone and the mastoid process of the temporal bone (Budras 2011). The action of this muscle is to extend the head and flex it laterally which is innervated by the dorsal branch of the cervical nerve 1 (Budras 2011).

Due to this muscle being located within the poll area it is susceptible to tension which could be cause by a variety of reasons such as when being tied up and the horse pulls back, dental issues can cause tension, being asked to over flex when ridden or lunged (Back & Clayton 2013), forced pressure on the reins from the owner/handler on the ground (Equitouch 2010) and can even be tense from compensating for another unidentified issue (Back & Clayton 2013).

References

Back, W. & Clayton, H.M., 2013. Equine Locomotion., Elsevier Health Sciences UK. Available at: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=dLKFXgYpdqsC&source=gbs_book_other_versions [Accessed November 3, 2017].

Budras, K.-D., 2011. Anatomy of the horse, Schlütersche.

Equitouch, 2010. Thoughts to Consider When You Observe a Handler Jerking on the Horse’s Reins from the Ground | EquiTouch. Equine Massage & Holistic Therapies . Available at: https://equitouch.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/thoughts-to-consider-when-you-observe-a-handler-jerking-on-the-horse’s-reins-from-the-ground/ [Accessed November 3, 2017].