23/10/2025
Thought I would share a well written and interesting read for you on a gloomy morning. As part of my Tucker Biokinetics Therapy these are some of the things I consider when I am working with your horse.
๐๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ฒโ๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐?
๐ Anatomy & the Viscerosomatic System An Osteopathic Perspective
โ๐๐๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฎ ๐๐จ ๐ ๐ช๐ฃ๐๐ฉ; ๐ค๐ ๐๐ค๐๐ฎ, ๐ข๐๐ฃ๐, ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐จ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐ฉ.โ
โ ๐ผ.๐. ๐๐ฉ๐๐ก๐ก, ๐๐ค๐ช๐ฃ๐๐๐ง ๐ค๐ ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐๐ค๐ฅ๐๐ฉ๐๐ฎ (1892)
When we talk about the viscerosomatic system, we are really talking about one of the most beautiful demonstrations of osteopathic thinking
โ the way structure and function are interrelated, and how no part of the body acts alone.
From the very first stages of your horseโs development in the womb, the nervous system is the first to form. From this early foundation arise three germ layers โ
๐ซ๐๐ฏ๐ฅ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฎ: forming the internal organs (the viscera)
๐ฆด๐๐ฆ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฎ: forming muscles, bones, and connective tissue
๐งโโ๏ธ๐๐ค๐ต๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฎ: forming the skin and nervous system
These layers develop together and remain deeply connected throughout life. Every part of the body, from a horseโs stomach to its spinal muscles, shares this embryological origin and maintains communication through the autonomic nervous system โ the network that governs involuntary functions like digestion, heart rate, and circulation.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ (๐ผ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฎ๐ป๐) ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ (๐บ๐๐๐ฐ๐น๐ฒ๐, ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐, ๐ณ๐ฎ๐๐ฐ๐ถ๐ฎ) ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ด๐๐ฒ. ๐ช๐ต๐ฒ๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ถ๐บ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฎ๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ.
A viscerosomatic reflex is a response where a problem in an internal organ (viscera) causes a reaction in the body's somatic structures, such as muscles and nerves. This happens because visceral stimuli create a reflex that affects segmentally related somatic tissues, leading to symptoms like muscle tenderness, pain, or changes in the skin's appearance in that area.
For example, a heart attack can cause referred pain in the left arm and jaw, and liver issues can lead to pain in the right shoulder.
โฃ๏ธA disturbance in an organ can lead to changes in muscular tone, posture, and even performance. Conversely, chronic muscular tension or spinal restriction can alter blood flow or nerve supply to an organ.
That wet patch that always happens when your horse gets warm?!
โ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ถ๐, ๐ณ๐ถ๐
๐ถ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐น๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ.โ
โ ๐.๐ง. ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐น๐น
This osteopathic principle reminds us that the body possesses its own healing capacity โ if we restore motion and remove restriction, the body can self-correct.
๐๐ข๐ด๐ค๐ช๐ข; that continuous web of connective tissue, is a vital part of this story. It links muscles and organs along myofascial lines, many of which align beautifully with acupuncture meridians described in Traditional Chinese Medicine. These overlapping maps remind us that the horseโs body is not a collection of separate systems, but a single, living whole.
So, when we see a change in posture or movement; a hollow back, a tight neck, a reluctance to bend, we must ask why and find the whole story in that MIND & BODY.
๐ Could that sore back be responding to a stomach imbalance? Could a tight psoas be linked to kidney tension?
๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ๐ ๐๐ ๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ธ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐๐บ๐ฝ๐๐ผ๐บ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ, ๐ต๐ผ๐ป๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐.๐ง. ๐ฆ๐๐ถ๐น๐นโ๐ ๐๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ๐น๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ โ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐๐น๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒโ โ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น๐๐ต ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐ณ๐น๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐, ๐๐๐ฟ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ถ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐.
