05/10/2025
Muscle type just because the hare is faster than the tortoise does not mean it will always win the race
Ever wondered why you have dark and light meat on your chicken??? Well there is a reasoning behind it and these are the questions that I once asked and if you have ever wondered then look no further here is the answer 😃
When we think of a muscle we often think of them as one unit we seperate them from other structures, concentrate on exercises with just that one muscle in mind, without sometimes considering what the fibres in the muscle are built for or what they can do beyond a stretch or movement pattern, but they are part of one whole system and when it comes to working with them not only thinking of shape but understanding what the fibres are built for can change your outlook when it comes to training them for a more overall healthier body.
Remember horses are not at the gym where we want to focus on a muscle group for aesthetics horses need function
Why does it matter to know wether a muscle is a type 1 or 2??? Because knowing the difference can tell you alot about the way your horse is utilising their muscles a powerhouse horse that tires quickly may be like those weightlifters strong but weak at the same time, a horse that could go all day at one speed but struggles to go over a cross pole may have endurance yet lack strength.
All need to be working together to produce that fluid smooth movement that we strive for so what are they??
Easy explanation to help build up a picture of what goes where, what it does and how to spot if something may not be pulling its weight 🙂
And we often think of postural muscles as only containing type 1 yet often muscles can contain a variety just one is more dominant than the other, muscle groups may contain one which is type 1 than another which is type 2
Easy explanation of course as always 😀
Type 1 Slow twitch muscles
The tortoise
Low impact more stamina, are you sat reading this then your type 1 muscles will be in action making sure you maintain your posture 😉
They get their main energy source from oxygen so are more densely packed with capillaries and myoglobin hence the darker colour.
Myoglobin are the uber drivers delivering and storing oxygen in the fibres releasing the oxygen to the mighty mitochondria for energy
These fibres are also used in tonic muscles, lift your hand and turn it palm up your hand stays there because of the tonic muscles it happens subconsciously always changing to maintain posture and balance, and why posture is but a moment in time for the job that is needed and why when we think of postural exercises for the horse it can be quite tiring so next time someone asks you to maintain a different postural position for a lengthy time for your horse how much is the body fighting subconsciously to go back where it feels more comfortable, are you sitting correctly??? How uncomfortable for you is it to maintain correct posture yet we often dont even ask the question for our horses.
So low impact, less fatigued, changing all the time to maintain equilibrium, contracts more slowly.
Type 2A. And 2B
The Hare and the cheetah
There are 2 types of fast twitch muscles (new studies have even shown a 3rd type but jeez I am not even in that rabbit hole yet).
The hare.
These are the power but less stamina fibres and it makes sense there are more type 2 fibres found in the hind end.
Type 2A is often classed as intermediate fibres as have traits of both fast and slow fibres
They are lighter in colour to represent the lesser numbers of myoglobin (myo= muscle, globin = blood) they still use oxygen for energy but do have a high level of mitochondria so can use aerobic metabolism (oxygen) and if needed anaerobic metabolism which uses energy already in the body like glucose and fat to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) these fibres are classed as oxidative-glycolotic muscles
So short bursts of power, fatigue quicker, good for reflex response i.e if your horse trips then quickly recovers these are the muscle fibres in use.
Type 2b
The cheetah.
The lightest colour of muscle because they do not rely on oxygen as an energy source but instead use glucose (anaerobic glycogen) so have the least amount of myoglobin and mitochondria they are know as nonoxidative muscles
They are usually the larger more powerhouse muscles used for intense bursts of energy yet fatigue the quickest,.they contract quickly, generate a huge amount of force but cant maintain the power for very long
They are the i need to get out of here quick but cant last long muscles
So when we think of training do we want one pace?? Do we want only strength training?? Or do we want a more rounded approach, slow and steady maybe good for the postural muscles yet short power bursts may increase stamina in those fast twitch muscles ??
Balance is working all the horse to maintain health throughout, recognising fatigue is probably one of the most important parts of rehab. Yet often in training fatigue is very rarely talked about.
Genetics play a huge role on the formation of these fibres, breed, age, health can have a factor on the outcome of the horses ability to do the same as the horse standing next to it.
You dont want your horse to be either the tortoise, hare or cheetah you need your horse to be all of them to win the race
Ps if I got anything slightly wrong sorry I am trying to keep it as simple as I can explain it xx
P.s if you share could you please share the original post i am monetised on Facebook and give you the free content because of money i earn through the likes, comments and shares and it isnt alot but helps. Copying and pasting my content means I go hungry (well not really but it sounds more dramatic 😃😃😃)
