Crescent Moon Equine Bodywork

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗰 𝗦𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗰𝗹𝗲𝘀

The pectoral muscles sit between your horse's front legs and across the chest. While they're often thought of as "chest muscles," they play a much bigger role than that.

☾ ᗯᕼᗩT ᗪO TᕼEY ᗪO? ☾

✦ They adduct the limb, meaning they pull the leg back towards the body.

✦ They help in supporting the horses's trunk between their two legs.

✦They help in stabilizing the shoulder and controlling limb movement.

✦ They are a key support muscle group for straightness and balance.

✦ They assist in balance during movement.

☾ ᕼOᗯ ᗪO TᕼEY ᑕOᑎTᖇIᗷᑌTE TO TᕼE TᕼOᖇᗩᑕIᑕ SᒪIᑎG? ☾

The pectorals aren't responsible for suspending the horse all on their own. Instead, they work in close coordination to muscles like the serratus ventralis, brachiochephalicus, and subclavius to create a strong, stable support system.

Think of the thoracic sling like a team. Every muscle has a job, and the pectorals help provide stability and control while the rest of the team helps suspend and move the front end efficiently.

☾ᗯᕼᗩT ᑕᗩᑎ ᗪYSᖴᑌᑎᑕTIOᑎ ᒪOOK ᒪIKE? ☾

When the pectoral muscles become tight, weak, or overworked, you may notice:

✦ Reduced freedom through the shoulder resulting in shortened steps

✦ Forelimbs may appear to drift or toe in/out

✦ Difficulty maintaining straightness

✦ Base narrow stance in front

✦ Uneven loading through the front limbs or constant shifting when standing.

Remember, these signs don't automatically mean the pectorals are the problem. Horses compensate incredibly well, and dysfunction is usually the result of multiple structures working together.

☾ ᕼOᗯ ᑕᗩᑎ YOᑌ ᕼEᒪᑭ? ☾

✦ Pole work at a walk to encourage coordination and lifting through the withers.

✦ Hill work at a walk. (slow and steady wins the race)

✦ Slow and controlled backing.

✦ Ensuring proper saddle fit.

✦ Address hoof balance. Uncomfortable feet = uncomfortable pectorals.

☾ ᗪIᗪ YOᑌ KᑎOᗯ? ☾

A horse with sore or uncomfortable front feet may develop tension in the pectoral muscles.

When the front feet are uncomfortable, horses will often shift how they load their limbs to avoid discomfort. Over time, those compensations can place additional demand on the pectoral muscles as they work to help support and stabilize the front end.

This is one reason some horses that are "girthy" may also have tight pectoral muscles. While the pectorals aren't always the source of the problem, they may be responding to what's happening lower down.

Sometimes, looking at the feet can tell you just as much as looking at the muscles.

What even is the thoracic sling??

For professionals, it's very easy for us to use the phrase thoracic sling. It's quick, it sounds nice, and we all know what we mean. But for owners, it can be one of those terms that gets thrown around so often that it starts to lose its meaning.

So, what actually is it?

The thoracic sling is a group of muscles and connective tissue that keeps your horse's front end suspended between the front legs.

Unlike us, horses don't have a collarbone (clavicle). Our arms are attached to our skeleton by bone. Horses are different. Their front legs are attached to the rest of their body entirely by muscles, fascia, tendons, ligaments, and other soft tissue. This muscular support system is what we call the thoracic sling.

Some of the main muscles involved include:

☾Pectorals (descending, transverse, and ascending)
☾ Serratus ventralis
☾ Subclavius
☾ Rhomboideus
☾ Cervical trapezius
☾ Thoracic trapezius
☾ Latissimus dorsi
☾ Brachiocephalicus
☾ Omotransversarius
☾ Sternocephalicus

When these muscles are working together well, they help your horse lift through the withers, become lighter in the front end, and carry themselves more efficiently. This reduces concussion through the front limbs while improving balance, coordination, stability, and overall movement.

When the thoracic sling isn't working as well as it should, you might notice your horse:

☾feeling heavy on the forehand
☾struggling to lift through the withers
☾tripping more often
☾taking shorter steps in front
☾having a harder time engaging the hind end.

This is one of the reasons bodywork and targeted strengthening exercises can make such a difference. A healthy thoracic sling isn't just about pretty movement. It's about helping your horse move more comfortably, more efficiently, and with less strain on the rest of the body.

Over the next few posts, I'll be breaking down each of these muscles, what they do, and how dysfunction in each one can show up in your horse.

This weekend marks the completion of my second round of case studies for my Masterson Method certification, and I am feeling incredibly grateful.

I had an amazing coaching session with my mentor, Stephanie Goddard, and her 3 year old c**t, LT. He had never experienced a full bodywork session before, so it was definitely a challenge. Not only was I working with a young horse and his baby brain, but also a horse who had never been asked these kinds of questions before. There were moments where he was confused, moments where he was curious, and plenty of moments where he had something to teach me.

One of the things I love most about this work is that every horse is a teacher. Even in a single session, LT taught me a lot, and Stephanie's guidance helped me see things from a different perspective and continue growing my skills.

Now it is on to my third and final round of case studies, and then finally the certification course itself. It is hard to believe I am this close to completing a goal I have been working toward for so long. I am excited, a little nervous, and incredibly thankful for everyone who has trusted me with their horses along the way.

Salt vs. Electrolytes

Salt is extremely important in your horse's diet, especially as the heat rolls in and they begin sweating more. It is essential for normal body function, hydration, nerve signaling, and muscle function.

Salt is made up of two minerals: sodium and chloride, both of which are electrolytes. Electrolytes are minerals that carry an electrical charge when dissolved in body fluids. In horses, the primary electrolytes are sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

Sodium is one of the most important electrolytes because it helps regulate hydration, blood volume, nerve impulses, and muscle contractions. Chloride works alongside sodium to maintain fluid balance and is also a key component of stomach acid, which is necessary for proper digestion.

Forage typically contains plenty of potassium and often adequate amounts of calcium and magnesium, but it is naturally very low in sodium. This is why horses should have access to salt year round, regardlesss of their workload. As horses sweat, they lose electrolytes, but sodium and chloride are lost in the greatest amounts, making salt replacement especially important during hot weather.

It's also important to remember that many horses do not consume enough salt from a salt block alone. A general guideline is that if your horse is not consuming roughly one standard salt block every 30 days, they likely are not meeting their sodium requirements. This is one reason many owners choose to provide loose salt in addition to free choice salt blocks, or even better, offer free choice loose salt.

While electrolyte supplements can be beneficial for horses that are exercising heavily, traveling, competing, or dealing with extreme heat and humidity, they don't necessarily need to be supplemented every day like salt does. Many horses can meet their needs through a balanced diet and adequate salt intake. Electrolyte supplementation becomes more valuable when losses through sweat exceed what can reasonably be replaced through normal feed and salt intake alone.

A good rule of thumb:

Salt is the foundation. Electrolytes are the additional support.

Every horse needs access to salt. Electrolyte supplements are a useful tool when work, travel, illness, or environmental conditions increase electrolyte losses beyond what salt alone can replace.

My personal recommendations:

For salt, I typically recommend plain noniodized table salt from the grocery store or Sea-90 salt, which can be found at Tractor Supply

For electrolytes, my go-to recommendation is Peak Performance Nutrients Perfect Balance Electrolytes. If you need something readily available locally, Apple Elite Electrolyte from Tractor Supply is a solid option in a pinch.

I'm seeing a lot of misinformation circulating around social media about how to best cool your horse off in the summer heat. It is absolutely driving me up a wall that these myths are still being spread around in 2026, so I decided to write a post debunking them with science because what's better than science?

💦 Can cold hosing cause harm?

No. Research has consistently shown that applying cold water is one of the safest and most effective ways to cool an overheated horse.

The science behind it:

Conduction and evaporation.

Cold water absorbs heat directly from the horse's body through conduction. As that water warms and evaporates, it carries additional heat away from the skin through evaporation. Horses, along with humans, are one of the few mammals that sweat to help regulate body temperature, making these cooling mechanisms especially effective.

💦 Does cold hosing cause electrolyte imbalances?

No.

Electrolytes are lost through sweat, not through hosing. This is why it's important to provide clean, fresh water at all times and ensure your horse has access to loose plain white salt in their diet and ideally free choice as well.

During periods of heavy sweating, intense exercise, or extreme heat, additional electrolyte supplementation may be beneficial. Just remember that electrolytes should always be paired with access to plenty of fresh water.

💦 Does cold hosing cause muscle cramps, shock, or colic?

Again, no.

There is currently no scientific evidence showing that properly applied cold hosing causes muscle cramps, shock, or colic in healthy horses. Multiple studies have demonstrated that cold water application is both safe and effective for reducing body temperature after exercise and during hot weather.

For best results, apply water over large areas of the body and along main arteries/blood vessels.

💦 Does scraping water off help cool a horse faster?

Generally, no.

Older recommendations suggested scraping water off between applications. However, more recent research indicates that leaving cool water on the horse can improve heat transfer and prolong evaporative cooling.

Think about how you feel after getting out of a pool. If you don't towel off, you tend to stay cooler longer because the remaining water continues to evaporate from your skin.

💦 Shade and airflow are sufficient enough.

Maybe.

Shade and airflow are important tools for helping horses stay comfortable, but on particularly hot and humid days they may not be enough on their own, especially after exercise. In these situations, cold water application remains one of the most effective ways to reduce body temperature quickly.

💦 "But I've always been told to wait until the horse cools down before hosing them."

This recommendation is outdated.

In fact, many veterinary and equine organizations now promote the concept of "cool first, transport second." If a horse is overheated, immediate cooling with cold water is recommended rather than waiting for the horse to cool gradually. Research has repeatedly shown that rapid cooling improves outcomes and reduces the risk of heat related illness.

Know your horse, know the signs of heat stress, and don't be afraid to reach for the hose. Current research supports cold water cooling as a safe, practical, and highly effective method for helping horses stay comfortable in the heat.

At the end of the day, hosing your horse with cold water isn't going to hurt them. If anything, on those brutally hot summer days, they're probably going to appreciate it.

I've attached the studies I referenced below.

A comparison of five cooling methods in hot and humid environments in thoroughbred horses.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0737080620302215

22 comparison of post-exercise cooling methods in horses
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S07370806210011555

Romancé is here to say he is pro water and loves his cold hosing sessions to keep him cool and happy on these hot days 💕

Amazing conversation with two amazing women! I met Celsey Link at the dissection. She was so fun to talk to and had some really interesting insights and perspectives about the dissection that really made me think. The questions she asked in this podcast are questions that I find myself asking a lot too.

EP64 Two Horse Girls Meet At A Dissection

Celsey Link and I met at a recent dissection after following each other on social media for a few years-and hit it off!!

https://open.spotify.com/show/13QnMotulPYGH4smr20xjL?si=SViwoELRTIC5HWwYmKDHLA

Both bodyworkers and independent functional nutrition professionals-we have so many things to talk about….

Celsey had a great idea to join me on the podcast and switch it up by asking ME questions and having open, honest conversations about hard equine related topics!

It was super fun and there will have to be a part 2 because we have so much more to say!!

We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!