01/04/2026
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗜 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗮 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴:
𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘰𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘺 & 𝘳𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘴.
So I decided to also re share this [ PART 1] as a strong anatomical explanation, for why no really does mean no when it comes to the Pessoa.
🧩 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲 & 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 🐎
This post reached far more people than I expected when I originally shared it, and given the number of horses, particularly performance horses I continue to see affected by poll and cranio-occipital trauma, it is well worth revisiting and now as a further link to that vulnerable area re: the pessoa!
An anatomical structure that is far more clinically relevant than many realise.‼️
🔍 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆:
Myo = muscle
Dural = dura mater, the protective membrane surrounding the spinal cord.
The myodural bridge represents a direct anatomical connection between the re**us capitis minor muscle and the dura mater of the spinal cord. This occurs in the spaces between the atlas (C1) and axis (C2), and between the atlas and the occiput.
Importantly, this region is one of the very few places in the body where the spinal cord is not fully protected by bone.
Alongside this muscular-dural connection, the greater occipital nerve (arising from the dorsal ramus of C1) traverses this region, making it particularly vulnerable to mechanical irritation, strain, or compression.
In performance horses where fine neurological regulation, balance, and sensory integration are critical, disruption in this area can have consequences far beyond the poll itself. Clinical signs I observe can be influenced not only by trauma or mechanical strain, but also by inflammation, environmental factors, and other contributors to nervous system sensitivity.
⚡ 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
Because of the proximity to the brainstem, dysfunction at the cranio-occipital (CO) junction and myodural bridge can create widespread neurological consequences.
The brainstem governs essential autonomic and sensory functions, including auditory processing, swallowing, extraocular muscle control (vision), and regulation of muscle tone.
⚠️ Chronic irritation in this region may therefore manifest as heightened hypersensitivity (sound sensitivity, light sensitivity), swallowing difficulties, and abnormal muscle responses.
This helps explain why horses with poll trauma or pull-back injuries can present with long-term behavioural and physical signs that appear disproportionate to the initial event.
⚠️⛔️ 𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗔𝗦𝗘 𝗧𝗔𝗞𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘
If your horse -particularly a young horse pulls back and shakes their head immediately, I strongly advise having a qualified equine osteopath assess them within a week or two if possible.
𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙨 🐎
❌❌ DO NOT TEACH TO TIE UP VIA A SOLID OBJECT ❌❌
💥 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗜 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗢𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲:
Hearing and sound reactivity; horses that spook excessively or become intolerant to normal environmental noise following poll injury, likely linked to altered brainstem auditory processing.
Ocular issues; difficulty tracking, changes in blink reflexes, or a horse becoming head-shy around the eyes.
Swallowing and bit acceptance; resistance to the bit, increased choking episodes, tongue thrusting behaviours, often associated with disruption of brainstem-mediated swallowing reflexes.
Chronic tension and guarding; persistent bracing of cervical and poll musculature, even at rest, driven by ongoing neurological irritation.
Unexplained behavioural changes; anxiety, head tossing, or hypersensitivity to light touch around the poll.
⚠️ 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀:
This is precisely the region over which a halter or bridle headpiece lies. A single pull-back incident can cause significant trauma, not only to the soft tissues, but to neurological structures responsible for integration and regulation.
These injuries may require long-term, careful management, and this also explains why palpation of the poll can elicit exaggerated responses — the tissue here is not merely muscular, but deeply neurological.
In practice, I have also observed certain training approaches in dressage where riders pursue the so-called “nuchal ligament flip.” This is not a desirable training adaptation, but rather an induced strain on the nuchal ligament and supporting suboccipital musculature. Repeatedly training dysfunction in this region risks perpetuating cycles of instability, pain, and neurological irritation.
🚫 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆:
Disturbance of the CO junction and myodural bridge is rarely an isolated issue. It can initiate an ongoing cycle of neurological stress, pain amplification, and compromised sensory integration.
𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣, 𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙩𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 "𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙞𝙙𝙨".
Prevention remains the best defence against injury in this region as the consequences are not only behavioural. musculoskeletal, but often lead to neurological and systemic.
Evaluation of the Structure of Myodural Bridges in an Equine Model of Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes - PMC https://share.google/vjTJFdEy7RmaqVnFk
𝗣𝗔𝗥𝗧 𝟮 𝗡𝗘𝗫𝗧
🧩 The Sacral Myodural Bridge:
Another of Many Reasons to Rethink the Pessoa Training Aid 🐴
Original pessoa post : https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C2mfh3YQz/
