Craycos - The Horse's Neck: A Conformational Analysis With respect to the neck and poll, the practical horsemen of the past made 3 major observations, and you can verify them yourself in the horses you encounter: 1. The head and neck are the key to accessing the hindquarters. The older authors emphasize frequently that the rider cannot gymnasticize the horse's haunches effectively, until the neck and poll have been suppled (laterally as well as longitudinally) and the head and neck have been placed into a certain frame, i.e. a combination of elevation and longitudinal flexion that enables the horse's spine and back muscles to transmit both the energy impulses from the hind legs forward toward the bit and the rein pressure and seat aids backward toward the hind legs. 2. Rein aids are most effective if they address the horse's lower jaw at an angle of approximately 90 degrees. The more the angle between rein and lower jaw deviates from 90 degrees in either direction, the less effective the rein aids become. This angle is achieved when the neck is elevated and the head is approximately vertical. 3. A consistent, even rein contact is only possible when the horse's lower jaw makes an even contact with the neck musculature on both sides without pinching the saliva glands. In many, if not most, horses this condition is met only after a certain gymnastic training. As long as the saliva gland is pinched between the jowl and the neck muscles or the vertebrae, the horse will experience pain, which can lead to a variety of unpleasant behaviors, such as head tossing, rooting, spooking, clinging to other horses or the arena wall, spinning around, even rearing. Conformational Factors There are several conformational factors that determine how easy or how difficult it is to flex the elevated neck so that the head is hanging vertically, and to bring the jowl rim in contact with the neck musculature, without pinching the saliva gland: 1. Neck length and curvature. A long neck that is wide and deep at the base, that tapers off toward the poll, with a natural curvature (a moderate "swan neck") is the most suitable one for a riding horse. The shorter and straighter the neck is, the more difficult it is to achieve the necessary elevation, flexion, and lateral suppleness, i.e. to ride the horse on the bit. The longer and thinner the neck is, the more difficult it is to make it steady and stable at its base. 2. Height and angle of the attachment of the neck to the shoulder and withers (German: Ansatz and Aufsatz). A moderately high set neck that rises out of the withers at an angle that is close to 45 degrees is advantages. The more the neck deviates from this attachment, the more difficult it becomes to connect the hindquarters to the front end. A low set neck that has no natural elevation at all makes collection almost impossible. A neck that is set on too high and rises at an angle that is closer to 90 degrees overburdens the back and haunches and can lead to a swayback in the long run. 3. Length of C1 and C2. The longer and thinner the two top vertebrae are, the more room is created underneath to accommodate the jowl rim. The vertebral wings have to be small, in order to enable the poll to bend laterally (German: Ganaschenbiegung). If C1 and C2 are very short and thick, the poll/throat latch area appears to have no definition (German: verwachsenes Genick). It all seems to be one piece, without any ability to bend or flex. A poll like that does not let any rein aids go through. 4. Size of the Saliva glands. The thinner and more elastic the saliva glands are, the easier it will be to move them out of the way, either to the outside, around the jowl rim, or to the inside, underneath the jowl rim. The thicker and stiffer the saliva glands are, the more difficult this will be. If the gland is caught between the jowl and the neck muscle, it is much better than if it is caught between the jowl and the neck vertebrae, because the neck muscles can be reshaped to create more room for the jowl underneath the neck. 5. Jowl shape and size. Small jowls that are set wide apart are advantageous, because they can fit easily into the space underneath C1 and C2, without squeezing the saliva glands. Large jowl rims that are narrow, close together, make poll flexion very difficult.