17/06/2026
MR T
This is the C4 cervical vertebra from Mr T, the horse featured in last week's dissection.
There is a significant amount of information available on Becks Nairn's Patreon page explaining the findings from this horse, including the detailed information behind this particular vertebra.
☆ For this post, I simply want to leave you with a thought.
If your horse struggles to flex its neck to one side, Don't assume it is being difficult.
Don't assume it is stubborn.
And please don't force the issue.
Horses that are tied head-to-tail, or pulled into stronger flexion, or repeatedly asked to work through restrictions they are clearly finding difficult.
Here may lie the reason.
Horses don't wake up in the morning and decide they don't want to bend their neck today. It's not stubbornness. It's not poor behaviour. It is resistance, yes - for a very good reason.
This cervical vertebra shows significant bony remodelling.
Use this photo as a reminder that when a horse cannot perform a movement comfortably, there may be a very real physical reason behind it.
When we use force to "work through" a problem without understanding why the resistance may exist and resort to force - you are part of the problem.
For Mr T 🩵
