DefinitelyDressage.com

People should NOT use this phrase!

It is highly ambiguous about whether they mean the area near the ears or the area along the mane.

When I first started encountering this phrase years ago I thought they were referring to the area near the ears but in fact they were not. Then I saw a reference about incorrect muscling when broken at third meaning that area behind the ears and not the mane. Most of the time, people mean the area along the mane as far as I can tell.

I'm just saying this phrase is not useful alone.

Heck, I've never heard it before...

My neither Sorry!

I haven't heard it either.

Yeah, I don't know what you are referring to, except in the most general of ways (as in not the under side of the neck!).

If someone told you something about the "top of a horse's neck", what part of the neck would you think they meant, along the mane or near the ears?

Here is "top of the neck" used by the same author in two different ways in close proximity!

The base of the neck is to some extent lifted, as the horse lowers the top of the neck. The base of the neck is also higher relative to the top of the neck, which straightens, and telescopes the skeleton. The muscles let go slowly and gradually to lower the head (1).

The muscles along the top of the neck stretch out and let the neck telescope forward (2).

http://www.sustainabledressage.net/roll ... rtical.php

In the first case she is referring to the area behind the ears. In the second, she is referring to the area along the mane.

Tell me I am imagining this!

Tsavo wrote:If someone told you something about the "top of a horse's neck", what part of the neck would you think they meant, along the mane or near the ears?

If we're talking about a horse person who would know normal conformation terminology, I would think of the muscling below the mane, as it's common to refer to an "underneck" when a horse has, or develops an unfortunate unfortunate muscle imbalances. I would expect someone to refer to the poll, crest and throatlatch to mean the more cranial portion of the neck.

StraightForward wrote:

Tsavo wrote:If someone told you something about the "top of a horse's neck", what part of the neck would you think they meant, along the mane or near the ears?

If we're talking about a horse person who would know normal conformation terminology, I would think of the muscling below the mane, as it's common to refer to an "underneck" when a horse has, or develops an unfortunate unfortunate muscle imbalances. I would expect someone to refer to the poll, crest and throatlatch to mean the more cranial portion of the neck.

I am suggesting you would be let down in those expectations as seen in the example I posted above. And nobody is going to be able to question that author's horse person credentials.