06/26/2026
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1Dz3SngjiX/
Very interesting!
10 Functional Facts About Your Horse’s Tongue.
1) The tongue is a muscular hydrostat.
Most muscles move by shortening and pulling attachment points closer together.
The tongue is different. It is a three-dimensional weave of fibers that maintains nearly constant volume while changing shape and stiffness to allow extension, curling, lifting, and pushing.
2) It’s long.
Many horses have tongues measuring 12–18 inches, depending on breed and individual size — an ideal design for grasping, sorting, and moving forage.
3) It’s heavier than you might think.
The average adult equine tongue weighs roughly 1–1.5 pounds (0.5–0.7 kg).
That is significant mass influencing mechanics inside the head and throat.
4) It talks to the nervous system.
The tongue is rich in sensory receptors and communicates strongly with cranial nerves involved in parasympathetic (vagal) regulation.
Changes in tongue tone can influence:
• relaxation
• salivation
• breathing
• jaw and poll tension
5) There are no bones inside it — but it isn’t floating freely.
At the base of the tongue, the basihyoid sends forward a projection called the lingual process, which sits within the muscular root of the tongue and serves as an anchor.
The rest of the hyoid apparatus links this system to the skull, throat, and neck.
So while we often say the tongue “hangs,” it is actually part of an active muscular sling.
6) It is powered by about 17 paired muscles.
These include:
Intrinsic muscles → change shape and stiffness.
Extrinsic muscles → change position.
Together they create remarkable precision, strength, and adaptability.
7) The hyoid is influenced by many muscles that are NOT tongue muscles.
These include connections to the sternum, shoulder, mandible, skull, and larynx.
They help determine:
• where the tongue sits
• how it stabilizes
• how freely it moves
😎 This links the tongue directly to posture.
Through muscular and fascial relationships, tongue tension can influence:
• jaw mechanics
• poll mobility
• cervical tone
• airway organization
• whole-body balance strategies
9) Teeth and jaw comfort matter.
Because of the relationship between the tongue, mandible, and hyoid, dental discomfort or imbalance can change how the tongue rests and functions.
If the mouth isn’t comfortable, the rest of the horse usually isn’t either.
10) The tongue and poll are functional partners.
The tongue is anchored to the hyoid apparatus, which serves as an important anatomical hub between the mouth, jaw, poll, throat, sternum, and shoulder region. Muscles such as the sternohyoid and omohyoid create continuity from the hyoid into the ventral neck and thoracic sling, while other muscles connect it to the skull and temporomandibular region.
These connections mean the tongue is part of a larger functional system that influences posture, breathing, swallowing, head and neck carriage, and movement of the forehand. Likewise, restrictions in the neck, shoulders, or thoracic sling can alter tension around the hyoid and tongue.
What happens in the mouth rarely stays in the mouth.
https://koperequine.com/the-incredible-horse-20-interesting-facts-about-horses/
