Summary
The nuchal ligament, a large elastic structure in the dorsal cervical region, helps
support the head and neck in the horse. During locomotion, the caudal funicular and
cranial lamellar regions make the largest contribution to elastic strain energy storage.
By storing and returning strain energy, the nuchal ligament reduces the amount of
oscillatory head movements. These conclusions are derived from examination of the
functional morphology of the equine nuchal ligament, its deformation during head movements,
and the measurements of the mechanical properties of the tissue using a loading frame.
The modulus of elasticity (Young’s Modulus) was found to be similar to published values
for bovine nuchal ligament: 8.4 × 105 (0.2 × 105 S. E.). The measured material properties can be combined with an analysis of tissue
strain, and structural organization, to provide detailed estimates of the passive
contribution of the nuchal ligament to locomotory motions of the head and neck.
Keywords
Equine - Nuchal Ligament - Biomechanics - Elastin - Young’s Modulus
