Musculus procerus
Small muscle wrinkling the dorsal nose skin. Part of the equine facial expression system; activation associated with discomfort and stress responses.
Origin: Nasal bone and lateral nasal cartilage
Insertion: Skin over the dorsal nose bridge
Action: Wrinkles the skin of the nasal bridge
Innervation: Dorsal buccal branch of facial nerve (CN VII)
Overly tight nosebands compress this muscle and underlying structures, causing discomfort and restricting breathing.
Overly tight nosebands compress this muscle and underlying structures, causing discomfort and restricting breathing. Signs include: Rub marks or hair loss on nose bridge; skin thickening over nasal bone; facial tension when bridled; resistance to noseband.
See the Procerus on our interactive 3D horse model. Open 3D Model