Where it is
On the withers and the upper part of the thorax, above the shoulder blade.
- Layer
- Muscles
- System
- Muscles
- Region
- Neck and shoulder
What it is and what it does
A broad, triangular muscle with a cervical part and a thoracic part, separated by an aponeurotic zone. It arises from the dorsal midline, from the third cervical vertebra to the ninth thoracic, and inserts on the spine of the scapula. It raises the forelimb and pulls it forward.
Worth remembering
It raises the front leg and pulls it forward.
Names
- Latin term: musculus trapezius.
- In Romanian: Trapezul (Romanian page).
In the atlas lessons
Muscles: what moves what (5 min):
A limb muscle has an origin (the less mobile, proximal end) and an insertion (the more mobile, distal end). Extrinsic muscles link the trunk to the limb: they move the limb relative to the body or, if the limb is fixed by the weight on it, the body relative to the limb.