Introduction to Stretching Horses

Hello and welcome to my blog.

This week I would like to talk about stretching your horse.

Stretching is something I include in most of my treatments, always at the end of the therapy once your horse has been fully warmed up by hands-on massage and other techniques.

A foreleg extension stretch - this stretch is good for the shoulder, the muscles of the chest and upper leg, as well as the strong ligament structures of the lower leg.

Horses instinctively know how to stretch and if you watch them out in the pasture or in the stable they will often stretch spontaneously, continually, and naturally, tuning up the muscles they need to use most.

Regular stretching will benefit your horse and will give you feedback on his condition.

Shoulder Rotation - will help loosen deep muscles such as the pectorals. Also helps to release the intercostal fascia (ribs), and relax the ligaments of the shoulder

Application of Stretches

As mentioned above I will always apply stretches at the end of a treatment when the muscles are warm. Muscles, tendons, and ligaments (eventually joint capsules) risk damage if stretched when cold.

The stretches will be tailored to your horse’s particular muscular structure, flexibility, and varying tension levels. Being careful not to overstretch.

Tail Stretch - this stretch is a great way to produce a feeling of deep relaxation in your horse, feeling good, the horse responds positively by pulling against your traction

I will often stretch the fore and hind limbs and will ask if your horse is used to having their feet handled before applying stretches involving handling the limbs.

Some of my most commonly used stretches are:

Neck stretches - lateral, flexion, extension
Foreleg stretches - shoulder extension, shoulder flexion, fetlock stretch, shoulder rotation
Hindleg stretches - hip extension, hip flexion, hamstring stretch
Back muscle stretches - back stretch, tail stretch

This list is not exhaustive, I do use other stretches depending on the individual horse’s needs.

Neck Extension Stretch - this movement will stretch the neck’s flexor muscles

Benefits of Stretching

Stretching has many benefits for your horse, these include:

Relaxation
Reduction of overall muscle tension and stiffness
Increased circulation of both blood and lymph fluids
Increased oxygenation and nutrition in the tissues
Increased elasticity of the muscles, tendons, and ligaments
Increased flexibility and range of motion of the joints
Improved coordination
Reduction of muscle strain and ligament sprain
Improvement of the stride length
Improved reflex time response

Ear Stretch - this stretch is applied very gently and stimulates a feeling of a subtle opening of the cranial bones. It can be quite relaxing to the horse

After treatment I will often leave you with ‘homework’ to do between treatments which will usually contain some stretches tailored to your horse’s needs.
I will always demonstrate how to do these safely and how to recognise your horse’s limitations, so as to lower the risk of any over stretching or damage to your horse’s muscles, ligaments, tendons or joints.

Neck Flexion Stretch - neck stretches are baited (using a treat) to encourage the horse and this particular stretch will be targeting the extensor muscles.

In the near future I am also going to be adding some ‘How to’ videos to my website with some of the most common ‘homework’ stretches I tend to prescribe, just in case you need a reminder of how to apply them - so look out for those!

If you have any questions about stretching or any of the therapies I offer or if you would like to book a treatment for your horse please do get in touch!

Please do not stretch your horse if you are not sure how to apply the stretches correctly, always seek professional advice.

And please NEVER stretch a cold horse.

Thank you for visiting my blog, there will be another blog out next week where I will be discussing heat therapy.

Thanks so much

Jess