If you read my social media posts then you’ll know I’m a big advocate for doing regular stretching with your horse. There are so many benefits to stretching with your horse, from improving their circulation and range of motion to decreasing muscle soreness and fatigue. Plus, the extra time you spend with your horse – and feeding them carrots or treats to get them to stretch – is excellent for improving your bond with them. In this blog, I’m sharing three stretches you can try at home with your horse to reap these benefits for yourself.

But before you begin, here are a few tips and pointers to help you out. Firstly, it’s worth noting that the best time to do stretches is when the horse has been worked and their muscles are still warm. Then, you want to make sure they are standing on a level surface with good grip underfoot and no obstructions around them. If possible, the school is a great place to practice stretching for the first time. Don’t attempt to ask your horse to stretch when it’s tied up or in crossties, just in case they lose their balance and need to use their head and neck to recover! Have a helper on hand if you’re not sure how the horse will react, or you’re worried they might wander off. Finally, wear a helmet for your safety and have a plentiful supply of carrots to get them in the right positions. Now, let’s get started on those three at-home horse stretches!

Chin to chest

This stretch involves asking the horse to bring its head in and arch the neck so that the chin either touches or gets close to touching the chest. It will stretch the cervical trapezius muscle as well as the rhomboid and splenius muscles, the topline muscles from the base of the beck to the poll. To ask your horse to do this stretch, stand next to them, facing in the same direction as them, and use a carrot to guide their nose down towards the centre of their chest. Ideally ask them to hold the stretch for a few seconds before releasing and repeating.

Nose to ribcage (or stifle)

For this stretch you’re asking the horse to bend its head and neck to the side to touch its nose to the side of its body near the ribcage, where your lower leg goes. This stretches the lateral neck flexors on either side and as the horse gets more flexible you may be able to get them to stretch down towards their stifle. Again, use a carrot or treat to get the horse to stretch where you want them to, and hold for a few seconds. Repeat several times on both sides and praise the horse with the carrot when you’re done.

Forelimb stretches

This stretch is actually a two-part stretch, which you’ll see as you read on. Firstly, stand next to your horse at their shoulder and facing their tail, and pick up the front leg on that side, with the knee and fetlock at 90-degree angles. Step backwards and gently pull the leg toward you so that you’re stretching it forwards, like you do if you’re removing pinched skin under a girth. Hold for a few seconds and then release, repeating on both sides at least twice. Then, repeat but this time instead of bending the foreleg, stretch it out in front of the horse straight. Have one hand behind the horse’s knee and the other supporting the toe of their hoof and consider resting your elbows on your thighs for support. These two stretches focus on the extensor and flexor muscles around the shoulder and forelimb such as the deltoids, latissimus dorsi and triceps!

I hope these stretches help, and if you’re not 100% sure you’re getting them right then ask me to do a demo next time I’m visiting to treat your horse. We can make sure you’re on track and your horse gets maximum benefit from them.