{"id":598,"date":"2021-02-07T12:25:12","date_gmt":"2021-02-07T12:25:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/?p=598"},"modified":"2021-02-07T12:25:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-07T12:25:12","slug":"how-to-stretch-a-horse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/horseycounsel.com\/how-to-stretch-a-horse\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Stretch a Horse and Maintain Its Flexibility"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/p>\n
If your horse is particularly active in competitive sports such as vaulting, barrel racing or show jumping, then stretching your horse regularly<\/strong> is of utmost importance. What’s key to remember is that the best time to stretch your horse is right after a workout, as that’s when its muscles are already warmed up.<\/p>\n
Stretching a horse reduces the risk of injury while improving its overall flexibility and performance. It can also help alleviate pain in some areas of the body. The most important stretching exercises you can do for your horse involve working the forelimbs, hind limbs, back, trunk, and neck. <\/strong><\/p>\n
For some of these exercises, you might want someone to hold your horse as you’re stretching it. For others, you can use treats to encourage the horse to move its head in a certain direction.<\/p>\n
Another thing to keep in mind is that you should always stretch your horse in a clear area. If you decide to use crossties, use them with care in order to prevent injuries. Below, you will find some useful stretching exercises for horses, each focusing on a specific body area.<\/p>\n
Stretching a horse’s back, neck, and trunk.<\/h3>\n
Spinal extensor for the back.<\/h4>\n
In order to stretch the back, you might want to start off with a spinal extensor<\/strong>. This exercise relies on stimulating a specific area at the base of the tail in order to get the horse to arch its back. I prefer to use scratches.<\/p>\n