Which horses would benefit from stretching?

Which horses would benefit from stretching?

If you would prefer, you can access this blog as a YouTube clip here.

Stretching can be helpful whether your horse is old or young, a happy hacker or a competition horse. Be it hacking, dressage, show jumping, eventing, TREC, horse agility, endurance, working equitation, a growing youngster or a retired elderly companion, stretching could be beneficial. I recommend a stretching programme to almost all my clients at The Horse Physio. Your horse’s physical therapist can advise you if specific stretches would be most beneficial for your horse. The stretches in the online course “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy” have been chosen for their suitability for all.

As a physio, I am lucky enough to work with horses of all ages, from foals to retirees. Most horses I treat are happy hackers or competition horses (ranging from dressage tests in walk to Prix St George and from pole work to show jumping internationally). I have been treating some horses for 15 years or more, and I’ve grown very attached to them. Helping a horse to stay comfortable in his twilight years is something that I see as a great privilege.

I have clients who breed horses or purchase youngsters, and I am fortunate enough to be involved with these horses from an early age. Young horses must receive regular assessments and treatment as needed. Foals are prone to injuring themselves while playing in the field. While most injuries go unnoticed, some may lead to neuromusculoskeletal (related to nerve, muscle and bone) problems in the future due to altered movement patterns.

As an owner, you can actively promote the physical health of your young horse by regularly assessing their range of motion through the stretching exercises provided in the course “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy”. It is important that your horse can perform each exercise equally well on both sides. If you notice any discrepancies, I recommend reaching out in the UK to a Chartered Physiotherapist (www.acpat.org) or RAMP Registered Musculoskeletal Practitioner (www.rampregister.org) for further evaluation (similar organisations exist in other countries).

Please help me to help 100 horses.

Do you live in an area where it’s challenging to get access to physio for your horse? Does the cost of physio mean that you can’t have your horse treated as often as you’d like? Would you like to be able to do more for your horse?

Do you know someone to whom any of the above applies? Please help me reach these people and their horses by sharing this information. I’d love to help 100 horses this month; perhaps it’s your horse I can help. If not your horse, wouldn’t it feel wonderful knowing that you have made a difference by passing on the information someone needs to support their horse?

I’m on a mission to help those who can’t get the horse physio assessment and treatment they would like to offer their horses. I’ve carefully and lovingly created an online course, “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy.” The course includes ten stretching exercises (video is included) and lots of information about how, where, when, why, and what to stretch.

Course Overview

Discover the transformative power of stretching for your horse with this comprehensive course. It provides easy-to-follow instructions on various stretches to enhance your horse’s comfort, movement, and overall performance. By the end of the course, you will not only understand the importance of stretching, you will also gain practical knowledge about its implementation.

A regular stretching routine can offer a multitude of benefits:

It may improve comfort by alleviating tension and discomfort in your horse’s muscles.
It may increase the range of movement by enhancing flexibility towards smoother and more efficient movement.
It may reduce the risk of injury through improved muscle condition.
It may relax your horse, promote relaxation and reduce stress-related behaviours.
It may improve performance so that you experience higher scores in dressage or more clear rounds jumping.

Just as a short yoga session can leave you feeling more relaxed, a 15-minute stretching session can do wonders for your horse’s comfort and well-being.

Meet Sue Palmer – The Horse Physio

I’m Sue Palmer, The Horse Physio, an award-winning author, ACPAT and RAMP registered Chartered Physiotherapist and Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Trainer, and I bring a wealth of knowledge to this course. With qualifications from prestigious institutions and extensive experience treating horses, Sue promotes ethical and harmonious horsemanship.