horse stretches - The Horse Physio - Sue Palmer

Tag: horse stretches

Finding the Right Time: A Guide to Stretching Your Horse

By Sue Palmer on April 4, 2024

Determining when to stretch your horse depends on your goals. Stretching may improve flexibility, reduce injury risk, help monitor neuromusculoskeletal health (meaning relating to nerve, muscle and bone), and enhance your horse's overall comfort. There are no hard and fast rules, and here are some examples of when to stretch, based on the stretches that I share in my online course, “Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy.”

A simple exercise to encourage straightness in your horse

By Sue Palmer on March 22, 2024

Your horse can only be straight if he can bend. I know that might sound counterintuitive, but imagine that your horse is less able to bend his neck to the left than to the right. He will find it far easier to bend to the right and tend to bend that way. This, in turn, means it will be much harder for him to be straight.

Which horses would benefit from stretching?

By Sue Palmer on March 16, 2024

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.

How do I do fascial stretches with my horse?

By Sue Palmer on March 6, 2024

To stretch the fascia, we need to be slow and gentle. That’s one reason I’ve chosen to share fascial stretches in the course "Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy". I think that slow and gentle works well with horses. A blog by Amanda Oswald on the Pain Care Clinic website states, “We know that trying to force fascia to stretch is not going to get us anywhere. However, the viscoelastic properties of fascia also mean that it responds well to heat and gentle sustained pressure. This combination creates a physical change in the tissue, making it more fluid, in the same way that the combination of heating and stirring treacle makes it more runny.”. Allow the soft tissues of the body time to release tension. Think of how your body feels when doing a stretch (for example, a calf stretch or a hamstring stretch), and imagine that perhaps your horse is feeling similar sensations. With these stretches, slow and steady wins the race.

Why should I do stretches with my horse?

By Sue Palmer on February 25, 2024

As a horse owner, you understand the importance of keeping your equine friend comfortable and happy. Tight muscles can often lead to soreness. A 15-minute stretching session can make a significant improvement in easing tension and alleviating discomfort in your horse. The stretching routine doesn’t have to be complicated. Just getting your horse moving can make all the difference. Similar to how you feel after a 15-minute yoga session, your horse can feel looser and more comfortable after he has stretched. With regular stretching, you can help ensure your horse stays happy and healthy.

Help me to help 100 horses (or more)

By Sue Palmer on February 8, 2024

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? Would you happen to know someone who any of the above applies to? Please help me reach these people and their horses by sharing this blog. 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 horse. I've carefully and lovingly created an online course, "Stretching Your Horse: A Guide to Keeping Your Equine Friend Happy and Healthy". There are ten stretching exercises (video included) and lots of information about how, where, when, why and what to stretch.

The role of stretching

By Sue Palmer on December 2, 2023

In conclusion, stretching is a valuable practice for both humans and horses. Incorporating regular stretches into your equine's routine can promote flexibility, prevent injuries, and enhance overall performance. Whether you choose static, dynamic, or a combination of both, doing stretches with your horse will not only benefit their physical well-being but also deepen your bond and partnership with them. So, let's embrace the power of stretching and unlock the full potential of our equine companions.