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| Stretching Your Horse |
You have heard the old adage, “An ounce of prevention is
worth a pound of cure….” Where stretching is concerned this
couldn't be more true. You would never see a top human
athlete train for competition without incorporating a stretching
regime into their training program. Yet we work our horses
largely without thought of stretching their muscles. Stretching
will increase your horse’s range of motion resulting in better
overall performance in any discipline. Your horse will be more
supple and free in his movement.
STRETCHING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF INJURY
PREVENTION
In order to keep your horses muscles limber and long you need
to incorporate stretching into your training program. Strength
training alone can lead to strong but short muscles which then
loose some of their flexibility, extension and suppleness. Short,
tight muscles can lead not only to muscle injuries, but tendon
injuries as well. Tendons are not very elastic and the muscles
they are attached to need to stretch to prevent sprains, strains
and tears in the tendons. I will show you stretch’s appropriate
for your specific horse; but there are general stretches you can
start out with to help keep your horse comfortable and training
to his potential.
A FEW CAUTIONS BEFORE GETTING STARTED
Most importantly, NEVER STRETCH A COLD MUSCLE. Only
stretch your horse after he has been properly warmed up
either with controlled exercise or sports massage. Stretching a
cold muscle can lead to muscle damage or over stretching of
the muscle tissue. The best time to stretch your horse is after
he has been worked.
GETTING STARTED
Start slow and small and pay attention to your horse’s
response to the stretch. If the horse shows signs of pain or
discomfort, release the stretch and try again with a smaller and
slower movement. Stretch the muscles until you feel tension
and then release and repeat the stretch again. Each time you
should be able to get a bigger stretch. This will take time, so
go slow and LISTEN TO YOUR HORSE.
worth a pound of cure….” Where stretching is concerned this
couldn't be more true. You would never see a top human
athlete train for competition without incorporating a stretching
regime into their training program. Yet we work our horses
largely without thought of stretching their muscles. Stretching
will increase your horse’s range of motion resulting in better
overall performance in any discipline. Your horse will be more
supple and free in his movement.
STRETCHING IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF INJURY
PREVENTION
In order to keep your horses muscles limber and long you need
to incorporate stretching into your training program. Strength
training alone can lead to strong but short muscles which then
loose some of their flexibility, extension and suppleness. Short,
tight muscles can lead not only to muscle injuries, but tendon
injuries as well. Tendons are not very elastic and the muscles
they are attached to need to stretch to prevent sprains, strains
and tears in the tendons. I will show you stretch’s appropriate
for your specific horse; but there are general stretches you can
start out with to help keep your horse comfortable and training
to his potential.
A FEW CAUTIONS BEFORE GETTING STARTED
Most importantly, NEVER STRETCH A COLD MUSCLE. Only
stretch your horse after he has been properly warmed up
either with controlled exercise or sports massage. Stretching a
cold muscle can lead to muscle damage or over stretching of
the muscle tissue. The best time to stretch your horse is after
he has been worked.
GETTING STARTED
Start slow and small and pay attention to your horse’s
response to the stretch. If the horse shows signs of pain or
discomfort, release the stretch and try again with a smaller and
slower movement. Stretch the muscles until you feel tension
and then release and repeat the stretch again. Each time you
should be able to get a bigger stretch. This will take time, so
go slow and LISTEN TO YOUR HORSE.