Does stretching your horse even do anything?
Short answer, yes! But there are some considerations worth thinking about before you begin pulling on your horse’s legs.
Stretching is one of those things you hear about a lot in the equine world… “stretch him after you ride” or “give her a good stretch before you hop on”, but what does that even mean? How should you stretch him? Should you do it every day? How far should you pull? Is it possible to stretch too much?
Let’s start from the beginning: what is a stretch for a horse?
There are two main types of stretches: dynamic and static.
Dynamic Stretching: involves movement within a stretch (picture carrot stretches where a horse has to move their body during the stretch while also stabilizing and maintaining balance). This can help with gradual increase of reach and speed of a movement.
Static Stretching: involves pulling a muscle to the farthest point it can comfortably stretch and holding it for anywhere from 10-60 seconds. This can help with increase in flexibility of an individual muscle or muscle group.
When are equine stretches useful?
Stretches can be useful in a lot of scenarios from basic maintenance care (you know how good it feels to stretch before getting out of bed in the morning!) to more targeted stretches addressing specific tightness or restricted range of movement in a horse. I always recommend working with a qualified bodyworker or veterinarian to identify the stretches that would be most beneficial to your horse.
If you want to know if your horse is hurting, my How to Assess Your Horse for Pain tutorial video might be informative for you!
How can I stretch my horse?
First and foremost, there are some stretching “rules” to follow:
Never stretch a cold muscle (wait to stretch until after a ride or after hand-walking for at least 10 minutes)
Never “bounce” a stretch (don’t pulse a stretch with such force that it creates a bouncing effect - this can be damaging to the tissue)
Never overstretch (don’t push a horse past their point of comfort)
It actually is possible to overstretch a horse. Imagine that feeling when you’re doing a stretch on yourself and you start to feel the burning sensation that you’ve reached the end of the stretch… now imagine someone else is managing the stretch for you and pushes you an extra 3 inches into the stretch.. OUCH!
We are responsible for our horse’s comfort so I always recommend when in doubt, less is more. But, we can also use our horse-sense to read the horse’s body language to determine if the stretch we are applying is not enough, just right, or too much.
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Done mindfully, stretching offers real benefits for your horse’s flexibility, recovery, and day to day comfort. Start small, stay observant, and always prioritize quality over quantity.
Remember, these tools work best as part of a broader wellness plan that may include professional bodywork.
If you’re ready to take your horse’s care to the next level, book a session or join one of my owner education courses. Together we can keep your equine partner feeling and moving their best.
