How many of you stretch your horse

before and/or after you ride? This

simple addition to your riding regime,

will drastically improve your horse’s muscle

tone, overall range-of-motion, plus it is impera-

tive for injury prevention. Stretching will help to

improve your horse’s performance and agility by

improving its stride, and natural movement. Most

athletes stretch before and after they exercise or

compete - why shouldn’t we ask, and insist, on

the same standards from our equine athletes?

Stretching helps: To increase range-of-motion

and flexibility; To prevent injury and muscle by

increasing agility; To improve stride and over-

all performance; To build and keep muscle tone

(especially over weak areas); To prevent muscle/

tendon injuries, by increasing flexibility of the

muscle fibers. By stretching your horse’s muscle

before you ride, you are automatically decreas-

ing the chance of torn or strained muscle or ten-

dons. Muscles are joined together by tendons.

If your horse’s muscle is tight, the tendons must

compensate by being over-stretched; in doing

this, your horse is more vulnerable to muscle and

tendon injuries. Also, by increasing your horse’s

muscle fibre, there will be less pressure on your

horse’s joints because the surrounding muscles

and tendons are more agile and flexible. Muscle

and tendon injuries are the most commonly seen

soft tissue injuries. If your horse’s muscles have

increased stress and force, it, in turn, is exerted

into the tendons and surrounding associated mus-

cles. Because stretching helps to reduce muscle

tension, by increasing each muscle fiber, it helps

prevent strain and improves your horse’s stride

and overall flexibility. We have discussed the im-

portance of stretching before you ride, now lets

examine the benefits of post-exercise stretches

Equine Sports TherapyStretching - Naturally improve your horses range of motionBy Kristen Giglio

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Kristen Giglio is a Certified Equine Therapist and Animal Health Veterinary Technician. She owns/operates Advanced

Connections Equine Therapy and offers such services as massage therapy, magnotherapy, trigger point therapy, applied

kinesiology, saddle fitting and acupressure. Contact Kristen at (250) 370-9951, or visit www.acetherapy.ca. Veterinarian

recommended. Available seven days a week.

and how they help to prevent pain and muscle-

fatigue. Along with a proper cool-down after rid-

ing, exercises help to increase muscle fibers and

helps aid in removing any toxins or fluid than

may be present in your horse’s muscle. It helps

to reduce muscle spasms by allowing the mus-

cles to stretch and cool-down properly, rather

than just putting your horse away. And because

many horses are stalled, a proper cool-down and

stretching allow the muscles to regain function

without the likeliness of muscle tightness and

pain from being worked. In doing this, you will

also notice the difference between your horse’s

range-of-motion pre and post workout. It also

allows you to detect if your horse seem painful

and muscle over-stretched. This will be an indi-

cation that your riding program may need some

adjusting or fine-tuning. Here are some very sim-

ple exercises that will benefit both you and your

horse. Horse hugs - as I’m sure we all love our

horse buddies and enjoy giving them attention.

This one is simple; Stand on the side of your

horse’s neck just before its shoulder and give it

a hug. Do the same on each side. This stretches

Horse Hugs Belly Lift

Retraction Muscle Stretches - Front Protraction Muscle Stretches - Frontwww.islandhorsemagazine.com�

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the muscle of your horse’s neck

- a hug to the right stretches the

left and a hug to the left stretch-

es the right. Belly lifts - scratch

your horse’s belly (right where

your girth would sit) and you

will notice its back round. This

stretches all the back muscles

along your horse’s topline and

helps to tone and build strength

to them. If your horse is unre-

sponsive, use the rounded end of

your hoof pick and run it along

your horse’s belly. Protraction

muscle stretches - stretches the

muscles that move your horse’s

limb forward. You achieve this

my moving your horse’s limb

backward. So if you want to

stretch the muscles that propel

the limb forward, you stretch

the limb back. Retraction

muscle stretches - stretches

the muscles that move your

horse’s limb backward. You

achieve this my moving your

horse’s limb forward. So if you

want to stretch the muscles that

propel the limb backward, you

stretch the limb forward. If you

incorporate these simple exer-

cises into your riding routine,

you will notice a marked dif-

ference in your horse’s overall

movement and muscle develop-

ment. I see it with every horse

that I treat, as I recommend ex-

ercises to help with any muscle

or body weakness or just as

strengthening and toning your

horse’s muscles. Protraction Muscle

Stretches - Hind

Belly LiftRetraction Muscle Stretches - Hind

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For any questions or comments on my

column please e-mail me at,

kristen@acetherapy.ca.