Stretching your horse, pre and post ride

​Starting a stretching routine we want to make sure we are doing the best for our horse. The first thing you need to consider is that you only want to stretch warmed up muscles. If you think of an elastic band, when you try to stretch it out when it is cold it doesn’t have as much give and possibly can become damaged. When you warm up the elastic it has more give and more elasticity. Before you stretch your horse prior to a ride ensure to warm up the muscles you are stretching. Here are a few options:

• Walking or lunging your horse
• Light massage muscles
• Use a warm towel for a few minutes to heat the area

You will have a more relaxed and elastic horse for your upcoming ride.
Following your ride include stretching as part of your cool down. Allow your horse to stretch their muscles that have just been worked. Post exercise stretching can help increase circulation, decrease tension, promote relaxation and decrease the risk of overuse injury.