Feature: Stretch it out Part 2

FEATURE

Stretch it out Part 2

In the second of this two-part series, Leny Beahan talks to CHRISTINE ARMISHAW about stretches you can try with your own horse.

In our November issue, we spoke with equine bodyworker Leny Beahan, who explained the fantastic benefits stretching offers, how to assess if your horse needs to stretch, and what areas to focus on for dressage, jumping and western horses. Now let’s look at Leny’s favourite stretches, how less can be more, and the very best stretching exercise she would prescribe if there could be only one.

Getting into the hands-on side of things, Leny talks about setting up for good technique, and one thing to be aware of is limb positioning. “For instance, if you were to do a hamstring stretch with the hind leg coming forward toward the front of the horse, it’s important to keep the position of the leg under the body within the natural range of motion.

Don’t bring it too far out to the side, and always have the joints slightly flexed and not locked.”

Refrain from overdoing it. "Think about lengthening or elongating, rather than stretching; less is more in this situation,” Leny says, cautioning that before stretching you need to ensure your horse is warmed up with a five minute active walk, or alternatively, stretch after your training session.

Timing is everything

Once you’ve decided stretching is in order, the next question is how long does a stretch need to be held for the muscle to actually benefit? Leny explains that stretches can be held for different lengths of time, depending on the stretch you’re doing. There are three different types of stretches: Dynamic stretch: This is a stretch that incorporates movement. Move the limb up and down, or forward and back in a continuous pattern for five to ten repetitions, then pause before adding more repetitions.

Passive or static stretch: Without over lengthening, hold the stretch for 10 to 30 seconds.

Active stretching: Here your horse does the work themselves. Examples include feeding your horse on an uphill or downhill slope, hay bags tied at different heights, poles laid down in the paddock, or different textured footing. “This eliminates force from the human and it’s beneficial exercise that you don’t have to do yourself,” Leny explains. The golden stretch

FACING PAGE: Stand beside your horse, and lift their hind leg with the toe at a similar height to the opposite fetlock. LEFT: Hold the lifted leg with one hand on the fetlock, the other on the foot, and move the foot in circles. BELOW: Most horses generally enjoy the Wither Rock. All images courtesy Leny Beahan

could prescribe that would give horses maximum benefit, it would be the nose to knees stretch. “It will stretch, strengthen and mobilise all the muscles and joints in the head, neck, back and hind end,” she says. There have been scientific studies on this particular stretch used alone with no other activity, and it has been shown to improve the strength and density of the muscles significantly.

Hold a treat like a carrot between your horse’s forelegs, and encourage them to bring their nose toward the ground and back towards their legs. As they get stronger and more flexible, the stretch can come back past the knees toward the girth line. The criteria for doing this stretch properly is for the horse to have their feet square and even, and not to buckle at the knees when they reach for the carrot. “If this happens it will generally mean that you have asked for too much, so make it easier until they get better at doing it,” Leny suggests. The head and neck should be straight with no twisting to either side; you can help them keep straight by gently

Tail circles loosen and relax the muscles of the spine, but not all horses are fans of this stretch.

guiding their head. “No grabbing for the carrot or any bouncy movements either,” she adds, “keep it polite and controlled.”

Ideally, the horse should rock backwards, contract the belly like a sit up, and lift and extend the back, withers and neck, which will increase the muscles of their topline and abdominals. What’s not to love! Start with five to ten repetitions, two to three times a week and increase incrementally from there. More stretches to try

The wither rock: This activates, relaxes and softens the muscles of the thoracic sling as well as some shoulder muscles, and horses generally really enjoy it. Stand facing your horse at their withers. Place your hands alongside each other over the wither; you should have a snug hold without gripping. Then rock your horse slowly, shifting their weight and alternating from left to right foreleg. Once your horse is used to the movement you can increase the timeframe of the hold on either side by rocking to the left and holding for 10 to 30 seconds, then slowly release before repeating to the right.

Hind leg mobilisation: Stand beside your horse and lift their hind leg, keeping the leg under the hip, not out to the side, with the toe at a similar height to the opposite fetlock. Holding the lifted leg with one hand on the fetlock and the other hand on the foot, move the foot in circles. Circle in one direction for a few repetitions and then in the other direction. Start with small circles, getting progressively larger. You can also do a figure eight movement. This can help mobilise the joints in the hind leg and relax the muscles, as well as telling you a lot about the joint’s health and any asymmetry between the legs.

Tail circles: These loosen and relax the muscles of the spine. Be aware that some horses love this, while others can find it slightly rude and will clamp their tail to let you know how they feel about it! Start with gently stroking under the tail and around the rump to allow them to get used to the feeling. Then, holding the base of the tail close to where it joins the body, lift the tail slightly and rotate with small circular movements. Once they are used to this, you can increase the size of the circles.

Getting stretchy in the saddle

Not all stretching benefits come from ground-based activities. Leny points out that there are advantages to be gained while you’re in the saddle too. “I recommend a really good warm up and cool down when riding; a ten to fifteen minute active walk, with a head posture that allows the horse to stretch forward and out, where the ears are level with the wither. Aim to have your horse in a relaxed state too, because if the horse has a braced, unrelaxed mind that will transfer into the body.” Leny also likes to get people thinking about how balanced their horse is between the left and right forelegs. “If they are tight through certain muscles and use one side more than the other, they’re reinforcing asymmetrical movement,” which means the horse over uses one leg and under uses the other, creating further muscle tightness and tension in the body.

Including some cross training and varying your training, instead of just doing the same things repeatedly, is a wise strategy. Along with that, it’s important to train evenly in both directions. Finally, concluding your ride with a nice, free and stretchy walk for five to ten minutes is a great way to let your horse cool down after training, leaving them feeling positive and relaxed for the next ridden session.

To learn more about Leny’s work, visit Connected Equine.

Hold a treat like a carrot between your horse’s forelegs to encourage them to bring their nose toward the ground and back towards their legs. As they gain strength and flexibility, the stretch can come back past the knees toward the girth line.