Info courtesy of www.theridersreins.co.uk
Carrot Stretches
1. Take a carrot and without the horse moving any other part of his body, hold the carrot on his rib cage and get him to reach round to get the carrot. Have him return to the normal position then repeat a few more time moving the position that he has to reach to each time. Repeat on the other side.
2. Hold the carrot in between his legs and get him to reach down, stretching his neck, to get the carrot. Try to get him to hold the position for a few seconds.
3. Lastly, hold the carrot underneath his cheeks so he has to lift his head and pull his nose back. This stretches the poll area.
Leg Stretches
1. Pull the front leg forward slowly. The horse should put more weight into that leg after a few second when it is in the right position, hold for a few seconds and slowly put back to the ground.
2. Take the back leg forward into a low position, making sure it is straight underneath the horse’s body. Make small circles with his hoof (around 5-10) then repeat with the leg in a medium then high position.
Once you have done that, allow the horse to put his foot done the pick it back up. Take the foot backwards slowly until the leg is stretched out. You should be able to feel the horse stretch.
Back stretches
1. Take a hoof pick with a brush on the other side of it and tickle the horse’s stomach. This should cause him to lift and stretch his back.
2. Find the line between muscles on the back end of the horse like the picture below. Starting at the top, in between the tail and hips. Using a little pressure, use your fingers to run down the lines on both sides at the same time. Your horse should rotate his pelvis.
Now, you should do this after every ride or work out your horse does. You can start to increase the time of the stretch once your horse is more comfortable and flexible. You can also repeat more times.
