[ILoveRedRanger!]

I've been wanting to learn how to stretch and give my horse a message before I ride. I read an article in Equis (I think that's the name) show me how to stretch your horses front end and stuff ... But I had to return the magazine back to the owner. I forgot what the article said and everything. So if anyone has any helpful ways I would LOVE to hear them. I'm really interested in this. Thanks!

P.S If you know any stretches I can do after I ride please post them!

[_Rocket_Cutting]

What I do with Rocket, not as often as I probably should, is pick up his front feet and stretch them forward in front of him. It loosens the muscles and helps before riding. I also flex his neck to the left and the right a few times. I'll stretch his back legs to the front, toward his stomach, and behind him as well.

But that's just what I do. I'm sure there are many different things you can do.

[Dawn]

You're really not supposed to do 'streches' before a ride. The muscles are not warmed up, and you can do a lot of damage. Now if you've lunged first, it's okay. But to pull out of the stall or pasture and start doing streches, you're asking for trouble. Some limited stretches can be done, very simple ones without asking for much of a range. But safe the big stretching till after the workout.

[Photochick]

Dawn, why would stretching hurt them? I don't do a lot of it (I'm more worried about my stretches - bad back), but I do stretch the front legs to remove girth wrinkles, and when I'm astride, I pull their nose towards my boot toe on both sides, about 4 times. This is bad?

[Dawn]

No, those are pretty simple, as long as you're not pulling their hooves up to their chin. Stretching has to be done slowly. Think of muscles like rubber. When it's cold, it's very rigid, it doesn't stretch, it breaks. When it's warm/hot, it's pliable and stretches. Even when exercising, sports, etc...you should do a few minutes of activity before settling into stretches. 50 jumping jacks, a brisk walk/light jogging. Also, while we can feel where our muscles can and cannot stretch to, we can not feel where our horses can and cannot. It's a big risk that we will overstretch our horses because they can't say, 'hey, that's far enough!'.

[~Saintly~]

I usually wait untill after i ride to stretch. The only stretch i do do before i ride is pulling his front legs forward to get the wrinckles under his girth out. Front legs: After i unsaddle i stretch his front legs first by lifting his leg (by the knee so it is still bent) up so it is at a 90 degree angle with his shoulder. Then i pull his leg forward and push hos knee down and stretch that way. Then i lift it up again like i did before and do 5 litte circles to the left and 5 little circles to the right. This is a good stretch because if you are doing it proprely you can see the muscles stresching all the way up to their wither. Then i put his foot down as if he is stepping forward the pick it up and put it down as if he is stepping backward. Then you repeat with the other side.. Back legs:With the back legs i just pick them up and bring his back hoof to his front knee. Doing this on both sides. Neck : When stretching his neck i use just a bit of grass or hay. I stand at his shoulder and bring his head around (with food of course) to reach his belly. Do this on both sides. Also i bring his head inbetween his front legs. and the last stretch i stand on a chair and bring his head up so that his chin and neck make a sort of straight line ( i satnd on a chair infront of him coz he is tall and i am small lol).

They are all the stretches that i do. But it is really improtant not to over stretch your horse. If you feel him resisting pulling the foot forwards or somthing don't go to far and slowly increase the distance of how far you pull their legs out.

[Catalyst]

Just as a warning to those who do the 'girth stretch'.
You can actually kill off the blood vessels in that area.
If you have the girth tightened and then proceed to stretch those front legs, you are pulling the wrinkles out from under the girth, but after the skin is out from under the girth where can it go? It sits there in front of the girth being cut off from circulation.
A much better process of stretching out that area is to do the girth up a few holes then walk around a few circles and repeat the process until the girth is as tight as required. Or stretch the legs out before you do the girth up that tight.
A lot of the muscle problems I find in that area are from people doing that stretch for extended periods of time.

Other than that, as Dawn said, it is much better to stretch after a warmup (but not after a hard workout, after cooling off is fine) and make sure to read your horse if you are attempting these stretches, one flick of an ear can mean the difference between a happy horse enjoying the stretch and a horse that will sustain injury. Get a pro (therapist, vet etc) to show you how it's done first before jumping in.

[Cavalier]

If i'm going to work my boy hard, then I do a few massage of muscle technique that my equine massage therapist showed me and told me to do. These were for my horse specifically. He tends to get sore in the shoulders and hindquarters, and he said that doing these massage techniques will loosen those particular muscles.

Its kind of hard to explain, but for the shoulder one, I kind of roll and flip that muscle, and for the hindquarter I press on one point, then run my hand to another point.

A VERY poor explanation but I did my best

I find for horses that are really stiff through the neck and poll, that carrot stretches, starting off easy, and ending up towards their barrel is a great way to loosen and relax those muscles before and after a ride.

Catalyst - I always wondered about the 'girth stretch'. I actually do the girth gradually, walk around, do up again, and this usually seems to prevent the wrinkles.

I definitely agree with Dawn in that 'hard' stretches should be done after riding - not before.

[royalrox]

mm, I just lift his front legs in front a bit-not to stretch but to flatten his skin under the girth, although some horses look at you like your crazy if they've never done it before...

[Cyn]

My Dad always made be back my horse as a kid about 20 feet or so before I ever got on. He said it helped stretch out the back muscles before riding...
It is still a habit of mine... I do this to Mary's pony too before she gets on.. It may do nothing, I have no clue.. But after almost 30 years of doing it, it has become habit...