By Charlotte Morris

By spending an extra 10 minutes on your horse every time you ride, you can learn to spot issues before they become a larger problem and to also become more familiar with your horse as a companion.

The majority of horse owners do a visual check on their horses before they ride by looking for swellings and scrapes and then running a brush over the horse. The horse’s feet will be picked, also. Then the saddle is put on and the horse is taken out for exercise.

If you keep your horses out in a large paddock or a pasture, this can be the best-case scenario. Horses need to move, as it is part of what keeps them mentally and physically well. They use their necks more by lowering the neck to eat and also in bending to scratch an itch, or in raising the neck to spot something in the distance. The legs moving also help circulation and offsets arthritis. Stretching the neck down also brings the back muscles into play and stretching them some.

For our stalled equine companions, life is a bit more challenging. Often after being ridden they are stalled yet again, this leading to stiffness and little chance to walk the stiffness out. They also require a longer warm-up before riding than a horse that is outside everyday.

When you first bring your horse in to saddle him, take a few minutes to observe his walk carefully. Is he moving in a symmetrical way? Is there any head bobbing, as this could be a sign of lameness? Some horses, by their use, become more developed on certain parts of their bodies. Familiarize yourself with the symmetry of your horse.

After you tie him, take both hands, starting at the poll, and run them down the length of the neck. Midway down, in the width of the neck, is the cervical vertebrae. You want to feel for any heat or hardness in this area. Do this to both sides or by standing under his neck, do the neck in one motion. Feel for any tightness, heat and change of texture in the muscles.

Take your fingers and press along the withers. This could be a soreness area. Then run your fingers with firm pressure along the shoulder, again feeling the muscle and any changes in the areas.

Take your thumb and forefinger and with firm pressure, run them down the length of the spine to the croup area. There is a reflex trigger in this area so the horse may flinch one time but not all three times you do this. If his back is sore he will sag, trying to get away from the pressure. If this happens and it seems minor from a saddle fit, then try lightly currying the area an extra 5 minutes. See if this warms the muscle up to alleviate soreness and stiffness. If it remains painful: do NOT ride him!

Run your hands down all four legs, again feeling for changes in muscle and ligament tension and for heat. If you think you feel heat, but unsure, try feeling the area again with your hand just above the area, not touching. Sometimes the feel of hair can fool the sensory of touch for heat.

Lightly curry your horse all over. This is a type of massage for him and increases the blood flow to areas you work on. It will help him warm up for exercise as well as loosen tense muscles in allowing him to relax. Spend TIME brushing your horse; it does a lot more good for him than just getting him clean.

Stretching Exercises

Next is stretching. Ideally, a stretch session should be done after 5 to 10 minutes of riding or round pen work. To me, some stretching is better than no stretching so I recommend it anytime, as long as the horse has some warm-up. Stretching helps prevent injury; it helps you to see problem areas before they develop and it helps a horse become a better athlete. For a dressage horse you may see better extensions and collections in time with leg stretching and with a reining horse, you may see better rollbacks and spins with stretching. You may have your horse doing tighter barrel turns. It helps ALL disciplines!

Carrot stretch for the neck: take a treat and have the horse reach for it deep between the forelegs and to each side of the withers. The horse may not be supple to both sides so this is a great way for you to see how your horse is flexible.

Back stretch: take a key or a fingernail and scratch your horse on both hips at the same time as you stand behind him, about 10 and 2 on a clock, 3 inches from the tail. He should arch his back like a cat. Another way to stretch this area is to lightly scratch his belly and he will arch his back somewhat. Take this a step further, if you wish, by having an assistant keep his head level while this is done. To me, this is the single most effective and important stretch you can do for a horse as many lameness issues originate in a sore back.

Pick up the front leg, with your hand behind the knee. Apply light traction and lift the knee horizontal to the ground. Pull it forward to stretch the shoulder. Then reach down to bring the whole leg forward as if he were moving the leg in an extended trot, only standing.

Hind legs: the pastern, hock and stifle all move together so bring the hind leg forward and then back.

All stretches should be held lightly for 20-30 seconds or until the horse says he’s had enough. It is a great way to see where the horse may become sore before it becomes a lameness issue.

Most important: if your horse shows signs of pain, do NOT ride him! It can lead to further issues with the back and legs. Consult a veterinarian at this point and follow her instructions. A few minutes a day can save months in time if a lay-up is involved.

Good luck with these! I continue to come to stables doing this as a seminar. It’s only 45 minutes to demonstrate and explain. Give me a call if you are interested as I would very much enjoy showing how easy it is to keep your horse sound in 10 minutes a day.

For More Information Please Contact: 

Phoenix Body Works, Charlotte Morris 
Equine & Human Massage Therapy
PO Box 2167 
Round Rock, TX 78681
www.phoenixbodyworks.com 
Phone: 512-914-6802