A different approach to »stretching« the legs
While stretching exercises have their benefits, they are not the only useful exercises we can do with the horse’s legs. The ability to relax the leg in certain positions is an important one. Here is how to test your horse.
Can your horse relax his front leg forward and downward?
Stretching exercises are an amazing tool to help keep our horses sound and restriction-free. They provide a valuable insight into the state of the horse's body and if done correctly and regularly, they can increase elasticity, proprioception and improve performance. But stretching is a very broad term and not every exercise that includes placing the horse's legs in a certain position can be lumped under the »stretching« umbrella.
Today I would like to talk about two exercises that I would not call stretches, even though they might look like it. The problem with calling everything a stretch is that people think stretching is pulling a body part as far as you can to increase the stretch and thus maximise the beneficial effect of the exercise. But that's not always what we want. So, let's call the exercises we are talking about today relaxing exercises. The question we are asking is not »how far can you stretch this leg? « but »can you relax this leg in this position? «.
In the first exercise we will be relaxing the front leg forward and down and the hind leg backward and down. These are good exercises by themselves and they are also a great test to see how supple and elastic the horse's body is. It's one of those »if your horse can't do this, you need to work on it« type things.
With the first exercise, we will be picking up the horse's leg, gently bring it a little forward and then allow him to relax the leg down, gradually reaching the ground with the hoof. We are not trying to see how far the horse can go with the leg, we are just asking him to relax the entire leg downwards. This requires the muscles and soft tissue around the scapula to allow the entire leg to travel down along the ribcage with the horse staying balanced on the three legs on the ground. If a horse is not able to do this or if he tries to smash the hoof into the ground and then pull the leg back quickly, this is telling you something. Often, the problem will be tightness around the muscles at the back of the scapula. Horses that are girthy will often have a hard time with this one too.
In the second exercise, we will be picking up the hind leg, guiding it backwards and downwards until the horse puts the toe of the hoof on the ground about one or two hoof lengths behind the contralateral hoof. Again, we are not stretching the leg as far backwards as possible. We are simply asking the horse to relax his leg backwards and down. This requires him to lengthen his hip flexors and allow the pelvis to shift anteriorly. If a horse is not able to do this, if he keeps pulling the leg towards his belly or smashing it down, there's a good chance his hip flexor is too tight. This is often a problem with horses who are camped under and who have a hint of kyphosis in the lumbar region.
With both these exercises, it's imperative that you go very slowly and be very gentle and patient. Some horses will need a long time before they can relax and if you are rushing them or pulling the leg, you will only create tension. And that's the opposite of what we are going for here. Never forget, the question is »can you relax this leg? «. If your horse struggles with these tow exercises, try doing them very gently for a week or so and see if you make any progress. If you see no change after a while, it might be time to call in your bodyworker to address any restrictions that might be preventing the horse's ability to relax the legs.