24/11/2025
🙌🏻
🐎 Clear Up the Stretching Confusion!
One of the questions I’m asked most often is whether you should stretch your horse before you ride, or after they’re warmed up. The answer is simple, but important for keeping your horse comfortable and injury free.
🔹 ❌ Stretching a Cold Horse
Just like us, horses have muscles that don’t appreciate being pulled or lengthened when they’re cold. Stretching before your horse has moved and warmed up increases the risk of small tears, strain, or discomfort. Cold muscles are simply more vulnerable.
🔹 ✅ Stretching After a Warm Up
Once your horse has walked, engaged their body, and the tissues have warmed through, their muscles become more elastic and far safer to stretch. This is the ideal time for ridden or in hand stretching exercises. You’ll get better results, improved flexibility, and reduced risk of injury.
🔹 🕒 When Should You Stretch?
Think of stretching as part of your cool down or post warm up routine, not your pre ride prep.
A few minutes of active warm up first, then stretch.
If you’re ever unsure which stretches are most appropriate, feel free to ask your massage therapist, they will always happy to help guide you 🙏
www.woldsequinemassage.co.uk
