How to improve your horse’s flexibility?

British rider and dressage coach Richard Davison has represented Great Britain at four Olympic Games, including in London 2012 paired with Hiscox Artemis. He is also a European Championship medalist, former World Class manager and captain of the British dressage team.

Richard Davison & Hiscox Artemis / https://www.horseandhound.co.uk

Star training

My horse, Hiscox Artemis, had a rather short loin and at first he strained the wrong muscle groups, so I did the exercises to improve their flexibility and range of motion.

Hiscox quickly learned that neck position and hind leg work depended on each other. He soon buckled under the light pressure of the leg and the reins.

The solution

If you effectively flex and mobilize your joints, your horse’s muscle tone will improve.

1. Learn horse anatomyespecially which parts of the horse have the most and least flexibility. There is no point in trying to bend a part that does not bend.

2. Feedback is best achieved through impact reduction. Start by testing your horse’s reaction to the leg. It is important here to calm the leg when the horse responds.

3. Work on lateral reaction to the leg, performing leg yields. Then move down the long wall and place your outside leg slightly behind until the horse is will move the hind legs inside the arena, while remaining on the wall with the front legs (see diagram above). At this point, avoid over-bending the horse’s neck – don’t try to traverse. After about 15 meters, attach your inside leg to straighten your horse.

Repeat this exercise two or three times on one long side, depending on the length of the playpen. Work both ways and eventually all over the arena, changing directions.

4. Walk up the wall and pull on the inside rein to bend the horse’s neck inwardmaking sure it goes straight ahead. After 15 meters, straighten up using the outside rein and repeat. Then move to the inside track of the arena and bend the horse’s neck outward and ride this way for another 15 meters. Straighten and repeat in different places throughout the arena. This will mobilize your horse’s neck joints.

Be aware…

• Start exercising with steps and make it harder gradually. It is easier for your horse to mobilize all parts of his body in more slow pace.
• Minimize foot or arm impact as soon as your horse responds.
• It’s not about “holding the flex”, it’s about get your horse to respond to relaxation after exertion. The more you pinch your horse with your leg, the less he reacts, making it seem like he’s not bending around your leg as he can’t find a way to release the pressure.

Source: https://www.horseandhound.co.uk