Active & Passive movements to improve equine performance - Part 1

Hello my friends and thank you for checking in to join me again to chat about all things horsey – today’s topic is about how your horse and pony moves and ways that you can proactively use active and passive movements to improve balance, symmetry and motion of your four legged friend. A question I am often asked by my clients is…

Q: What is the difference between active and passive movement in a horse?

A: In simple terms, one is performed voluntarily by the horse (active) and the other is performed by an external force i.e. the handler (passive).

Every horse will have its own natural range of movement affected by its breeding, confirmation and work schedule, however with carefully performed stretch exercises, this range of movement can be improved. Most competitive riders will want their horses to work at their maximum “safe” range of active movement to enable a bigger more powerful jump or a more expressive exaggerated stride however, even happy hackers will experience a more comfortable ride on a horse that has a better active range of movement and free flowing paces.

In order to maintain optimum range of movement, once achieved, the joint needs to move through its full range frequently

If a horse’s range of movement is not used regularly, as he grows older he will become stiff and his range of movement will reduce (just like in humans). It is important to note as well that injuries, repeated strains, over extension and over development of muscles will also affect the range of movement achievable.

Stretching, be that active or passive, is really helpful to maintain optimum range of movement. When muscles are worked they become stronger and as a result they shorten and create more resistance, so it is important to also incorporate stretching exercises to allow agonist and antagonist (opposing) muscles to work in balance i.e. in a bicep curl, the agonist muscle is the bicep which contracts to close the joint and the triceps is the antagonist which must stretch to allow movement in a controlled manner. Care must be taken not to increase the horse’s range of motion beyond that of its normal range as this in turn could lead to hyper-mobile joints causing instability and weakness. This is why a combination of strength training combined with lengthening and suppleness work through active and passive stretching is an ideal way to develop strong, flexible “elastic” muscles and joints.

Passive stretch exercises to assist performance of the equine athlete

Part 1: Passive stretches to improve jumping ability

1a. Flexor and Extensor neck stretches: In order for the horse to jump he must stretch his neck and back to bascule over the fence. The greater stretch the horse can achieve through his neck and back, the higher, cleaner jump he can make as the head and neck are used to move the centre of gravity forward and backward enabling the jump to take place. Flexor (lateral) and Extensor (longitudinal) suppleness is essential to improve a horses jumping ability.

The Passive Flexor Stretch of the Neck

The handler works incrementally down each cervical vertebrae controlling the degree of flexion.

The Passive* Extensor Stretch of the Neck

* The extensor stretch can also be described as an active stretch as the horse actively makes the stretch himself, but is encouraged and guided by the handler to the level of extension desired.

Let’s take a look at what muscles are stretched during each of these movements…

Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6 Blignault, K., 2003. Stretch exercises for your horse: the path to perfect suppleness. Trafalgar Square Publishing.

See the photograph above demonstrating the bascule shape created by the stretch of the neck and back muscles as the horse jumps the fence.

1b) Triceps and Jumpers stretches of the forelimbs: Suppleness of the forelimbs is essential for jumping to allow the horse’s legs to curl up in front of him and then absorb the weight upon landing. To curl up his legs in front, his triceps and latissimus dorsi muscles must stretch and upon landing the digital and carpal flexors must stretch in order to absorb the huge weight upon landing…

One fetlock can be subjected to a force of over 3 tonnes upon landing

Tight flexor muscles are not be able to absorb this amount of load which can then result in injury. Tight forearm muscles will not allow flexibility in the fetlocks and without this flexibility and stretch, tendons are not able to absorb the weight upon landing, therefore putting them under strain. As the saying goes…

“Flexible fetlocks are strong fetlocks”

The Passive Triceps Stretch

The handler lifts the forelimb with a bent knee to a comfortable range for the horse. Suitable for all horses within their natural range of movement.

The Passive Jumpers Stretch

This might look the same at first glance, but the forelimb is lifted higher to increase the stretch. Particularly useful for horses that jump and not to be performed on older horses or those with a limited range of movement.

Let’s take a look at what muscles are stretched during each of these movements…

Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6 Blignault, K., 2003. Stretch exercises for your horse: the path to perfect suppleness. Trafalgar Square Publishing.

See the photograph above demonstrating the stretch in the triceps muscle and contraction of the biceps in the opposing muscle group of the foreleg.

1c) Hindlimb rearward stretch: Suppleness of the hindlimbs is also critical for jumping success to allow the horses legs to stretch out to cover the depth of the fence, then curl up beneath him mid-flight to ensure he clears the fence cleanly. The muscles responsible for the extension of the hip and stifle upon take-off can only stretch when the opposing muscles contract. These muscles have a tendency to become tight so the rearward stretch should be introduced gradually and slowly.

The Passive Hindlimb Stretch

It is important for the handler to ease into the rearward hindlimb stretch slowly as these muscles have a tendency to become tight.

Let’s take a look at what muscles are stretched during this movement…

Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6 Blignault, K., 2003. Stretch exercises for your horse: the path to perfect suppleness. Trafalgar Square Publishing.

See the photograph above demonstrating the stretch in the quadriceps femoris and tensor facia lata in the hindlimb.

Well, that’s it for today… hopefully Part 1 of this blog has helped you gain a greater understanding of the important role stretching has for the performance of your horse and how a balance of strength training, combined with stretching exercises, can be really beneficial to your horse’s overall performance and wellbeing.

Today we have focused on passive stretching to improve jumping ability; please join me for Part 2 (coming soon) where we will focus passive stretch exercises to improve dressage performance and galloping speed be that for racing, endurance, team chasing or eventing. After that, in part 3 we will move on to discuss active exercises you can perform under saddle to help keep your horse or pony performing at their best and minimise the risk of injury.

If you have enjoyed this blog, please remember to “Like” and “follow” my facebook page and check out my website blog regularly www.equine-therapy.co.uk/blog so that you don’t miss out on parts 2 and 3 as well as other useful (and hopefully interesting) blog discussions I upload regularly. If you haven’t already, check out my Lymphatic Series to learn more about the secondary circulatory system of the horse.

Thanks for reading and sharing with your friends and I look forward to catching up with you again soon!