Active & Passive movements to improve equine performance - Part 3
Welcome back my friends to the third and final part of this blog series: Active & Passive Movements to improve equine performance. If you are new to my page and need to catch up, you can click here for Part 1 and Part 2.
Today we are looking at active stretches you can perform, both mounted and unmounted, to improve jumping, dressage and speed performance as well as overall general wellbeing of your four legged friend to help prevent injury. Strong and supple muscles that can stretch and contract freely within their natural optimum range is important to prevent unnecessary strains and achieve ultimate performance. So let’s take a deeper look at some of the things you can do to help achieve this…
Active Stretch exercises for your horse
Active stretches of the flexor & extensor neck muscles
As discussed in parts 1 & 2 of this blog, lateral flexion through the neck as well as extension of the neck & top line are essential to improve jumping ability with the need to bascule over fences & turn on a sixpence - sometimes in mid-air and dressage performance with lateral movements including half pass and long rein walk, for example.
a) Mounted neck flexion exercises
When mounted in either walk, trot or canter, work the horse in a low round frame and ask for some lateral bend through the neck in the direction of movement (the degree of bend can be increased as the horse becomes accustomed to the exercise). It is important NOT to force the bend by hanging onto the inside rein as this would cause the stretch to become “passive” and could cause injury. Instead, be light handed and give and take the reins offering / suggesting for the horse to bend.
This exercise can also be performed asking for counter flexion (i.e. in the opposite direction to the way the horses body is bent or the way the horse is travelling). This is harder and so start with normal flexion and once you have mastered that, move on to counter flexion.
Alternating between the two can improve inside bend.
NEVER MAINTAIN THE LATERAL BEND FOR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS
Mounted neck flexion exercises
See the diagram to the left showing:
a) Counter Flexion: which in this instance is stretching the right side flexors and contracting the left side.
b) Normal Flexion: which in this instance is stretching the left side flexors and contracting the right side.
Once you have mastered active flexion on a large 20 metre circle in a low and round frame, ask for a more classic outline which will work slightly different muscle groups and improve overall strength and flexibility for more versatility. Using the bending principles outlined above (of inviting the bend not forcing it) progress on to include serpentines, gradually increasing the number you fit into the length of your school to create a stronger bend. You can also apply these principles to circles, spirals, figures of eight etc.
REMEMBER: DO NOT FORCE THE BEND, INSTEAD, BE LIGHT HANDED AND GIVE AND TAKE THE REINS INVITING THE HORSE TOMAKE THE BEND HIMSELF.
Serpentine A
Carry out a serpentine with a circle in each loop.
As you progress, gradually increase the number of loops to increase active bend.
Serpentine B
To keep things interesting for you and your horse, vary your serpentines such as making them miniature and highly controlled up the centre line.
Start at a walk and progress to trot when and if you feel able.
Figure 8
Figure of eight exercises are great for improving flexion as well as balance through the change of direction.
Why not start large then gradually decrease/increase your circles?
Spiral
Leg yielding to create a spiral pattern with a change of rein from a small 5m circle to a large 20 metre circle.
With all the above active flexion exercises take it slowly and build intensity gradually. You will still reap the benefits at walk so don’t feel you have to trot or canter to achieve results.
GOOD FORM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPEED!
Mounted neck extensor exercises
When working the horse in a “classic” outline, the extensor muscles are in a shortened position so in order to lengthen and stretch these muscles you want to ask your horse to stretch his neck down towards the ground. There are a few variations of this shown in the drawings below and each stretch the muscles slightly differently and also incorporate different muscle groups so it is important to use a variety of exercises for optimum results.
Again, as with the flexor stretches above, it is important that this remains an “active” stretch with the horse choosing to actively stretch himself - there should be no pull on the horses mouth, only a soft give and take contact to encourage the stretch.
VARY THE EXTENSOR EXERCISES YOU DO WITH YOUR HORSE FOR OPTIMUM RESULTS
Long and Low
When mounted, ask the horse to work with his head carried low and his nose to the ground with the head and neck forming a continuous line and the angle of the jaw open.
This is good for stretching all the muscles of the top line as well as the head and neck flexor muscles underneath the jaw.
Long and low shoudl always be performed after a period of collected, short frame work.
Low and Round
The neck is still carried long towards the ground, however the nose is slightly behind the vertical (but not behind the bit), with a slightly more closed angle at the jaw.
This outline gives a stronger stretch of the top line neck extensor muscles.
Deep and Round ***TO BE AVOIDED***
Some trainers still use this approach, however it is widely believed that this outline is not physically or psychologically advantageous for the horse.
This outline can actually cause harm to the horse and if used, should NEVER be held for more than 30 SECONDS to prevent nuchal ligament strain or tear, muscle strain and spasm causing pain through the neck and back, nerve damage to the extent that is can cause wobbler syndrome in young horses and loss of circulation due to restricted blood vessels in the neck.
The photograph above demonstrates a perfect low and round outline with a light contact with the horse well balanced with impulsion from behind, not falling onto the forehand.
Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6
If you enjoy doing pole work and want to advance your active extensor stretches a little further, you can incorporate walking and trotting over ground poles and progress to raised poles for added stretch. Ensure the poles are spaced correctly for your horses stride. For those of you who enjoy jumping, either loose jumping from the ground or jumping in the saddle can really stretch out the top line and neck extensor muscles. It is important to ensure you are allowing the horse to fully stretch and bascule over the fence without hindrance (as seen in the photo below), which is why loose jumping is particularly useful for this, as is grid-work.
Active stretches of the equine forearm
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed how important suppleness of the forelimbs is to allow optimum length of stride and flexibility through the flexor tendons to reduce the risk of injury, particularly when jumping in order to absorb the massive weight upon landing; remember…
ONE FETLOCK CAN BE SUBJECTED TO A FORCE OF OVER 3 TONNES UPON LANDING!
So, having already looked at the passive stretches you can do to improve the suppleness of the triceps (see Part 1), let’s now consider some active “in the saddle” exercises you can do.
Lengthened strides: Starting in walk and then progressing to trot and canter if you feel able, ask the horse to lengthen his stride using your seat and legs, maintaining a light contact. Ensure the horse does not pull on the reins or hollow through his back as this will restrict the movement of his shoulders.
Add in ground poles: If you are finding it hard to encourage your horse to lengthen his stride, ground poles can be particularly useful. Space then slightly further apart than usual and gradually increase the distance until it is challenging but comfortably achievable for your horse. Again, this activity can be carried out in walk, trot and canter.
Think about outline: The horses stride is at its longest when the croup, shoulders and ears are at the same level; this frame releases the scapula-rotator muscles allowing the triceps to stretch. Therefore keeping a lower, slightly round frame will achieve optimum results.
Photographs above: Lengthened stride on the flat and over poles.
Cavaletti work: Walking, trotting and even cantering over cavaletti poles really exaggerates the stretch of the triceps. If you don’t have cavaletti poles then raised poles will work just as well. Gradually increase the height of the poles to increase the stretch. Ensure your horse does not “bounce” the poles - a nice rhythmical pace needs to be maintained.
Counter canter: Begin with short periods and gradually increase the length of time your counter canter is maintained. It is important to ensure the horse is relaxed, balanced and has a soft contact for optimal results. Begin large around your arena then gradually introduce 20 metre circles and serpentines to really exaggerate the stretch.
Gymnastic jumping: We have mentioned gymnastic jumping above for the extensor stretch, however it is also highly beneficial for stretching out the triceps also. Vary the height, distance and type of fence to create different levels of stretch.
Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6
Photographs above: Raised poles and counter canter.
Active stretches of the equine hind limb
a) Mounted hind limb protractor and hamstring stretches: These two opposing muscle groups have a tendency to become tight so active stretch exercises to help keep them supple will not only help prevent injury but also improve dressage, jumping and speed performance (as discussed in Parts 1 and 2 of this series).
Hind limb protractor stretches: The exercises detailed for the triceps and forearms above (lengthened strides, pole work and jumping) are also beneficial for the muscles of the hind limb aswell. Additional comments I would make to increase the hind limb rearward stretch would be to increase the height of the jumps to increase the level of stretch at take off (but these must not be increased beyond he horse’s scope and level of training), plus incorporating galloping work for maximum stretch of the hind limb protractors, but again, the horse must be fit for galloping work to prevent injury.
Hind limb hamstring stretches: These are the opposing muscle group to the protractor muscles of the hind limb and are important for racing and speed as well as balanced, lengthened strides. As discussed in Part 2 of this series, it is vital to have good flexibility in these muscles to avoid unnecessary strain being placed on the tendons and ligaments below the hock joint. Take a look below at some excellent exercises ’ you can try at home…
Canter long and low
Riding long and low in trot and canter stretches the gluteals by extension of the stifle and flexion of the hip. Ask for a “big jump” for each canter stride to get maximum stretch.
Source: ISBN: 0-85131-860-6
Up and down hill
Walk, trot and canter up and down sloping gradients will stretch the lumbo-sacral, hip and fetlock joints as well as increase flexion and extension for a bigger range of motion.
The rider must ensure the horse is working from behind and is not on the forehand.
Photo by Horst Streitferdt: Source: https://eventingnation.com/
Photo by Leslie Potter:Source: https://www.horseillustrated.com/
Rein back
Rein back stretches out the hip extensors, stifle and hock flexors. It is not a natural gait so is not naturally easy to perform. Quality over quantity is key - start with just a couple of steps then gradually increase.
Once mastered on the flat, you can rein back up a slight incline to further exaggerate the movement. Perform from the ground or in the saddle.
Galloping
Not only does this blow the cobwebs away and get the blood pumping, galloping is also an excellent way to stretch the hamstrings. As mentioned above, the horse must be well warmed up and fit for galloping work.
b) Mounted Adductor and Abductor stretches: Having a good balance of flexibility and strength between these two opposing muscle groups is vital for balance and symmetry of your horses paces. Remember, as discussed in Part 2 of this series…
IF ONE MUSCLE GROUP IS MUCH STRONGER OR MORE FLEXIBLE THAN THE OTHER THEN LATERAL FLEXION WILL BE INHIBITED AND STRIGHTNESS OF THE HORSES GAIT LOST RESULTING IN ABNORMALITIES SUCH AS PLAITING.
So, let’s dive straight in with some active stretch exercises you can do yourself to help ensure straightness.
Fore Limb:
Shoulder-fore progressing to shoulder-in: Ensure you carry these exercises out equally on both reins. A greater stretch is achieved in walk so don’t feel you have to trot or canter to achieve results. Good technique at walk is better than average technique in trot or canter.
Hind Limb:
Turn on the forehand: This a mild stretch exercise for the adductor muscles of the hind limbs. Begin asking for a 90 degree turn and increase to 180 degrees once your form is good. Ensure you work evenly on both sides.
Travers and renvers: As with shoulder-fore and shoulder-in, the best stretch is achieved in walk. The adductor muscles of the leading leg alternately stretch and contract against the force of the moving body over the leg. Ensure you work evenly on both sides.
Fore and hind limbs:
Leg Yield progressing to half-pass: Leg yield is the easier of the two for horse and rider and is often better for novices as if a half-pass is carried out incorrectly (i.e. the weight does not remain on the outside shoulder) then the stretch will be reduced.
Photographs above left to right: shoulder-fore, turn on the forehand, leg yield, half-pass.
Well, I think that’s what they call that a wrap! During this three-part series of Active and Passive movements to improve equine performance we have looked at the reasons why stretching is so important, the difference between active and passive stretches and how to perform them with some examples of each. Remember, if you missed Part 1 or Part 2 click on the links to start from the beginning or simply to have a re-cap.
I really hope you have found this interesting and informative and if you have, please share it with a friend. Check out my website www.equine-therapy.co.uk and feel free to get in touch if you think your horse would benefit from my services and expertise.
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