Stretches to Do With Horses on the Ground

One of the best things about horse training is that you do not have to be in the saddle to accomplish a lot. You can do a number of valuable exercises without ever mounting up. That means you can work with your young horse long before he is old enough to ride, then seamlessly move those ground work exercises into the saddle.

  1. Neck Stretches

    • No matter what style of riding you prefer or which equine sport is your favorite, a horse that displays good lateral flexion will be more athletic and easier to ride. You can encourage this lateral flexion from the ground by gently pulling the horse's nose around toward his side. Work slowly, and reward the slightest try as the horse becomes more flexible on both sides. As you progress, the horse will be able to move his nose more and more, and in time you can move this exercise into the saddle as you continue the training.

    Head Lowering

    • One of the most common problems horse owners see is a horse that raises her head when being haltered or bridled. Horse owners can use stretching exercises to get the horse to slowly lower her head and respond to pressure. You can start with your hand on the top of the horse's head, with your fingers just behind her ears. Slowly push down on these pressure points, relieving the pressure each time the horse lowers her head. Over time, you can get the horse to lower her head further and further, and use that obedience to make haltering, bridling and general handling a lot easier.

    Backing Up

    • Teaching your horse to back up smoothly is an important part of training, since those backups allow the horse to move effectively and use his entire body. You can start teaching the backup on the ground, then seamlessly move to backing up under saddle. The easiest way to start teaching the backup is to stand in front of and slightly to the side of the horse, then lightly tug backward on the lead rope until the horse begins to move. You can do one step at a time, then slowly increase the number of backup steps as the horse gets better and better at this stretching exercise.

    Turns on the Haunches

    • Horses need to learn how to engage their hind ends in order to be more maneuverable both on the ground and under saddle. One of the best stretching exercises for teaching this engagement is the turn on the haunches. When a horse executes this type of turn, he plants the hind foot furthest away from you, keeping that foot in place while moving the rest of his body around that foot. This helps the horse stretch out his back and move his body more effectively. You can start this turn by pushing the horse away from you and encouraging him to move away from the pressure.