Stretch your horse for the same reasons you stretch yourself. Flexibility is not only a necessary athletic trait, but stretching helps prevent injury and helps your horse feel his best.
If you’ve been laying on your couch for 6 hours watching a Law and Order marathon, it would be more than a little uncomfortable to jump up and stretch your back, hamstrings and glutes. The same goes for your horse. A warmed up horse’s muscles are more pliable and able to stretch without strain, so make sure you don’t pull your horse straight out of his stall and attempt to stretch him.
And, be gentle! He can’t tell you that the stretch is too intense, so err on the side of caution.
Evention TV demonstrates eight basic stretches to incorporate into your horse’s workouts:
