10 winter stretches: It's a wrap

By Amanda Sutton

Seasonal guides

14 December 2009 12:03

Short winter days can make it difficult to ride, but here are simple ground work exercises to help maintain your horse’s fitness and mobility through the cold winter months.

For this exercise, put a roller on your horse and some Vet Wrap or a bandage – but only when he’s settled and relaxed. I use a product called Thera-Band, which is stretchy and thin and used for resistance work in physiotherapy. Don’t use anything that’s too small or tight. The wrap will give the horse some feedback about his body position. (Please note: as Vet Wrap is sticky some horses are over-sensitive to it.)

- First, accustom your horse to a long stick or whip, which should become an extension of your arm. If your horse is extremely whip-shy you don’t need to use one.

- Attach the band to the roller, cutting off enough to tie to the other side. 

- Before fastening the wrap, stand your horse square and do an abdominal lift (see exercise one). This helps the horse become more aware of his body position. If he goes into a bad posture he’ll feel the resistance and move back to where the band feels comfy.

- Walk the horse around to accustom him to the band. Ask for walk by showing the way with your leading hand and encouraging with the stick, either on his quarters or by the last rib, saying ‘walk on’.

- As the horse walks on, practise a half-halt.

- Use your stick to help the halt by bringing it up in front of the horse’s nose and towards his chest in one movement. Say ‘whoa’ as you do this slow to halt movement.

- To make a turn, repeat exercise six, using the thicker end of the stick where your hand was before (level with his last rib). Encourage the hind legs to cross by giving on/off pressure to the abdominal wall after the last rib.