May 02, 2024

Written By Kyra Wakeman

Stretching: is it really that important?

Stretching should be a vital part of your exercise regimes to increase muscle length, flexibility, suppleness and joint range of  motion. Stretching keeps muscles flexible and healthy which in turn maintains range of motion within joints to sustain healthy joint structures. Without this maintained flexibility muscles become shortened and therefore tight and range of motion within the joint becomes restricted which has a ripple effect on the rest of the body. This then puts muscles and joints at risk of over exertion leading to muscle damage, strains, joint pain and long term joint degeneration.

Passive forelimb protraction stretch



There are two forms of stretching; passive and active. Passive stretching is an external force generating the muscle length, this is a stretch that we as therapists and owners perform by sustaining a hold at the end of range to gain flexibility. Active stretching is when an animal creates movement that allows muscle lengthening and is often used to actively warm up muscles with natural movement patterns.

Active baited stretch

Carrying out a static stretch

Stretching should always be carried out under the guidance of your physiotherapist or a veterinary professional to determine the most suitable parameters for your horse.

• Always carry out stretches when muscles are adequately warm this can be achieved in  a number of ways for example, low intensity exercise, massage, or heat. This increases muscle compliance and reduces the risk of damage
• Encourage a relaxed environment to perform stretches to reduce resistance from the animal
• Correct alignment and support of limbs is important to prevent abnormal load on other soft tissue and joints
• The limb should be stabilised above and below the targeted joint
• The stretch and release should be slow

Please feel free to contact us if you wish to discuss stretching techniques suitable for your horse and/or dog.