Stretches?!?!?

Question

Hi there,

Just recently my pony has pulled a muscle in his back end and we are giving it as much time as it takes to heal, he stil gets walked aroun dthe field ( a trail ride but i walk him in hand). So i was wondering is there anything else i can do to help him get better lik estretches or exercises?

Thanks

Horse Lover

Answer 1

they have a spot around their girth area in the middle and if you press it they lift up their back like a cat. My horse masuse says it is good for thier backs. She also does stretches where the reach their head to their ribs and eventually to their hind quarters for a treat.

Answer 2

Well, what has always worked with my horse when he's stiff or sore has been to:

1. Walk him over poles on the ground or about 6-12" off the ground to encourage him to stretch out his legs. You can start out with them on the ground and work your way a little higher each time.

2. If he likes treats, then make him stand still while you hold a treat out in front of him, far enough away so that he will have to stretch out his neck to get it. Better yet, hold the treat under his neck so that he will have to kind of drop his head and arch his neck to reach it. This will stretch muscles along the back/spine.

3. Teach him how to bow. Stacy Westfall wrote an article on this in the AQHA magazine. If you want the detailed article, I can probably dig up my magazine in which she wrote an article about teaching horses how to bow and send it to you somehow.

4. Massage the area. It may or may not help the healing, but it probably will help with any pain. A good massage that horses seem to really like is where you take you index finger and your middle finger and hold them together, rubbing in circles that spiral in and out. It's also good to vary in pressure, but if it seems to cause more pain, stop immediatly.

I really hope this heps, this is all I can think of at the moment! I'll post another answer if I can think of anything else! :)

Answer 3

Hello!

Well good for you for taking your time, that in it self is the main thing! As far as stretches these are great for hind end injuries:

1) Stretch his hind leg but holding his fetlock like you are going to pick his feet and push it out all the way so he disengages his hip and stifle, this will pull his gluteal muscles in his rear end and streghthin them.

2) Grasp the fetlock and bottom of his foot the same way and push gently upwards twords his belly so it flexes his rear end muscles thru his hocks, this will pull the oposite way and stretch even the lower lumbar region.

3) Teach him to bow, as silly as it sounds, he must actually flex the top mucles in his rear end to properly execute this by going down all the way.

4) Engage and Disengage which is when you are standing with him, have him step forward, back up, turn his haunches away from you each way, this just crosses the legs over so it will work those muscles.

Hope this helps, we have a physical thearpy and performance horse rehabilitation center at our equestrian facility so we see alot of horses with bad hind ends, and these are some of the simply methods we use on them. :) good luck!

Answer 4

lmao pony.

get him a bowflex

Answer 5

try muscle cream wich you can get at vets and most pet shops another alternative is to use our ice gel or goanna heat oil which makes the muscle feel a whole lot better

Answer 6

No.  The muscle tissue requires time to heal on its own.  Stretching at this point would cause further damage.  Eventually you can employ a massage therapist to help the healing process continue, and help restore flexibility.  You'll need to be very careful when starting him back in work, after the vet's ok.