Stretching the Horse

Description

Stretching is a fabulous exercise for the horse, and should be done at the beginning and end of each workout, as well as intermittently throughout the ride for brief periods as a reward, and to test that your training has been correct.

I think that there are many riders who are slightly confused about what constitutes a proper stretch for the horse. I see many riders riding long and low, thinking that they are doing a constructive stretch, but are instead doing something quite unproductive. Riding the horse with it's head and neck low is only beneficial to the horse if there is a connection over the back. The following pictures show examples of right and wrong, and should help to clear up any confusion...