Stretching, for the Rider Intro

Everyone knows how important stretching is for our horses, and why flexibility is essential to achieve balance and efficiency of movement.  I give every client whose horse I work on stretches to do for homework, and these are reviewed and are added to at each visit.  But what about the rider??

Everyone who has ridden a horse for any considerable length of time understands just how athletic of an endeavor it truly is to ride well.  Why then do so few of us have stretching routines for ourselves?  I can guarantee you that in most other sports a solid warm up and cool down includes some stretching.  Why don't riders stretch then you may be wondering??Stretching daily is the very best way to improve your flexibility overall, throughout your body. This increased flexibility makes you much less prone to injury, and can also improve your riding technique.  Many riders lean forward while riding, which will close your hip joint and stress your shoulders.  It should be no surprise then that I treat shoulder, upper back and hip pain in almost all of my trail riders.  Much of this stiffness and pain can be considerably decreased by a proper warm up and stretching routine.

You should never stretch without warming up your muscles.  Usually just walking out to catch your horse will do it.  If you have an especially easy to catch horse, giving him a thorough grooming and/or hand walking around for five or ten minutes will warm you up a sufficient amount.  Also never stretch an injured area, and be careful to avoid overstretching.  Stretching should never cause pain anywhere.  If you notice persistent pain after stretching, please discontinue and consult with your doctor.  Hold all stretches for five to six seconds to begin with, but with proper technique you can hold stretches for several minutes once flexibility is increased. 

We will get into actual stretching technique tomorrow.