Exercises for relaxing a horse

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

As title says. I’m after exercises to encourage my young may to soften her neck and relax.

I’m not after her going in an outline yet, I just want her to not be so giraffe-like as I’m conscious of her back.

I have an instructor who has given us ideas, but I’m after more tools in my toolbox really.

Teeth have recently been done, she gets regular physio and saddle is due to be checked.

 

[reynold]

I was given an exercise for my last near TB riding horse. It was to do 4 1m loops down the long side of the arena at walk using leg and seat to create the changes of bend.

He found it calming and it also helped get hind leg engagement without hammering round at trot in the dressage warm up.
Only riding club level but he used to get good marks and qualified for the nationals many times in both dressage and riding test.

He was so light in front and 'on the bit' but was only ridden in a mullen mouth happy mouth bit for all his career.

 

[SEL]

I think it depends on what type of horse they are. My one with a busy brain needs to walk / trot 20m circles until she relaxes - if I ask for anything too complicated too quickly she tenses up.

The young gelding usually starts off a bit behind the leg and hollow. He starts to relax and come down after a good walk warm-up. I have various poles around to walk over (or trip over...), we circle around the jump wings, do changes of bend until he starts to reach down. If I did that with the other one she'd be on high alert wondering what was next, but boring 20m circles until she's warmed up suit her much better

 

[Ample Prosecco]

You can teach a horse to soften and relax on the ground first, by establishing lateral and vetical flexion through a head collar. They are doing it right when the muscle underside their neck is floppy. Then through a bridle. So when you ride, and pick up the rein, they are already conditioned to soften to you, and relax - mentally and physically - rather than brace by sticking their head in the air.

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

She will bend all day long on the ground and I do regular carrot stretches with her to help build those muscles. She is a bit braced in the trot on the lunge, but will occasionally soften and relax

 

[Ample Prosecco]

Carrot stretches are not the same. It's not just her body you want to relax but her mind. Teaching lateral flexion through a bit is education. A carrot stretch is fine as a way of getting her t stretch, but is a side effect of offering her a carrot. She is not learning to soften to you by doing it. Obviously do everything else everyone is suggesting but teaching things in-hand first is a very handy shortcut to their understanding what you want.

 

[sbloom]

There is a really strong connection between mental and physical relaxation, I would 100% agree with in hand work. Bracing means she is stopping herself from falling forwards as she is out of balance (and to an extent this is true of many many horses), she needs to learn to push up in front and relax the underneck. She needs to feel completely safe to do so, and this is a new definition of safe, a horse centred one - after all subconsciously they don't know that they could die at the slightest threat.

There are some really good resources on Equitopia Center to help with these sorts of topics, and some great in hand rehab type people talking about their work in webinars and podcasts on the site, cheap membership too.

 

[RachelFerd]

As title says. I’m after exercises to encourage my young may to soften her neck and relax.

I’m not after her going in an outline yet, I just want her to not be so giraffe-like as I’m conscious of her back.

I have an instructor who has given us ideas, but I’m after more tools in my toolbox really.

Teeth have recently been done, she gets regular physio and saddle is due to be checked.

Confused as to why you are 'not after her going in an outline' - all horses are going in an outline, it is just sometimes the outline is the wrong one! Sorry - pedantic, but an annoying bit of misuse of terminology which I see all the time. The outline is just a descriptive - at the moment she's going in a hollow outline. You'd like her to work in a stretching forwards + down outline. You don't want her to work in an up to the bridle and on the vertical outline (yet). The way to do that is to teach her to yield to the bit (or as AE describes, in a headcollar first and then in a bit and bridle). Until she learns to yield to the bit and soften when you use the rein aids, you won't be able to achieve true softness and relaxation.

 

[lovelyfrenchie3000]

Thanks everyone, I will start asking her to yield in the headcollar.

Sorry RF - you’re right!! Thanks for the correction.