The importance of stretch
Many horses have patterns of tension and bracing which mean that they are unable to move freely or find optimum posture. This in turn can lead to soreness, injury and an inability to carry the rider comfortably or respond easily to what is being asked of them.
Braced muscles are muscles that have become permanently contracted or switched on, even when the horse is resting.
The bracing and tension can be caused by past injury, or incorrect training or riding. However, even when these underlying issues are resolved, the horse often keeps hold of the tension that protected them in the past.
If we begin to try and teach a new posture when the horse is still trying to protect their body by bracing, then this is not only ineffective, but also results in more bracing and tension.
One of the most common areas for the horse to hold tension is in the neck, poll and jaw, where muscles tend to be braced. This very commonly results in a poll joint that is fixed, which means that when the horse lowers the head, the gullet does not open as intended (see diagram).
A poll that is mobile indicates that the muscles are no longer braced and are able to be used as intended. The muscles of the neck form a vital part of the system which enables the horse to carry themselves in correct posture, and releasing these muscles also helps other muscles to release in the chain of muscles that run down the length of the horse’s body.
Once the braced muscles have released and the poll has become mobile, the horse will be able to stretch or extend the neck correctly, and will also be able to lift the withers and poll and come into true collection.
I do not ask the horse to hold a collected posture until they are able to seek a correct stretch when the reins are released. I spend a lot of time working on this, using a combination of halt transitions, intuitive touch and pick-up to let-out transitions in slow walk. Correct stretch is the foundation on which all work is built, and I don’t progress the horse’s schooling beyond slow walk work until this has been achieved.
