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Horse owners and riders are always looking for ways to improve their horse’s health, movement, and performance. A smoother trot or lope isn’t just about conditioning; it’s often a matter of addressing underlying physical restrictions. April Love, the founder of Holistic Horseworks, introduces an innovative way to tackle these issues—Horse Yoga.
Horse owners and riders are always looking for ways to improve their horse’s health, movement, and performance. A smoother trot or lope isn’t just about conditioning; it’s often a matter of addressing underlying physical restrictions. April Love, the founder of Holistic Horseworks, introduces an innovative way to tackle these issues—Horse Yoga.
April initially developed Horse Yoga for her clients to help maintain their horses between bodywork sessions. As she explains, clients often asked why their horse’s body was so out of balance and what they could do between sessions. This curiosity led her to design a series of stretches that target key areas of a horse’s anatomy, helping prevent stiffness and promoting smooth, fluid movement.
One of the primary exercises in Horse Yoga is a “carrot stretch,” where the horse reaches back to touch its stifle. This stretch not only promotes flexibility in the neck but also serves as a diagnostic tool to assess how well the horse can stretch through its cervical vertebrae.
“If the horse can’t reach back easily, it could be a sign of an arthritic neck,” says April. Tightness in the neck often leads to restricted movement in the shoulders, resulting in a choppy trot or lope. By regularly incorporating this stretch, you can help alleviate that tightness and improve your horse’s overall gait.
Consistency is key when it comes to Horse Yoga. By integrating these stretches into your daily routine, you can ensure your horse stays limber and balanced. April points out that many horses start to enjoy the stretches so much that they initiate the movements themselves!
For competitive horses, it’s especially important to maintain this routine. A flexible, well-aligned horse will perform better in competitions, whether in endurance racing, barrel racing, or jumping.
If your horse has a rough gait, choppy trot, or lumbering canter, it could be due to underlying alignment issues—like the first rib misalignment. April teaches how to release the first rib, which often gets impinged during strenuous activities like cantering through deep mud. This misalignment can prevent the shoulder from moving properly, which results in gait abnormalities.
For riders dealing with such issues, Horse Yoga serves as a valuable tool for diagnosing the problem early. However, April also recommends her more advanced Level 1 Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding Program to fully address these deeper issues.
Horse Yoga isn’t just about flexibility—it’s a diagnostic tool that helps horse owners understand their horse’s physical condition. If your horse struggles with certain stretches or can’t complete them, it’s a clear sign that something is off.
And it’s not just about physical health. April emphasizes that spending this quality time with your horse—doing stretches, being mindful of their needs—also improves your bond with them. Horses are sentient beings, and they thrive when we take the time to care for their body, mind, and spirit.
If you’re interested in trying Horse Yoga with your horse, you can start by checking out April’s Horse Yoga video tutorial. You can also explore her Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding Program, a deeper dive into horse bodywork that can save you thousands in vet bills and improve your horse’s performance for the long term.
Horse Yoga offers a powerful, holistic approach to improving your horse’s gait, overall health, and relationship with you. Whether you’re competing or just want to improve your horse’s quality of life, daily yoga stretches can make a significant difference in their flexibility, movement, and wellbeing.
Join Holistic Horseworks hands-on horse bodywork clinics or online home study courses to learn these skills and more! You can help your horse alleviate pain to regain vitality, and dynamic performance, transforming them into a happy, healthy, and willing equine partner!
Remember, the best thing you can do is to try. The worst thing you can do is nothing!
Equine Musculoskeletal Unwinding is our Level 1 program that will get you off to a great start with horse care! Along with many physically supportive techniques, this course goes over balancing chakras and aligning acupressure meridians, along with techniques in “listening” so that you can finally hear what it is your horse has been trying to tell you!
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DISCLAIMER: This is not intended to be a substitute for professional veterinarian advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your veterinarian with any questions you may have regarding the medical condition of your pet, and always consult them in the case of an emergency.
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