Often, tension or sore muscles can get in the way of our horse’s performance. A few weeks ago, my equine bodyworker, Jodi Heaston, came out and showed me some really effective and easy exercises to relax and activate your horse’s neck muscles.
In this week’s video, Jodi and Natasha will be demonstrating two easy exercises you can do in the crossties to relax your horse and activate some of the neck muscles. These are great exercises to do before and/or after your ride. Jodi also talks a bit about how bodywork can be beneficial for your horse and what techniques she uses.
One important thing to keep in mind as you are doing these exercises is that when in doubt, less is more! Remember, horses can feel flies on them!
Sternum Mandibular Shake
This exercise helps to relax your horse’s sternum mandibular muscle (the neck muscle along underside of the neck running from the sternum to the mandible) and also helps activate the muscles that support the cervical vertebrae. To do the sternum mandibular shake:
1) Make a C-shape with your hand
2) Place your hand gently on your horse’s neck underneath their jaw
3) Lightly wiggle this muscle as you move your hand up and down your horse’s neck
4) Wiggle up and down your horses neck a few times, then end the exercise by softly resting your palm on your horse’s sternum
As you are doing this exercise look for your horse to lower their neck, soften their eye, or blow out. These are all signs of relaxation and that this exercise was effective for your horse!
Wither Wiggle
The wither wiggle exercise is great for getting the muscles around C6 and C7 activated, which are otherwise very hard to work on because of their location. This exercise will also help release tension from the C6 and C7 vertebrae as well as the withers. To perform the wither wiggle:
- Place one hand on the neck about 3 fingers above the withers
- Make a peace sign with the other hand, and place those two fingers behind the withers on the other side of the horse
- Gently begin “wiggling” each vertebra of the withers using a small push-pull movement
- Slowly move your hands down the withers continuing this motion
As you are doing this exercise, look for signs of relaxation and tension release such as shaking the head, neck, or body, softening of the eyes, licking and chewing, and blowing out. Remember, for both these exercises, when in doubt, go lighter not deeper!
Try these exercises in the cross ties before your rides this week!
Happy riding!
