Equine services
Resources to support your
horse between sessions.
Guidance on stretching, stable management, session preparation and aftercare so you can play an active role in your horse's recovery, performance and long-term wellbeing.
1Stretching Routines
Stretching routines
Before & after exercise
Consistent stretching helps warm muscles progressively, improve joint mobility and support recovery. Always progress slowly over several weeks, allowing your horse to build strength, mobility and confidence gradually.
Before exercise
Mobility & Activation
Before exercise, focus on mobility and free-flowing movements followed by muscle and core activation through controlled isometric engagement.
Mobility exercises
- Baited neck flexion, extension & lateral rotation series
- Scapula glides
- Hip circles
These exercises should involve continuous movement in and out of the horse’s comfortable range of motion rather than prolonged holding.
Mobility exercises
- Belly lifts
- Pelvic tucks
- Tail pulls
Avoid Before excercise
- Deep stretches held in lengthened positions
- Fast or jerky movements
- Overstretching or excessive baiting
- Pushing beyond your horse’s natural ability
Always progress slowly over a number of weeks, allowing your horse to build strength, mobility, and confidence gradually.
A combination of mobility and activation exercises helps warm the muscles progressively, improve joint mobility, and prepare the body to properly support the weight of a rider during exercise.
After exercise
Stretch & Lengthen
Following exercise, deeper baited stretches can be introduced and held in fully lengthened positions for approximately 7–30 seconds.
Post-Exercise Stretches
- Lateral neck stretches
- Forelimb stretches
- Hindlimb stretches
These deeper, sustained stretches are safest and most effective once your horse is thoroughly warmed up after work. They can help reduce post-exercise muscle tightness, improve flexibility, and support recovery — particularly for stabled horses with limited turnout or paddock time.
Avoid After excercise
- Stretching beyond your horse’s natural range
- Moving too quickly or forcefully through stretches
Always progress slowly over a number of weeks, allowing your horse to build strength, mobility, and confidence gradually.
Deeper stretches can help reduce post-exercise muscle tightness, improve flexibility, and support recovery — particularly for stabled horses with limited turnout or paddock time.
2Stable Management
Stable Management
Environment & daily care
The stable environment plays a significant role in your horse’s musculoskeletal health. Small changes to flooring, space, and feeding position can reduce strain and support recovery between sessions.
Stable Size
Stables must be large enough for horses to safely lie down, roll over and stand without risk of becoming cast.
Horses
Min. 3.65m × 3.65m (12ft × 12ft)
Large ponies (13.2hh+)
Min. 3.05m × 3.65m (10ft × 12ft)
Flooring & Bedding
Where possible, stables should include non-slip rubber matting rather than hard flooring surfaces.
Rubber matting helps reduce the risk of slipping when wet particularly in shod horses while also minimising unnecessary strain on the tendons, ligaments, and joints during prolonged periods of stabling.
There should also be plenty of comfortable bedding in the form of shavings or similar on top of your rubber matting.
Feeding Position
Where appropriate and safe for the individual horse, feeding from the floor is encouraged.
Feeding from the ground promotes more natural grazing behaviour, allowing the horse to eat with the head and neck extended downward. This position can assist with gentle stretching through the neck and back between exercise sessions.
In comparison, prolonged feeding from hay nets has been associated with:
- Repetitive strain injuries
- Excessive one-sided muscle tension
- Neck discomfort and impingement
This is largely because horses often pull hay from the same direction repeatedly, resulting in thousands of repetitive one-sided movements each day.
Hydration
Horses should always have access to fresh, clean water, particularly following a physiotherapy session.
Manual therapy and rehabilitation treatments encourage circulation and lymphatic drainage, increasing the movement of waste products and toxins through the body. Proper hydration is essential to support this process, and many horses will naturally increase their water intake following treatment when fresh water is readily available.
3Preparation & Aftercare
preparation & aftercare
Getting the most from your appointment
A little preparation before and after each session makes a significant difference to the accuracy of assessment and the effectiveness of treatment.
Before your appointment
Preparation
Do Not Work Your Horse Prior to the Appointment
Horses should be relaxed and rested before their physiotherapy session. They should not be ridden, lunged, or warmed up beforehand. For this reason, many owners choose to schedule appointments on a designated rest day or plan their training schedule around treatment sessions.
Every physiotherapy appointment — including follow-up sessions — begins with a reassessment to monitor changes since the previous visit. Your practitioner will evaluate:
- Movement quality and gait patterns
- Muscle development and posture
- Lameness or discomfort
- Overall progress and functional improvement
Always progress slowly over a number of weeks, allowing your horse to build strength, mobility, and confidence gradually.
If a horse has already been worked prior to assessment, subtle lameness patterns or compensatory movement changes can be much harder to identify accurately.
After your appointment
Rest & Recovery
4When to Call a Physio
When To Call A Physio
If you suspect your horse is lame, uncomfortable or in pain, contact us as soon as possible. Physiotherapy is not only for injury recovery — it plays an essential role in preventative care, performance maintenance and overall wellbeing.
Ridden horses are athletes, and regular body maintenance is crucial to keeping them healthy, comfortable, and performing at their best.
Recommended Treatment Frequency
For horses in consistent or high-level work, we generally recommend physiotherapy sessions every 4 weeks as a minimum guideline.
However, treatment frequency should always be tailored to the individual horse and may vary depending on:
- Age
- Conformation
- Workload and discipline
- Existing injuries or conditions
- Rider influence and biomechanics
Some horses may benefit from sessions every 2–3 weeks, while others maintain comfort and performance with appointments spaced 6–8 weeks apart.
At Perfect Balance Animal Clinic, all treatment plans and follow-up schedules are individualised and adjusted over time according to your horse’s specific needs and progress.
Signs Your Horse May Benefit From Physiotherapy
If you suspect your horse is lame, uncomfortable or in pain, contact us as soon as possible. Physiotherapy is not only for injury recovery — it plays an essential role in preventative care, performance maintenance and overall wellbeing.
Twitching or sensitivity over the back or saddle area
Behavioural changes such as bucking, rearing, or reluctance to move forward
Resistance or difficulty working on one rein
Loss of muscle tone or condition
Uneven hoof or shoe wear
Difficulty maintaining the correct canter lead
Struggling with transitions
Knocking rails or poles
Head shaking or nodding in specific gaits
Carrying the tail consistently to one side
Early intervention can help prevent small compensations from progressing into more significant injuries or performance limitations.
Noticed any of these signs?
Early intervention helps prevent small compensations from becoming significant injuries.
Get in touch and we’ll discuss the best next step for your horse.
Tailored rehab plans
Evidence-based treatment
Certified physiotherapists
A few notes from our clients
