There’s something almost magical about being around horses. Whether you’re riding along quiet country lanes, grooming in the stable, or simply watching them graze with their friends in the field, horses have an uncanny ability to ground us in the moment.
Horses have a profound effect on our physical and emotional well-being. Riding and caring for them is not only an excellent form of physical exercise—building strength, balance, and coordination—but also therapeutic for the mind. From easing stress and anxiety to building confidence, learning new skills and a sense of achievement, the bond we share with horses is truly unique and one we should always treasure.
Horses have an ability to mirror human emotions, respond with sensitivity, and provide unspoken comfort, as both companions and teachers. This is something we may forget when we are busy with all of life’s pressures – work, family and other commitments.
This article encourages you to take a moment to think about the remarkable ways horses enrich our lives, how they contribute to our physical health and emotional well-being. As Christmas is fast approaching – here are five relaxing and feel-good gifts you can give your horse - not just over the festive season, but all year to say thank you for all they do for us.
Wither Rock
This is a lovely Pilates exercise and one of Gillian’s favourites. It is a gentle and effective mobilising exercise for the whole body. It is good for stimulating the core muscles, particularly the thoracic sling, strengthening the forelimb lateral stabiliser muscles support the limbs when turning and moving sideways. These muscles are naturally quite weak in horses as they have evolved to run away from predators in a straight line rather than turning. Yet one of the common things we ask horses to do is turn in circles and why using an exercise to strengthen the lateral stabiliser muscles is so useful.
How to do it
Ask the horse stand square.
Stand facing the left shoulder, with your shoulders parallel to the horse’s spine.
Do a personal postural check, ensure you have no tension in your shoulders or arms and take a couple of deep breaths.
Place both hands cupping the top of the withers and take a moment to allow the horse to get used to your touch.
Imagine the movement first and build up slowly from there.
Gently push the withers away from you by about 1cm initially then allow the withers to return to the neutral position before pulling them back towards you by about 1 cm then release again.
Repeat this swaying movement in a natural rhythm. The side-to-side movement of the withers should be continuous and flowing. Don’t try to hold his weight in one position.
Gradually increase the amount of sideways movement but only as the horse relaxes into the movement.
It is like pushing a child on a swing, gradually increasing the amplitude and therefore lateral weight shift.
Build up from 20 sways remembering to repeat the same number of push-pull cycles from each side. As you are doing this exercise watch your horse, he may try to communicate that he wants more when he would like you to stop.
If you like this exercise and would like to learn similar Pilates style exercises that will help to improve your horse's comfort and way of going, take a look at The Complete Pilates for Horse Programme. This definitive toolkit will help horse owners to improve and maintain the horse’s posture, core strength, body awareness, control and balance.
"Every horse owner owes it to their horse to maintain and improve musculoskeletal comfort, and performing targeted Pilates exercises is one way that we can do this. I wanted to give all horse owners the opportunity to learn core strengthening and stretching exercises that can easily be done at home – The Complete Pilates for Horses Programme is the result."
Gillian Higgins
Effleurage
This massage technique is sometimes called stroking. It can be very relaxing for the horse both mentally and physically. The speed and amount of pressure you choose when performing effleurage affects the effect, making effleurage a truly versatile technique. Think of effleurage as a bit like ironing – you are easing out any tensions within the muscles.
Effleurage is good for
Relaxation
Stimulating the circulatory system
Warming up the muscles
Stimulating nerve endings
Easing discomfort within the soft tissue structures
How to do it
Before you start, take a deep breath in and out to lower your own energy.
Place your hand on the area of the body that you want to massage, closely watch your horse for reactions and give a moment of calm before you start.
Perform long strokes over the horse’s body letting your hand mould to the shape of the horse wherever you go.
As you massage, use your whole body. Stand with your feet quite wide apart, keep your knees soft and let your body sway with the movement. It isn’t just coming from your arms, it’s a whole body movement.
You pressure needs to be confident, so your horse knows that you are there. If you are too light it can be ticklish and irritate the horse so it’s important to have enough pressure that is comfortable for the individual horse. You will need to assess what suits your horse, experiment with different pressures and listen to the feedback he gives you while you are massaging him.
Start with lighter and slower strokes and as the muscles warm up and the horse relaxes into the massage, gradually increase the pressure and speed as per the horse’s reactions.
Rhythm is really important with any massage technique – it helps the horse relax and it also helps you make each stroke a continuous motion. Having a constant contact with the horse is important, before you finish the stoke with one hand, place your other hand onto his body so you maintain contact.
Whatever discipline or activities you do with your horse they will benefit from massage. We all want the best for our horses and as they do so much for us, Learning how to massage is a great way of giving something back. Keen to learn more massage skills? Take a look at our Online Massage for Horses Course. This online massage course for horse owners is a step by step guide that will give you the confidence and skills to massage your horse with soft tissue techniques that really make a difference to equine comfort, health and performance. Under Gillian's expert guidance through video tutorials and the accompanying book you will learn a number of different massage techniques and how to use them together in different routines.
3. Lowering your energy
Life is busy and sometimes stressful. Taking any anxiety to the stables can have a negative impact on your horse. This exercise helps you lower your energy level and make you feel energetically grounded. Give it a try when you get to the yard and before you do anything with your horse.
How to do it
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart. As you do this exercise it can help if you close your eyes.
Start moving your pelvis in a large circle. As you are doing this movement, think about your body circling your hips.
Now, think about your skin going around the outside of your body. Think about how that is moving in the circle.
Next, take your attention slightly more internally. Think about the layers of muscles around your abdomen. Think about it moving separately to the skin. Imagine that the skin is still and your abdominal muscles are moving within your skin.
Take your attention even deeper. Think about your internal organs circling within the abdominal wall. At this stage you will find that your circles have become smaller.
Now let your circles become even smaller at the very deepest level. Notice how your internal movement carries on and the circles get smaller and smaller. A little bit like water in a glass continues to spin long after the glass itself has stopped being turned.
Think about the movement on the inside and then wait until that movement comes to an end.
What Do You Feel Like?
You will probably feel that your feet are quite heavy - almost like they don’t want to move. Also, you will feel a lot calmer. To help lower your energy level even further take a few deep breaths in and out – nice and slowly.
4. Being Present With Your Horse
Being present in the moment is essential for building a strong bond with your horse because it allows you to truly understand their needs, emotions, and responses. Horses are highly sensitive animals that communicate through subtle body language and energy, making your awareness key to reading these signs.
To be more present, practice mindfulness by focusing on your breathing, maintaining soft and consistent body language, and leaving distractions behind when you're with your horse. This not only helps you respond to their cues more effectively, creating a harmonious partnership. A simple thing to do is turn off your phone when you are with your horse, or put it somewhere where it won't cause a distraction.
This simple breathing exercise can help you ground yourself and become more present, try it when you get to the yard.
Find a Comfortable Position: Stand or sit in a relaxed position near your horse or in a quiet space. If you're with your horse, ensure they are calm and in a safe environment.
Take a Deep Breath In: Slowly inhale through your nose for a count of four. Imagine the air filling your lungs and flowing down to your tummy. Keep your chest and shoulders relaxed.
Pause Briefly: Hold your breath for a count of two. This moment of stillness helps you become aware of your body.
Exhale Slowly: Breathe out through your mouth for a count of six. Feel the tension leaving your body with the breath. Picture yourself releasing any stress or distractions.
Repeat: Perform this cycle 5–10 times, focusing on the rhythm and sensation of breathing.
This exercise calms your nervous system, slows your heart rate, and helps you become more present in the moment. This calm energy will also help your horse feel more relaxed and connected to you.
5. Lowering the Head
This Pilates exercise is also called Neck Elongation. It is an active stretch where the horse’s head is taken to a lower position, closer to the floor. As well as relaxing the horse, this exercise stretches the neck and back muscles. It also stimulates the core muscles as the horse leans in and reaches forwards.
How to do it
Ensure the horse is standing roughly square.
Prevent the horse from walking forwards ideally by using a chain or rope across the doorway at sternum height. (Stable doors tend to be a little too high).
Using a carrot, gradually encourage the horse to reach forward and down.
Keep the carrot at or below the level of his knees. The head needs to be kept at this level to achieve optimum stretch effect and correct back posture.
Hold the stretch for 5-10 seconds before allowing the horse to take the carrot or for as long as the horse remains interested. You can repeat the exercise 2-3 times per session gradually increasing the stretch by taking the head further back.
This exercise is good for
Stretching the neck and back to release the muscles after working.
Promoting correct posture and vertebral alignment.
Horses that tend to work short and tight in their neck and those that drop behind the contact.
Don’t perform this exercise if your horse nips, bites, or if feeding carrots has a negative impact on behaviour. If your horse has supraspinous ligament desmopathy, ask your vet or physio before doing this exercise.
This exercise is taken from The Comprehensive Guide to Pilates for Horses book that forms part of The Complete Pilates for Horses Programme. This book guides you through 74 Pilates exercises. Divided into 10 chapters, each one targets a different area of the body. Each of the non-ridden exercises is described in detail with the aims and objectives, plus clear and easy to follow step-by-step instructions.
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