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Regular bodywork sessions with a certified equine therapist can do wonders for your horse’s comfort, performance, and longevity, but the benefits don’t have to end when the therapist packs up their tools. We talked to certified equine bodyworker Caitlin Looney on The Plaidchat and learned that small, consistent maintenance techniques can help horses retain flexibility, reinforce correct movement patterns, and prevent stiffness from creeping back in.
Here are six practical tips you can incorporate into your daily grooming and tacking-up routine to keep your horse feeling supple and sound.
1. Engage the Core with Belly Scratches and Hoof-Pick Holds
One of Caitlin’s go-to “in between” exercises is deceptively simple: use a gentle belly scratch or place a hoof pick under your horse’s belly and encourage them to step over or “clench” their abs. This contraction recruits deep abdominal muscles, lifts the topline, and retrains the horse to find its core support. As Caitlin notes, “Having them clench their abs and lift over the topline is a really great one,” and it only takes a few seconds each side to make a difference.
2. Mobilize the Neck and Back with Carrot Stretches
Carrot stretches are a favorite for loosening the poll, cervical, and thoracic regions. Hold a small treat near your horse’s nose and guide them slowly: first toward their shoulder, then down toward the girth, next back to their flank, and finally up toward the hip. Each position targets different muscle chains and helps the horse learn better proprioception (awareness of where their body is in space). “You can ask them to move their head to their shoulder, chest, girth, and hip,” Caitlin explains. “It’s a great way to mobilize multiple muscle groups in one go.”
3. Encourage Flexibility with Tail Stretches
A gentle tail pull is another quick drill that riders can perform in the aisle or barn aisle. Grasp the tail a few inches from the dock, give a slow, steady pull until you feel the horse yield, then release. Repeat a few times and let the horse relax. This maneuver activates the horses’s topline muscles as they resist and then release, helping to break up fascial adhesions along the back. Caitlin warns against jerking, “You don’t want to yank on them, obviously,” but a measured stretch stimulates spinal flexibility and can relieve back tension.
4. Target Tension with Focused Currying
During your regular grooming, pay extra attention to areas your therapist flagged as tight. Using a firm rubber curry comb or grooming mitt, work small circular motions over those spots to help loosen adhesions in the fascia and improve microcirculation. “If your massage therapist says they’re really tight through the neck in a certain area,” Caitlin advises, “you can take a curry comb and groom it a little bit extra to break up those fibers before you ride.”
5. Incorporate Loosen-Up Riding Exercises
Finally, tailor your first ride of the week to re-establish fluid movement. After a bodywork session, Caitlin recommends giving your horse “a day or two off so their muscles can recover,” then taking them for a long-and-low warm-up. Allow the poll to stretch, the back to swing, and the hind end to step under. Transitions between walk, trot, and canter without heavy collection reinforce the newly released range of motion. This re-education in the saddle helps the horse integrate the benefits of bodywork into daily performance.
By weaving these simple techniques into your routine, you’ll help your horse maintain the gains from professional bodywork and build muscular resilience between appointments. And because every horse is different—just as each massage session is customized—ask your therapist which areas you should focus on most. A few minutes a day can keep small issues from becoming big problems, ensuring your equine partner stays comfortable, confident, and ready to perform.
Want more expert advice on maximizing your horse’s well-being? Listen to this episode of the Plaidchat, hosted by Piper Klemm, and subscribe to The Plaidcast wherever you get your podcasts for more insights from leaders in the sport.
