🥕 'Carrot Stretch' TIPS! 🥕

'Carrot Stretch' exercises are one of the most effective sets of exercises that you can do with your horse! They have been PROVEN in a research study, to increase the size of the postural muscles, the multifidus, along the spine, and they help maintain space in between the DSP's - done correctly, these exercises make a huge difference to your horses back and core, and are PROVEN to work. 

We have been digging into the technique around actually doing these exercises correctly and effectively in my members group recently (there IS an art to them and they are not quite as simple as they look!), so I thought I would share a few TIPS on how best to do the exercises for best results! I have been doing them for YEARS and with LOTS of different horses so know all of the tricks from the horses to avoid actually picking up their core! 

🥕 Try to do your 'carrot stretch' exercises 5 days per week...this is what the research study suggests is effective in increasing the size of the multifidus muscles along the spine, 5 days per week for 12 weeks! And then continue them forever of course to maintain strength! 

🥕 Do your 'carrot stretch' exercises BEFORE exercising your horse - this switches the core on! Consider the exercises as 'activation' rather than stretches. 

🥕 If carrots are a bit too exciting for your horse, try fibre nuts or a solid lick (check the ingredients if your horse is on any special diet!) - I have had success with all 3, and prefer the fibre nuts with my horse Azuro...he's interested enough but not over-excited! 

🥕 Make sure your horse is standing square - before you start and throughout the exercises! This is one of the difficult parts for a LOT of horses due to their crookedness pattern, but it's the very issue that needs to be worked on! We spend a lot of time digging into the technique of the core exercises in my members group - come and join us if you want to see a video of me doing the exercises with Azuro, and work on your technique with these exercises and get them super effective for your horses body! 

🥕 I can't recommend these exercises highly enough for your horses! I actually teach and use 2 sets of exercises - Core Mobilisation first and then Core Activation Exercises - and add them into all of my clients exercise routines, and use them with all horses I am rehabbing, and of course my own horse! And I see amazing results, just by adding these exercises in, in terms of flexibility, symmetry, core strength and therefore posture, and the ease of the horses movement, also how easy it is for the horse to carry the rider, and a reduction in back pain. SO MANY BENEFITS FOR 10 MINUTES PER DAY!!! 

🥕 I would love to help you with these exercises...by joining my 'Strength & Straightness' programme, which is the lowest cost option, you get access to ALL of my training videos, including both sets of Core Exercises, in addition to my full in hand system, corrective lunging, polework, massage, correct movement, nutrition, behaviour and equipilates...SO MUCH TO SUPPORT YOU WITH YOUR JOURNEY WITH YOUR HORSE! 

🥕 Click here for more details, and as always, do get in touch if I can help you any further: Strength & Straightness Membership