Painted Horse – Deep Muscles

Here are some pictures of a painted horse I did a little while ago showing the deep muscles of the horses body.  I am no Picasso so some of them may not be quite 100% pin point accurate due to lack of artistic skill but they are not far off!!  Some of these pictures can be seen in my December article of Everything Horse UK magazine on muscle injury

How many can you label?

This picture shows how the saddle should sit in relation to the scapula

A typical hind limb stretch that you can do after exercise to stretch out the hamstrings.  Hold the stretch for about 30 seconds allow the horse to relax into it, take it a little further and hold for another 30 then release.  Never push your horse too far, and if they are uncomfortable release immediately.  Always keep the limb in the natural line of motion unless you are advised other wise by your physical therapist.

This picture is showing a typical forelimb stretch you can do after exercise to stretch out the shoulder and triceps area in particular, be careful not to let the horse lock at the carpus (knee), keep a slight bend in the knee, hold for about a minute.

Neck stretch, do both sides equally, you will find that one side is easier for them than the other but this will become more even the more you do.