Flourish Equine Bodywork
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Performance • Wellness • Recovery
Equine & Canine
Massage • PEMF • Thermal Imaging • In Hand Polework
Serving the Northwest GA & Atlanta Areas
I have my thoughts after running this little experiment, but I want to hear what you think! 👇
True story. Now, it’s time to go hang with my horse that all the haters paid expenses for this month. ✌️
See you next month, buddy! ❤️
Did you know the height of your hindend leg stretches matter? Here’s the scoop:
➡️ A forward and high stretch will mostly lengthen the muscle fibers of the horse’s hamstring. This includes the biceps femoris, semitendinosus and semimembranosus muscles. These are all very important for horses who jump!
➡️ A downward and low stretch will also target the upper hamstring, but also lengthen the tensor fascia latae muscle that supports the stifle.
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Thanks to the fabulous Cori for always being the best model for content! Arianna Johnson
08/14/2026
HYPERTONIC HINDQUARTERS: When “tight muscles” are telling us something more.
“His hamstrings are really tight.”
It’s something I find regularly during assessment - but what does tight actually mean?
When we describe a muscle as hypertonic, we’re talking about increased muscle tone. On palpation, the tissue may feel firm, resistant or less yielding than expected, and some horses may also show sensitivity or guarding.
But here’s the important bit:
Hypertonicity isn’t a diagnosis.
And simply finding a tight muscle doesn’t tell us why it’s tight.
The hindquarters are responsible for generating and transmitting huge amounts of force. Muscles including the gluteals, hamstring group and surrounding pelvic musculature all contribute to propulsion, stabilisation and control of the hindlimb.
So when these tissues become persistently hypertonic, I don’t just think:
“That muscle needs releasing.”
I start asking:
Why is that muscle working so hard?
There are plenty of possibilities.
A horse may be altering its movement because of discomfort elsewhere.
It may lack strength or stability and be recruiting other tissues to compensate.
There may be asymmetrical loading between the hindlimbs.
Training load may currently exceed the horse’s physical capacity.
There may be restrictions elsewhere within the kinetic chain.
Or what we’re feeling may be secondary to an underlying orthopaedic problem that requires veterinary investigation.
This is also why tight doesn’t automatically mean short.
And it definitely doesn’t automatically mean:
“Stretch it.”
If a muscle is increasing its activity because it’s trying to stabilise something, repeatedly trying to lengthen or release it without addressing why it is behaving that way may completely miss the point.
Hands-on therapy can absolutely have a role in reducing muscular tension and improving comfort.
But that’s only one piece of the puzzle.
Long-term change may also require appropriate strengthening, progressive loading, movement retraining, management changes and - when indicated - investigation of an underlying source of pain.
And sometimes the most useful finding during a treatment isn’t the tight muscle itself.
It’s the pattern.
Is it bilateral?
Is one side significantly different?
Does it correspond with what we saw dynamically?
Is there pelvic asymmetry?
Is the horse unloading one limb?
What happens after treatment?
And does the same pattern keep returning?
Because if I release the same hypertonic hamstrings every four weeks and they repeatedly return exactly the same…
I haven’t necessarily found the problem.
I’ve found where the horse is managing it.
Muscles don’t exist in isolation.
So rather than simply asking:
“How do we loosen this muscle?”
Sometimes the better question is:
“Why does this horse need this muscle to be so tight in the first place?”
That is where clinical reasoning starts.
Here’s a quick exercise to even them out:
Set up your poles with risers on one side only and walk your horse over the poles 3-5 times a week with the raised side matching the side that is underdeveloped. This will build up the pectoral muscles on that side so that they even out!
Don’t worry, there were no hard feelings! 🤪
In all honesty, I WANT the horses I work on to communicate with me. And stomping the opposite hind leg was in no way threatening, even though it was directed at me.
We continued on when she was ready and had a relaxing session.
Welcome to my little world of equine bodywork! 👋
Stick around and you’ll learn ways to support your horse’s movement and body so they can live long, healthy lives.
Belly lifts are one of the many “tools” I have as an equine bodyworker and you’ll often find me doing them while in session with a horse. But WHY I do them might shock you.
Yes, asking a horse to activate their core (thoracic sling) muscles can help them better utilize these muscles when being ridden. Just like having a personal trainer in a gym have you activate your own core muscles before doing a back squat!
However, I typically use belly lifts as an assessment exercise. Since I’m focused on the musculoskeletal system of the horse, I really want to know if your horse actually CAN engage these muscles when standing still. If not, I know for sure they are not utilizing them properly when being ridden and most like have compensation going on.
What might this compensation look like?
➡️ Heavy on the forehand
➡️ Lack of propulsion from the hind end
➡️ Trouble with downward transitions
➡️ Holding head high
The list goes on and on. The point being: if your horse cannot do a belly lift, there is probably more going on at a deeper level! And belly lifts are a great start to assessing this important and common issue.
Want to learn more about the thoracic sling and belly lifts? Leave a 👍 below and I’ll dive deeper into this topic!
The LATERAL NECK STRETCH isn’t just a party trick. It helps ensure proper neck range of motion and releases tension in the muscle fibers of the neck after a ride. Since horses often hold all their tension in this area, it’s very beneficial to make this a part of your daily routine.
Here’s the simple breakdown of how it works:
➡️ The opposite side stretches: When your horse bends left, the muscles on the right side are the ones lengthening, engaging, and releasing tension. (This is where most people get confused!)
➡️ The bending side contracts: The muscles on the inside of the bend tighten, shorten, and rest.
Takeaway: If your horse struggles to bend left, you need to lengthen and release the muscles on the right.
Want more simple equine stretching tips? Drop a ❤️ below and I’ll do more “What Does It Do” reels!
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