Longitudinal Bend

Not only do we limit ourselves, we do not help the horse find access to those areas where he is the weakest in. The horse already spends much of his day working on longitudinal stretching through his withers and neck and head. The areas he does not spend a lot of time stretching is the longitudinal stretch through the loin, nor does he naturally spend a lot of time in lateral stretching.

Lateral Bend

It is exactly in the area that he could not spend a lot of time and naturally stretching that he needs the most. Also lateral stretching can often be far superior to longitudinal stretching.

Why?

Longitudinal stretching requires that both sides of the body stretch simultaneously. Thus the stretch can only go as far as the side that stretches the least.

Lateral stretching allows us to target an individual area of the horse, requiring the horse to only stretch through one side at a time. Lateral stretching can also be far superior to longitudinal stretching because we can engage lateral stretching of the horse without inadvertently placing him on his front end, which is a frequent problem with longitudinal stretching. We can frequently avoid problems such as these with lateral stretching.

In longitudinal stretching, when the horse reaches down and out with his head and neck, it is quite natural for him to engage the stay mechanisms that are incorporated into his body to allow him to graze while keeping his body upright. The body is configured to hold through the back and withers while the muscles at the base of the neck release from the withers. This can sometimes create for a disconnection while stretching.

When we incorporate lateral stretching into our training repertoire, we can engage stretching without asking the body to maintain its upright position against the forces of gravity. This allows for the possibility of creating a stretch that comes from the entire horse’s body - a continuous connection that is not always possible in longitudinal stretching.

Thus, to be effective, lateral stretching should try to incorporate the entire horse’s body and not just the neck. This is, of course, true of longitudinal stretching as well. With lateral stretching this is best accomplished when we try to achieve feel of a consistent lateral bend throughout the entire horse’s body from nose to tail.

Good lateral stretching should incorporate certain elements that can be found in a longitudinal stretch. One of the key benefits of longitudinal stretching is the aspect of a long and unrestricted neck. The longer we are able to keep the neck stretched out while we work on lateral stretching, the more we are able to incorporate this particular benefit of longitudinal stretch into our lateral stretching.

Thus it is often beneficial when we first include lateral stretching into the training to begin with, exercises that keep the horse in a two dimensional plane, but that allows the work on lateral stretching. Thus we look to try to keep the neck stretched out long and at the same level of the horse’s back. From this plane we can then work on right and left lateral stretching of the horse.

Working in small circles in walk and trot where we try to achieve an even bend throughout the horse from muzzle to croup, as if trying to achieve a perfect “C” shape, allows us to work on lateral stretching while the horse is in movement. Working on the stretching while in movement helps to ensure that the horse stays connected throughout his body.

Lateral stretching such as this allows us to target one side of the body at a time, allowing us to focus on key areas that may be problem areas for our horses such as the base of the neck and the loin area. As we help our horses find the lateral stretching through the outside of its body while working with a long rein without restricting the neck on both sides of his body, one side at a time, this can help us target the key areas that are most often neglected.

Lateral stretching also allows us to target many areas of the horse that we might not otherwise be able to reach, such as stretching the horse throughout the outside shoulder area or stretching him through his side and his rib cage and thus, in effect, his spine.

There are many different movements that can be incorporated into finding stretch and release in our horses through their sides and their shoulder area. The benefit of increasing range of movement through stretching or alternative exercises in this area, is that it will in turn provide us with more extravagant and better movement. An increased range of movement in this area means a horse that is able to reach higher and farther.

It is well known that most horses are not considered straight, which frequently refers to the fact that the horse will go better to one side than the other, which at some level frequently also means that the horse tends to work better to one side than the other. Lateral stretching allows us to target one bend from one side at a time, thus allowing us to focus more time working on the side the horse currently finds more difficult.

While lateral stretching can be invaluable for the Iberian horse, it is of course important for all horses. Incorporating lateral stretching into your training regimen on a regular basis can help to release the horse, targeting one area at a time, targeting one side at a time, and by bringing flexibility and suppleness to both sides of the horse in equal measure and can in turn bring about longitudinal suppleness and straightness at the same time, a straightness that comes about because both sides of the horse have been released to their maximum potential.

Nadja King is the editor of the very informative and lively Horses For Life online magazine. Please see this and other articles at www.horsesforlife.com