Q. Can groundwork and stretching exercises help a horse with osteoarthritis feel more comfortable?

A. Keeping a horse moving is one of the primary ways to reduce pain associated with osteoarthritis. I’ve had a lot of old campaigners that have bad hocks and need some time off, then getting them back in work is more difficult; whereas if you keep them working, I think that helps. Baited neck stretches can help horses to be more flexible, especially those with neck arthritis. Working them over ground poles and small cavaletti is also productive because that encourages joint flexion. With these, you can vary the distance between the poles and the height of the poles based on how much flexion you want from the horse. I always recommend these types of exercises to my clients.

I don’t necessarily recommend a lot of limb stretching because it can be a little bit dangerous to the owner depending on their ability and the horse’s condition, so I tend to be a little bit cautious when recommending stretches on the limbs. However, I do suggest neck stretches, sternal lifts, and other exercises to encourage the horse to raise his back such as butt tucks (tickle them on either side of the tail head and make them flex the lumbar vertebrae). These simple exercises can help keep horse’s joints mobile, and to me, is one of the keys to keeping that joint moving normally and more comfortably.