Stretching- is it worth your time?

Stretching plays a crucial role in maintaing healthy muscles in animals. As humans we are often told that its important to stretch before and after exercise but does this apply to our animals too?

Scientific research has shown us the benefits of stretching as well as given us an indication as to the most optimal application to achieve the best results.

Science behind stretching...

Muscles are made up of thousands of muscle fibres and when a stretch is applied these lengthen. Muscle spindles which are embedded within the main part of the muscle detects this change in length and once stimulated causes the muscle to contract.

The muscle spindle then adapts to the new length which is the reason why stretches must be applied slowly and held for a period of time to allow this to happen. Meanwhile, the golgi tendon organs which are located near the junction where the tendon and muscle meet are sensitive to changes in muscle tension and work to initiate relaxation.

So how often should we perform them

The recommended application for horses is approximatley 3 times weekly whilst dogs can perform stretches daily. Research in horses found that a 3 day stretch regime was more effective than a 6 day stretch regime as stretching can cause delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and therefore muscles need a day or two to reocver, otherwise repetitive stretching such as the 6 day routine an start to cause damage. As previously mentioned it is important to hold the stretch to allow the relaxation process to occur, this includes holding the stretch for a minimum of 7 seconds but ideally 10-15. Canine research has found that holding a stretch for longer than 30 seconds leads to no additional benefit and therefore not required.

When is the most appropriate time to stretch...

Although you see most your horse riders stretching their horses leg before exercise... research has shown that stretching whilst the muscle is warm is more beneficial. Therefore, it is recommended that stretching post exercise is better as the muscle is already warm, however, if you wish to do them before exercise you as an owner/rider can warm the muscle through some light effluerage (stroking of the muscle) or by walking the horse around. Similar advice is given to canine owners, where you should preferably stretch your dogs legs after the dog has been on a walk or done some form of exercise.

Some of the main benefits you will see from regular stretching include...

• Reduction in muscle tension.

• Reduced stiffness.

• Increased elasticity of muscles.

• Increased blood and lymphatic flow.