Carrot stretches, or dynamic mobilization exercises, are something most horse owners are at least vaguely familiar with. Perhaps a bodyworker showed them to you at some stage, or maybe you read about it in a how-to article, or maybe you did them without knowing when you were in your trick training phase, teaching your horse how to bow. In any case, most people are aware that carrot stretches are exercises where you guide the horse's head and neck to different positions using a treat, inviting them to take their spine through a varied range of motion. They can have enormous benefits when done correctly, but can also be less than great if not executed properly. Here are some very common misconceptions about carrot stretches.

Back pain should always be investigated and addressed as soon as possible. Here are some things you can do to help the horse feel better while you wait for the horse to be seen by a professional. 

Just like us, horses carry tension in their neck and shoulders. Here is an idea to start exploring what happens if we ask the horse to let go.

We tend to carry around excess tension in our neck and shoulders. In my experience, horses do the same thing. What happens when we let that go?

The pectoral muscles can become tight with thoracic sling dysfunction, lower limb injury or hoof imbalances. Here are a few ways to check if your horse’s pecs are in trouble.

The pectorals are an important group of muscles that we tend to overlook. Understanding a bit about how to recognise dysfunction in this area can help us make better training decisions.

The brachiocephalicus can tell us a lot about what is going on in the horse’s front end, so it pays to be able to observe and palpate it.

The transition from summer to autumn can be a challenging one. Here are some tips for supporting your horse during this time.

Stress is extremely detrimental to horses, which is why we need to do everything we can to mitigate its negative effects. While there are things we can’t change, there are some small changes we can make regardless of our situation.

If you are bringing your horse back to work after a lazy summer, make sure to make a plan first – this will make progress faster and healthier.

Groundwork should not be reserved for the arena only. You can do some wonderful groundwork and set up a good foundation for healthy posture on the trail too. 

Did you know that muscle dysfunction comes in two specific flavours? This is why it matters to address both of them.

Training your eye to spot good posture can be tricky. Here is a closer look at some things to be watching out for.

Because lunging is such a common practice, we often forget how difficult moving on circles is for horses. We need to be aware of this is we want to make sure to teach our horses how to handle the challenge of moving on a bend.

Hypermobility is a very widespread problem in the modern horse world. It comes with a host of health problems, which is why we need to do everything we can in terms of injury prevention.

Not all pain is created equal. Neuropathic pain can have dire consequences on the horse’s well-being and is potentially the main culprit of explosive behaviour.

The neck can be a source of pain and stiffness which is why many riders try o use exercises to make it more supple. Instead of bending the neck sideways with the use of reins or carrots, here is a better way to do it.

A horse that has a hard time picking up or holding up his legs can often be labelled as being naughty, but there's actually a strong chance that he is acting this way due to physical discomfort.

When working our horses to develop stamina or strength, we mostly focus on work in trot and canter, but we shouldn't forget that the walk is actually a great way to develop both muscles and endurance. And while we might see it only as a warm-up and cool-down gait, we shouldn't overlook its potential benefits. Here are five ways in which working in walk can benefit your horse.

Choosing a place where our horse will live can be a daunting task. There are so many factors to consider, it can sometimes be hard to make a good decision. There's the type of boarding to consider (open stable/track system/traditional stable), the distance from where you live, the people, the infrastructure... Here are some things that are worth considering when deciding where to board your horse.