Q. Whenever I get ready to ride, after the horse is tacked up, I always pull their front legs forward, not only to stretch them, but so the girth doesn't pinch them. But when I got my horse, I tried to do this, and he wouldn't let me! I was just wondering if it really makes a difference if I do this or not, and if you know what I can do so my horse will stretch his legs.

A. I don't think this sort of stretching is terribly important unless you ride with a very tight girth/cinch or unless you are using the style of western cinch with unprotected rings that rest behind the elbows once the cinch is tightened. Under most circumstances, the horse will adequately slide skin under the girch/cinch as necessary in normal movement. Warming him up properly at the beginning of the ride will handle any muscular stretching he needs.

If you still want to teach him to accept your manual stretches, try picking up his foot normally and extend only his knee up and forward, rather than trying to bring his entire leg forward from the foot. Lift only the knee; lift it just a little and for a brief few seconds at a time. This will get him used to the sensation gradually. Work each knee each day a little higher, and hold it in the raised position a little longer until he eventually stands quietly for as long as you care to hold up the knee. Once he's reached that point, you can start the process all over again, this time bringing the entire leg forward from the foot. Work just as gradually as you did with the knees, stretching a little farther forward and up each day until he's comfortable and quiet with the manipulations. If you work on the stretches in this manner each day, he'll most likely get used to them sooner or later.

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