Hello Shea clients, families and friends! Here is a video by physical therapist, Randi, with an easy daily stretching routine that you can do at home to improve your flexibility and improve your position on the horse. These stretches are also helpful to improve posture and maintain wellness for anyone having jobs or activities requiring long periods of sitting.

Daily stretching routine

1. Chest and shoulder stretch: Clasp your hands behind your back, open your chest and lift your heart, trying to squeeze your shoulder blades together. Progress the stretch by lifting your arms further away from your back.

2. Hip mobility (sumo squat) stretch: Stand with your feet wide apart with toes turned out, bed your knees and support your hands on your thighs. You can add extra pressure with hands to push your knees back behind you to deepen your stretch.

3. Hip flexor stretch: Start in a lunge position, keep your knee behind your foot, tuck your pelvis by bringing your hip bones closer to your rib cage, and don’t let you back arch! To progress your stretch, reach with your arms up over your head (note: progression not pictured in video). This position is great for working on balance too!

4. Thoracic/ mid back stretch: Start from your lunge position used in the hip flexor stretch. Now, add an upper body twist toward your front leg, stabilizing your elbow on the outer surface of your thigh and holding your hands together in prayer or clasped position.

5. Gluteal stretch: Sit with your legs long out in front, then bend one knee to rest your foot over your thigh. To progress this stretch, you can add pressure to push your thigh down closer to the ground. You may also deepen the stretch by bending your bottom knee to place your foot on the ground and bringing your opposite foot on top, closer to your chest.

Try to hold each pose for 30 seconds to 2 minutes. Do them once a day, with the whole family!