Tail Pull

The tail pull stretch for a horse is done by slowly pulling from the very base of the tail near the rump until the horse relaxes or moves forward. Stretch out the tail muscles and tail bones with helpful advice from a veterinarian in this video on caring for horses.

Hi! I'm Dr. Joanna Robson. I'm a doctor of veterinary medicine with Inspiritus Equine, Inc. I'd like to show you another great stretch for the horse's top line, the stretch called the tail pull. Oftentimes the tail pull is illustrated incorrectly in books. Most important thing to remember about the horse's tail, is the tail is actually comprised of 18-20 smaller segmented bones. To do a tail pull correctly then, instead of holding at the bottom of the tail, which would only stretch the little bones at the end, we actually want to hold at the top of the tail, at the base where it ties into the horse's romp. Most horses tolerate the stretch very, very well. There is very little risk of being kicked, as long as you reassure your horse what it is that you're doing and let them know where it is that you're standing. I step in close behind the horse's romp, I take one hand as high up as I can at the base of the tail, my second hand can go anywhere that I want it to, lower down. I step in, take a firm hold and then just very gently start to lean back against the tail and I'll allow my horse to counter stretch, and pull me forward off of my feet. I hold the stretch as long as I can feel resistance and as soon as they relax or if the horse moves or stands up, I'll stand up with them and gently drop, and relax the tail. The tail stretch is super important because not only does it stretch the entire top line of the horse, it also releases kinks and what we call the durrough which is the soft tissue covering around the spinal cord. You can do a tail pull couple times a week if your horse tolerates it, very very good stretch know how to do correctly, do the tail pull.