Strengthening Stifles

A horse with weak stifles is not going to get very far. And rather unfortunately a horse that starts life with a good set of stifles can sometimes end up with dysfunction due to various afflictions being referred from elsewhere in the body. Numerous riders have contacted me over the years with woes of weak stifles and their desire to help their horse more comfortably use its body. In brief form, what follows are my most prescribed recommendations. They assume that your horse’s feet are already well-balanced and trimmed ( long toes will thwart your best conditioning efforts).

In the case of very weak stifles, or horses entering a rehab plan post-injury, the best place to start is with one or two weeks of static, or isometric, exercises for the hindquarters. These routines require the horse to stabilize himself and recruit muscles around the stifle without actually moving the joint. The idea here is to activate motor units without loading the joint with sloppy movement. This is especially helpful in cases where muscles have atrophied to some degree. This period of neuromuscular stimulus also benefits horses who are imbalanced in their normal movement— it ensures the right muscles are firing up. As with most muscle contractions, the general rule is to perform the isometric for 6-10 seconds each time. This is the duration needed for the muscle fibers to recognize and adapt to the effort. So far, studies seem to show diminishing returns on contractions held longer than 10 seconds.

Commonly prescribed exercises at that stage include lateral tail pulls, asking the horse to stand quiet on 3 legs, prolonged pelvis tucks, asking the horse to flex and rest his hind hoof up on a block (stifle is in a flexed position). These exercises are effective when executed multiple times (3-4)daily. Below are two of my favorite isometrics for stifles:

The Pelvic Matrix

Footing

After your period of isometrics, you can then progress to dynamic movements that help build up the muscles of the stifle as well as loosen the lower back, which is itself a source of stifle dysfunction and discomfort. Assuming your horse has been regularly receiving 4+ days per week of light exercise to this point and has baseline body tone, it is helpful to add 10 to 15 minutes once per week of walking and easy jogging in deep sand footing measuring approximately 4 inches. This increases the work of the hind legs and builds quadricep strength.

Slopes

Exercise on slopes or hills proves effective in most horses with stifle dysfunction. However, many students mistakenly think they must march up and down a very steep hillside. Steeper is NOT better, especially if your goal is to create rhythmic, smooth, and balanced stifle activity that sets your horse up with good posture and mechanics for the long term. Find a gentle slope, even a very gradual one will work. Most of us have access to a driveway or a place in the pasture that serves well.

On a gentle slope, spend 8-10 minutes three times per week using the terrain creatively: make figure 8’s across the slope face, ride zig zags, make tons of halt-walk-halt transitions while traversing up and down. One of my favorite Corrective Exercises is #3, Ride a Hill Sideways. Here is a short video:

A progressive program of ground poles will also strengthen a horse’s stifles. By progressive, I mean one that moves from easy to harder in a stepwise manner over a period of 3+ weeks. As a general guideline, I recommend walking ground pole exercises three to five times weekly and trotting ground pole exercise 1 day weekly. For a review on how to space or set up your poles, read my blog post Getting Started with Ground Poles. Further, if you would like help navigating a progressive plan, my Conditioning Your Horse with Ground Poles on-line course is available for you here:

Lastly, if you are interested in studying more about stifles and suggested vet-approved protocols, I recommend this published research paper from the American Association of Equine Practitioners here