If I don’t start my horse out after a few walk circles, (which are hell! usually nothing but fighting) I usually have the worst rides. But if I walk maybe once or twice around then go straight to canter after only one circle he will come round and bring his back up and we can have a pleasant ride. I discovered this after countless rides of nothing but fighting with him. He is pokey and the more leg, spur or whip you use to get him going the naughtier he gets. But if I canter right away he will be forward and we can actually accomplish something. Are there any other tricks out there I could try to get him forward and round? 
When I lunge my stallion he goes into the canter on his own after only one or two circles at the walk. It’s not a “wild” thing either or something I let him do just to get the hyper out of his system. He seems to be telling me that he is most comfortable warming up his body at the canter and after about 10 minutes or so he’s much looser and much happier. It isn’t until after the cantering that he will be happy settling into the trot. He was at a jumper barn for several months and they would often just launch right into the trot and the canter with barely any walking at all. In fact, the jumper trainer thought it was interesting how much dressage people make their horses walk before doing anything else. In any event, my horse got used to just going right into it and seems to be more comfortable that way. Whether or not it’s correct I don’t know and I am not a trainer. It just seems to work for him.
It all depends on the horse and what the horse needs. I know numerous horses who have a pathetic walk and a so/so trot, until after the canter. After a couple of 20 meter circles both directions, the walk and the trot are both more flowing and forward.
With my mare, it changes during the year, sometimes I have to focus on lateral work first, other times its get her moving at a trot, still yet there have been times where she is totally compliant only once we start cantering.
Listen to your horse, they’ll tell you what they need.
I do this often. My 4yo really seems to loosen up after the canter. I’ve even had a judge write on a test that the trot improved after the canter…I thought that was a really helpful tip!
My daughter’s gelding is warmed up by cantering after walking for a few minutes. This was our Vet’s recommendation. Her gelding has a slight “hitch” in his right shoulder with a lazy behind and the canter work really helps him loosen up. His trot work (after cantering!) can be pretty spectacular for a little hunter turned dressage pony. I know I’m a beliver now…
Thanks for all the replys. My gelding is the exact same, his trots basically sucks, he is behind the bit and pokey then once we canter, his trot is WAY better. Well it’s good to know that he is not totally nuts, and nether am I. 
I think horses who tend to have sore backs in particular seem to respond best to going right to canter in the warm up.
Sometimes I will walk around for about 5 minutes, encouraging my guy to stretch, then I pick him up and we go into a very forward reaching canter, do some circles, etc.
Great thread. For some reason I’ve always thought that a horse must start off at the walk. It really irks me when my older, arthritic mare will not take the time to walk for 5 or 10 minutes – she wants to begin every ride at a trot.
I still take it slow with my 7 year old. He’s developed 2 splints in the past year, so I really worry about pushing him too much.
I was just talking about this with a barnmate last night!
Now that I’ve started cantering my greenie more, and she’s figuring out how to canter 
I’m noticing that her trot is much more relaxed and she more easily uses her back and hind end after a bit of canter, even if it’s not the prettiest canter. Perhaps it has to do with how the muscles of the back are used while cantering vs trotting that seems to help them warm up better?
Of course, she is a chestnut TB, so maybe she just needs to blow some steam off first :winkgrin:
My first horse was a TB gelding that, when asked to trot first thing, would pick up this slow, 4 beat, loafy canter - we called it “happy canter”. He simply couldn’t trot first thing. I figured out if I sent him more forward, he loosened up enough to trot faster than if we loafed. And then we could trot and do our thing. (darling creature, deserves a special place in heaven for putting up with 14-year-old me.)
Now, I find that most of my horses warm up better in the canter. It gets their backs moving much faster than the trot. Curiously, this is more true of my advanced horses than my green beans, and CERTAINLY more true of my tighter horses. I think that if your horse is a goober if you trot first, and a gem if you canter first, the answer is clear - canter first! No rule against it.
This is a great idea. I think I will try it and see how it works. I normally can’t get a good trot until after the canter. I also think it takes bigger horses (which mine is) a longer time to fully warm up. Bigger muscles=longer warm up.
When I free lunge my horse, he will normally just start cantering and then go to the trot. This certainly won’t work on every horse, but if they naturally do something, then how wrong can they be?
Boy will he be suprised!
Depends on your horse
This is fully depending on your horse, the best way is to start with the walk, then the trot and the canter. However some horses needs to start wit canter-circles to keep them focused on you and not on his environment.
@ DressageDiosa
Some weeks ago I watched the RD-series “In Search for the New Equestrian Star” and I noticed so many strange things (during the warm-up), for example he put the flying changes, before the canter-pirouettes
:no:
Very strange, don’t you think ?
When my mare is feeling “Creaky” (ie, her arthritis is giving her trouble) I do a long walk warmup, and get to the canter quickly after a little bit of trotting. I was told to go straight to canter (after the long walk) but I usually forget!
[QUOTE=dressagediosa;2976186]
Now, I find that most of my horses warm up better in the canter. It gets their backs moving much faster than the trot. Curiously, this is more true of my advanced horses than my green beans, and CERTAINLY more true of my tighter horses. I think that if your horse is a goober if you trot first, and a gem if you canter first, the answer is clear - canter first! No rule against it.[/QUOTE]
This is true about the canter being easier on the back. I read that from several respected sources (which I will post if I can find them). True, horses with ‘sore’ backs benefit from canter first, but also horses with tight/stiff backs or those with maybe some arthritis in the spine. As for TB’s, at the racetrack, there is no trotting before a race. They are hand walked for a long time, and then when they come on the track, they go into a ‘happy’ canter.
Unfortunately, I’ve yet to work with a trainer that agrees with starting the canter before trot.
Some horses definitely. A lot of them just don’t naturally use their backs in the trot.
I was also taught to always trot first, and I was a closet canterer until I read one of Charles De Kunffy’s books. (Wish I could tell you which one–maybe The Althletic Development of the Dressage Horse?) Now if anyone criticizes me, I just tell them that if he advocates it, then it must not be bad.
Here’s a link about C d K for those unfamiliar…
Canter first
I have a Holsteiner cross mare. Big, fearful of everything, fretful. When I enter the arena to school, walk around once…the more I walk the more fretful she gets to the point of balking and halting, does not matter the degree of contact on the rein. But the more contact the more she freezes. She freezes, wont move. I flex her left, right. She wont move her feet. If I try to encourage her to move forward she flattens her ears, dances to the side whichever side the whip is on. She flat out refuses. If I push her she leaps, bucks, dances. The more contact I take the more she balks. So Im sure it acceptance of the bit. I have an Eggbutt snaffle with a smooth bean on the mouth piece. I have used a vet and chiroprator to check her back teeth and body. Its in her mind.
If I walk once around and then pick up canter…all is well. When she comes back to trot or walk she is a different horse. I can then take up contact, she stretches to the bit, soft and round in her back with a clear steady rhythm.
I had always been taught to walk trot canter for warm up. I am a proffesional of 28 years…teaching, judging, instructing.
This system for now works for this mare. Shes not fretful after canter, shes calm, forward, straight and happy. The canter gets her mind off the enviorment and gets her moving forward. I will continue this warm up for her as it works.
It all depends on what your horse is most comfortable with. With my guy, his canter is his strongest gait – it’s the one he’s most comfortable in, the one that comes easiest to him. I usually walk and trot a couple of rounds, just to be conventional! :lol: But then I go straight into my canter work with him. The canter allows him to become much more forward, flowing, and supple. If a canter warmup is what works best for your horse, then stick to it!
yup!
[QUOTE=freestyle2music;2976219]
Some weeks ago I watched the RD-series “In Search for the New Equestrian Star” and I noticed so many strange things (during the warm-up), for example he put the flying changes, before the canter-pirouettes
:no:
Very strange, don’t you think ?[/QUOTE]
I didn’t get to watch the series, but I think each horse has the things that he likes and is comfortable with, and things that are hard for him. We need to use the things that are easy, the horses’ strengths, to help develop their weaknesses. I get to big pirouettes very early on Billy, because he likes them and is good at them and I find it easier to get him thinking “sit” and “swing” in the pirouette than on a straight line. Of course, they’re not dinner-plate pirouettes, for the showring, but they work for him. My little Dutch gelding needs to leg yield for 10 minutes before you can even DREAM of touching his back; I’ve got client horses that have better success with the sideways stuff after they do lots of forward stuff, towards the end of the ride. More than one way to skin a cat, or work a horsie.
If the canter, in general, makes the trot better, do canter first. If the trot makes the canter better, trot. If the canter is hard in general, break up your canter work with trot work. If the horse likes the purple bell boots, use the purple bell boots. Whatever. If it’s harmonious, and fair, and humane, and produces a good result, carpe diem.
