I am curious to hear how everyone warms up on the flat (for schooling and/or showing). Lately my trainer has been having me mount up and engage the contact right away–going into working walk and doing leg yields and shoulder ins at the walk for 10-15 mins, then doing the same at the trot plus adding in some transitions. I used to always try to warm up on a longer rein and after some relaxed stretchy trot, I’d start to lift the front end. With the new routine, I always feel a little guilty getting right to engaged work without loosening up; but maybe I am just babying my horse. Curious what everyone’s warm-up consists of and how quickly you all get to real work (I consider connected lateral work at the walk to be included in “real work”). If it depends on the horse, I’d love to hear people’s thoughts on warming up the whoaers and the goers too! TIA!
I have had my gelding for two years. At first the trainer had us warm up with 15 min-20 min of ground work --simple things like backing in hand, moving hind quarters away from a touch, moving shoulder away from touch, then a lunged walk on a 17 foot lunge line, spiral in, spiral out, trying to encourage bending --next a bit of a trot --both ways, adding a reverse here and there. At that point, I put on the bridle and mounted. The warm up continued with walked circles leading to trotted circles leading to trotted figure 8s leading to cantered straight lines then trotted 20 m circles --for about 15 more min. And that was every time we rode for the past two years (and I ride about 5 times a week). Just in February, have we started to do 5 min of in hand, then mount, then warm up as above. And when it was really, really cold, I went straight to the riding warm up --horse was ok with it. The trainer stresses ground manners, and this horse has wonderful ground manners —our time after the 1/2 warm up is productive --we work on a new skill or polish and old one for 20-30 min --then do a cool down. The trainer says that Event horses never know what’s going to happen --dressage, stadium, cross country, --but by doing the same warm up every time, it gives the horse a chance to settle in and prepare himself. My “lesson time” never starts until I’m warmed up. Trainer isn’t even present sometimes when I’m doing the first half hour. To be honest --I kind of like the routine. It puts my mind in a good place, too. When I take horse some place (any place) I do as much of the routine as possible. Can’t always do it all, but we get some of it done.
I was always told 20 minutes of walking to get blood flowing, like a forward swinging walk with contact.
I think it really depends on the horse.
I did a clinic with Phillip Dutton recently, and he had us all warming up the horses like your trainer is having you do. I’ve been trying to implement it in all of my warm ups. I think it’s helped a lot, I think my horse likes going to work right away. But I do also hack around the property for about 15 minutes before starting arena work
It depends on the horse and the rider. I’ve rode with one clinician where they asked us to drop stirrups and walk on a loose rein and get everything and everyone relaxed - clinician said before every ride they hacked up and down their drive before coming to the arena to get down to business. I’ve ridden with another clinician that was all business immediately - once your on pick up contact. Some horses don’t relax and just need to get into work or their brains will scatter. Some really benefit from warming everything up. Weather and amount of turnout (in relation to the normal) can also effect what route to go. Personally, I like to at least do one lap each way at a relaxed walk on the buckle and then move into a working walk and start picking up contact. My guy is older and sometimes stiff so I would never get on and immediately say “work work work” with him especially if it is cold or he hasn’t been able to get outside because his joints will be stiff. On a greener horse that can’t relax and needs something to keep their brain busy or a horse that was really fit I don’t see a problem with going straight into working walk and lateral movements. Heck, I know some people that get on and go straight to canter and then go back to a relaxed walk because it works for them and their horse.
I think I tend to lean in this direction of doing a leisurely loose rein walk around once in each direction before picking up the contact. My horse isn’t old, but I get out of her exactly what I put in. I just haven’t found a correlation yet between whether she goes better if I skip right to contact/lifting the back/engaging the hind qs versus allowing her to stretch and carry herself around at the walk and trot. She does tend to get pretty wound up as the ride progresses and it becomes harder for me to package her without relying too much on my hands, and she just charges ahead behind the vertical. This is primarily what I’d love to fix–especially pre-dsg at events.
Ahh interesting. Hearing that makes me realize where my trainer most likely picked that technique up from. 
I like your idea of a hack around first. Great compromise. Thanks for the input!
I think it’s only fair to give the horse a 10-15 walk warm up before engaging their brains and bodies. Whether that’s outside or indoors depends on your facilities and the weather, of course. Then yes, you can put the horse on the aids and start lateral or suppling work at the walk. But no, not tacking up, mounting and putting the horse together in a frame immediately. That’s not fair - that’s not what any athlete would do to themselves.
I’ve been thinking about this quite a bit recently. I think its a combo of horse management/the individual horse and the human, as well.
For a very long time I rode with a trainer that was very much of the view that you put them to work pretty much right away. Now, that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a bit of walk work on a looser ring first, but pretty quickly to work, and for any trot work. Of course, that program had extensive turnout for all horses (minimum 14 hours a day) in large fields and required walking between gate/hay/water etc. I don’t think the same approach works for a horse that is stalled much of the day. Plus some horses need special treatment regardless of management.
Currently, I’m at a different barn and the horse I’m riding typically comes in a couple of hours before I ride in the evenings, and is one that tends to be slower to warm up. I find she benefits from some initial work a the walk/trot and sometimes canter that just focusses on forward, encouraging her to stretch through her back. Plus, especially in the winter, I know that I’m not as loose in my body/hips right at the start. Doesn’t feel fair to ask for immediate serious work and effort from her when I could also benefit from some warm-uip!
So it does sort of depend on the horse. But WFP/Jhng/Ingrid/GM/Charlotte - all stretchy before the hard stuff. Can find lots of video on YouTube of them discussing it. Even on a hotter horses the goal should eventually be calm before the storm. There are many roads to Rome though. However if I can get stretchy and forward from a horse we start there, I wouldn’t go backwards and would want an explanation as it’s contrary to just about everything I’ve learned over the years & There’s got to be a valid explanation other than PD did it. And it’s always a forward walk, not a putz. Sometimes moving the shoulders around can really open them up through the back but it’s difficukt to say if that’s what your trainers goal is.
I don’t actually agree with your statement below. If I am going out on a run, my form is my form is my form. I may sometimes do a warm up, but it’s never in a grey zone where my technique and running position isn’t what I would want it to be in the middle of my run, and in the end. So while I may be slower (a jog vice a run or tempo speed) my technique is the exact same in the first minute as it is in the last. Running out of all my various athletic pursuits has been the biggest correlation to working my horses on the flat as I can find.
Currently, our horses will get a short lose rein walk, we ask them to swing and maybe step over poles on the ground or some different elevations. I appreciate now that I understand it better, my coaches view point that horses don’t like a grey zone. A light, on the buckle walk to encourage a swing for a trip or two around, but when the reins are picked up, so are they. That doesn’t mean we go straight into trot or canter work, but like myself when I am running, when I am working in the ring, my form is correct, and I look to them to be correct as well. Even if it’s at a walk, there is still suppling and they are on a set of aids.
So funny because running is the last thing I compare to flatwork, a barre or yoga class comes to mind. But whatever works for people.
Some good advice on the warmup from the best in the biz-
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=4Hmg36UDWBc
http://eventingnation.com/clinic-recap-two-day-teaching-masterclass-with-carl-hester/
https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/make-your-warm-up-work-for-you-says-william-fox-pitt
Maybe it depends on how you run. When I run my form is 90% of my focus, my effort and cardio output is 10%. I am focused on foot placement, both where I strike on my foot, where I strike in the ground in relation to my hips and shoulders, my knee drive, how my legs stretch on the follow through, my core and hip flexor engagement, where my arms arm, how lose my hands are, making sure I am not crossing over my body, where my chest and neck are, are my shoulders rotating and giving me momentum, are they lose, and what my breathing is doing. Maybe if I was a more natural runner, like my husband, I wouldnt need to, but then again, he pays attention to all that as well.
I have done barre, pilates, yoga etc, but running is still the most comparable to me!
In response to the WFP article, one of our local riders went over to train and ride with him. Reading the article, I completely see it. I adore his rides and his warm ups on his horses (the local rider) and it is drastically different then other eventers in the area. He is typically off their backs, in a contact but a long and low frame (which I 100% try and do with mine, to less success then him obviously), and really let’s them move and stretch and warm up over their backs before asking them to come together, which he only seems to do for the last 5 to 10 mins prior to a test, dependent on the horse.
But it’s all still correct, it’s in a light contact but still a contact, and he is still riding with a purpose, not just going on a meandering hack.
