# Whats your warm-up like?



## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

I usually walk a lap or two on longish reins, though still with contact with the horse's mouth. I'll ask for a little bit of flexing each direction. I also like to walk them across three or four ground poles a few times (usually until we have one or two times across when the horse didn't tap or move any of them). I find this can be a good way to stretch some of the muscles in the hind end and back because it asks them to reach their hind legs under them well to clear the ground poles.


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## Cinder (Feb 20, 2011)

I take lessons right now and my instructor has us two-point and walk a few laps around the arena. We may drop our stirrups and post at the walk, too, depending on the day.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

*Warm-up*

When I first get on i'll walk a couple laps, or even around the yard to just get him going. But mainly i do trotting for warm-up. Just because trotting is very good for the horse first of all, and i do my serpintines, and 20 meter circles, and get me horse bending and accepting the bit. Once i start trotting, i dont usually walk again till im completely finished my work out. That includes being finished jumping, and everything.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i spend my first 10-15 minutes in 2point at w/t/c on a loose rein.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

Personally I think 10-15 minutes into an exercise is way to soon in a warmup to be cantering!
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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

my horse lives outside and has to be walked about 10minutes into the barn. then i tack her up and get on. walk for about 5 minutes, trot for about 5, and then canter a couple laps on a loose rein. imo that is not too much. in the dead of winter i might warm up a little longer, but its unlikely. it would be different if i was asking her to go on the bit or something, but i ride her on a loose rein and dont ask anything but that she is not on her forehand and moving forward. if you dont agree, you dont have to ride your horse like that. i also warm up my 23yo longer, but thats because he needs it.


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## tlkng1 (Dec 14, 2011)

I work the walk first so may be do that as long as 10 minutes. Once I get the correct walk, I then move up into the trot as his muscles are warmed up and he is working correctly. Part of the walk warmup is also doing long and lazy serpentines, 20m circles, leg yielding (towards the end of the ten minutes), shoulder ins.....


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## ellygraceee (May 26, 2010)

I do one lap of the arena in walk, encouraging long and low. Then I bump it up to trot, keeping that loose rein. I generally do a huge oval around the arena, asking her to lengthen along the long sides and slow down on the short side. After two goes in each direction, I start working on transitions. Four strides walk, four strides trot. I do a lap twice in each direction, still with that long rein. Then I'll work in changing her frame in walk and trot, going a few strides in long and low, and then asking her to carry herself for a few strides. Then I'll do several arena size figure 8s in canter on a long rein, changing leads through trot, then walk, then halt and then a flying change once both direction. Then I'll put her in almost a working frame and then do four more laps of transitions: walk/trot, trot/canter, canter/walk, walk/canter, canter/trot, trot/walk and occasionally halt and reinback. Then I'll begin my workout.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

ellygraceee said:


> I do one lap of the arena in walk, encouraging long and low. Then I bump it up to trot, keeping that loose rein. I generally do a huge oval around the arena, asking her to lengthen along the long sides and slow down on the short side. After two goes in each direction, I start working on transitions. Four strides walk, four strides trot. I do a lap twice in each direction, still with that long rein. Then I'll work in changing her frame in walk and trot, going a few strides in long and low, and then asking her to carry herself for a few strides. Then I'll do several arena size figure 8s in canter on a long rein, changing leads through trot, then walk, then halt and then a flying change once both direction. Then I'll put her in almost a working frame and then do four more laps of transitions: walk/trot, trot/canter, canter/walk, walk/canter, canter/trot, trot/walk and occasionally halt and reinback. Then I'll begin my workout.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

My pony is kept outside as well and as she runs all day probably doesn't need a long warm up but like I said the trotting is very good for horses. I don't canter until about an hour into a warm-up.
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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

sorry, but your horse does not need an hour of walk and trot to warm up !


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

No I know she doesn't but I do a lot of trot work make sure she's moving with me and bending and serpentines figure eights and everything before I canter and jUmp
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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

i do w/t/c on a loose rein, not asking much. then i do bending, smaller circles, on the bit, lead changes, jumping, etc. i think theres no use in trying to get them to jump or go on the bit unless you have free forward movement firmly established at all gaits.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

Train however you choose, I just choose to have an unbreakable bond with my horses. Besides spending like 2 hours per session with my horse I spend hours and hours grooming and walking around with her after a workout!
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## MariaTh (Feb 19, 2012)

I start by walking the horse around(usually along the roads or something) for about 10 minutes, and then I usually do some bending and transitions and such in walk, trot and sometimes canter before beginning the real work. My main focus is getting the horse warm enough, loose and concentrated.


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## xJumperx (Feb 19, 2012)

I'll usually let them have thier head, and practice my 2-point untill I'm sore. Then I'll just relax for a bit, tightening the contact. Then I'll practice 2-point in the trot untill sore. Then walk just a little while, then we do circles, serpintines, etc. to keep the mind busy at the w/t/c. Once we are fully ready and flexible, we either just focus on flat, or 2 days of the week, jump


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I brush my horse down, put on the saddle, throw a leg over the saddle and start riding. That's all the warm up he gets.


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## VanillaBean (Oct 19, 2008)

Depends on the horse for me...

Grace - lunge for a while, really until she is sane....one I get on her we walk for like 10 minutes, doing a lot of bending, circles, leg yields. Then trot doing same exercises, add.some ground poles. I trot until she is ready to canter, never a set time.

Sheena Bean - walk for about 15 minutes ( she is 18 so I like to give her.longer to stretch.) all around the property. Before I am ready to trot, I stop and flex her to my toe a few times. Trot, working on her being chill. She has headshaking syndrome so she is very tense. Do some long & low. I don't always canter her depending on how bad her headshakng is that day...it just makes all of the trot work I did go away... At the end of every ride, we gallop up the hill. Makes her very happy!


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

pinkjumperboots said:


> Train however you choose, I just choose to have an unbreakable bond with my horses. Besides spending like 2 hours per session with my horse I spend hours and hours grooming and walking around with her after a workout!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


ya uh huh ok.... what does that have to do with warm up ? does that mean you think i torture and hate my horse ?


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## princecharming (Dec 2, 2011)

depending on the day/weather/workout it differs, my main goal is to get my horse supple, off my leg and focused

i begin at the walk with circles and serpentines, because its a 10 minute walk to the arena, i usually only walk for 5-10 minutes. 

then i move up to the trot, working extension and a little collection lots of 2-point, standing balance, posting up-up-down, and a little no stirrups. still doing circles. 

i take a short walk break and work on bending and halts. 

then i canter. i would like to say i do lots of changes and circles at the canter, but i usually just open him up to a nice foreward medium canter and let him strech with a few big circles.

i like to change directions a lot when i warm up, i ride with light/medium contact, except in the walk break.

if im jumping that day i set up a cross rail and jump it both direction at the trot and canter. 

THEN ITS WORK TIME


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

I start on the ground : Lunging, then a bit of leading the horse around just for them to be nice and relaxed then I mount up. Once I'm in the saddle I start off by creatively walking around the arena for about 5 minutes just to get the horse thinking and relaxed, and to make sure the horse won't spook at anything in the arena. Once the horse is snorting and relaxed and not spooking at anything I pick up a trot. I usually do my walk and trot creatively making the horse engaged and not bored. I usually trot for about 5-7 minutes depending on the fitness of the horse and how relaxed they are at the trot. I alternate between sitting and posting, and then once my horse is ready I pick up the lope.


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## DejaVu (Jul 6, 2011)

My gelding spends most of his time out in his paddock, so he's walking all day from grazing, and stays warm.

Therefore, he doesn't need a big warmup. He's been moving all day. He's not particularly cold backed anyway, so he's pretty ready to go as soon as I get on.

I usually start off at the walk, and there I'll be doing haunches/shoulder ins, pivots, etc. to get the individual portions of his body loosening.

I'll float him around at the trot a lap or two in each direction, before I start setting him in the bridle. By this time, he's working pretty well, and starting to kick into his frame. I'll do some rating, so I'll go from extending him, and settling in his WP jog, and back up again.
I'll do the same, haunches/shoulder in, leg yields, tight circling, to get him bending.

When I move him into a canter, it's basically the same routine. I'll let him cruise for awhile, letting him move out before I set him in the pace I want.

If I'm working on the pleasure, I really have to let him move out at the canter at first, and get him settled back on his haunches more than I would for HUS, and let him warm up that way, so he's able to go down to his slow pleasure lope with ease. If I don't, he doesn't have the momentum to keep a steady pace.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

Depends on what I'm doing. If I'm just going for a trail ride, I walk the first half mile, trot the next, and then do whatever.


If I'm doing flat work, I either lunge for about 10 minutes, covering all gaits in both directions, or do a short under saddle warm up. When I'm warming up under saddle, it takes more work to cool down my horse's brain than to warm up her muscles. 

I start with walking on a completely loose rein. It sometimes takes a few laps for my horse to be willing to walk quietly. I then walk on contact and ask her to flex at the pole. I do circles, spiralling in and out to stretch the neck. 

Next we gait. I want it slow, lazy, and on a loose rein. After we can do that, we're pretty warmed up and listening.


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## Sharpie (May 24, 2009)

Well, as of now, it's already an average daytime high of 80-85 degrees out before I ride and just *getting* a nice trot and canter are the goals of our training plan, so the warm-up is pretty much 5 minutes of walking to the arena and doing some walking with bends, serpentines, halts and backing.


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## RoosHuman (Dec 27, 2011)

I start with hand walking to the arena, and a couple of laps and circles before tightening my girth. Once mounted, walk a few laps loose rein. Get a little contact, and walk a few circles/diagonals/etc and also vary the pace of walk. Whoa and do some stretches, and then pick up the trot in a light contact. Basically the same thing, lots of pattern work etc. Then canter time, followed by whatever intensive stuff we are doing. Typically, we ride more out of the arena than in, but I always do lots of pattern and transition work during warmup.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I used to walk him on a loose rein, working on keeping him on the rail when I wanted and leaving the rail in an attempted leg yield (I was learning) as well as figures and change of pace of the walk.

Then I'd pick up the posting trot and work on 20 meter circles at each side of the arena, then cut across the diagonal and walk again. Come down the short side and weave cones all the way down to the other side.

Then I'd switch direction and pick up the posting trot and we'd practice more leg yields and half circles and I'd move into two point so he can really stretch out his back.

When I was ready, I'd sit down and pick up the canter and let him have the entire arena to canter around 2 times each way as I worked on relaxing. Sometimes more if we were put together.. I'd always stop before he fell apart or I got jittery.

Then we'd move back down into a trot, do a few serpentines to the other end of the arena, and wind down for a walk and we'd practice "free walk" where I'd ask for more via leg and slowly feed the reins out to him. We'd halt and flex at his poll some more and then pick up the walk and do a few more attempted leg yields. (Before my riding instructor showed up)

This usually took around 25-30 minutes depending on how I was feeling that day. If it wasn't a lesson day then I'd just put him straight to work at the walk and work on flexing at the poll and backing up before asking for a trot and moving along from there. 

Other days I wouldn't ride him, I'd lunge him in his side reins for 15 minutes and then spend a little time working on ground work with him. Or I wouldn't do any exercise with him at all except desensitizing and sending him through and over objects before hand grazing him.

He had it pretty easy.


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## Almond Joy (Dec 4, 2011)

I walk dreamer around the paddock once, saddle her up, then I do lots of walking and trotting, then I get into cantering... I'm still a beginner so that's basically all that we do


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## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

My warm up is totally different & kind of backwards.
My two older mares are wise & very friendly _unless_ they think I want to catch them for something other than their entertainment then it's a different story. I walk out & usually just stand while they both run like I'm shooting them with a pellet gun, sometimes I just sit & watch. After they are winded & sweaty they stop & I get which ever one I want. At that point our session involves cooling off. They are seldom worked & never hard but the routine stays the same.
They both learned this tactic from my sadly now gone horse (RIP).
My new horse will not be turned out with those two. Her warm up is normal & I'd like it to stay that way.


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## EquestrianCowgirl4 (Jan 9, 2012)

I walk 1-2 laps both ways around my arena then trot around for a wile. than walk a lap than go into a slowerish collected lope


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## WesternBella (Jan 7, 2012)

Bending/Side passing at a w/t 
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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

pinkjumperboots said:


> My pony is kept outside as well and as she runs all day probably doesn't need a long warm up but like I said the trotting is very good for horses. I don't canter until about an hour into a warm-up.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_





pinkjumperboots said:


> Train however you choose, I just choose to have an unbreakable bond with my horses. Besides spending like 2 hours per session with my horse I spend hours and hours grooming and walking around with her after a workout!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Your poor horse must be bored out of its mind!

Horses generaly do not have a very long attention span, I never do more than 40 mins of schooling on my horse and 20 mins approx of warm up.
We will happily go hacking out for hours and hours but I certainly wouldnt spend an hour warming him up. He'd be so bored he wouldnt be able to perform properly.


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## Chanter321 (Apr 8, 2012)

for me its different for every horse I ride and what i'm riding that day i ride three:

morgan: 

Jumping: walk to hitch, trot circles untill confortable, go over short jumps, canter once or twice around, raise jumps

other: suntract the jumps

walker:

arena: walk to arena, trot, perimiter, canter perimeter, running walk perimeter, trot one gaming event

trail: walk for a quarter mile (ish) trot for a little no running till warm

icelandic:

arena: walk to arena, trot perimeter, trot a gaming event or two, 

trail: same as walker

for the morgen sometimes I have to lunge, if she feels hot or if she hasnt been ridden in a while, because she gets hard to handle when she is hot.


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## CattanWolf (Dec 28, 2010)

a few laps in walk on long reins to relax nervous tense horses and let them rediscover the arena, then I get the horse in place and do a lot of circles and general stretching, probably for about 10 min. After that it's time to trot, the amount of trot depends on the horse's age, workload and what discipline I'm doing on that particular day, more trot for dressage, less for jumping, lots of circles, changes of rein and lots of transitions to get the horse really supple. Then it's time to canter, I let the horse find his/her balance before asking for circles (circles are my best friend). After I collect and extend the horse in all three paces. The final stage is to hype the horse up a bit, mainly because for warming up I want a calm, relaxed horse, but when I'm training I like fast responses and prefer a horse that takes my head off if I give too much command than a comatose beast that needs constant nagging.
Everyone is different and if you're looking to set up a routine, a trainer can usually suggest some things that will suit you and your horse.


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## SRich (Sep 13, 2011)

Before my riding lesson, I warm the horse up while my instructor usually walks her dogs. First, I walk a few laps around the arena and then I ask for a trot. I usually will do posting trot for a lap or two, and then I add turns and circles into it, because I don't want to bore the horse. If I had to put a time to it, probably 10-15 minutes. When my lesson starts, I usually start off with some cantering and then turns on the forehand and haunches. I'm a beginner rider so I'm sure my warm ups will change as I learn and improve.


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## minstrel (Mar 20, 2012)

My horse gets a lap in walk while I do girth/stirrups (I alter the length depending on what we're going to be doing). We then go into a trot, and do 5 mins of trot work in a long, low outline in circles, bringing in some shoulder-in/quarters-in/leg-yielding. Once he's engaging his hindquarters and moving nicely off the leg, we do some canter work in 2-point. Then we either start with some warm-up fences if we're jumping, or crack on with whatever flatwork we're schooling. My boy needs plenty of flexion in his warm-up rather than a long period of warm-up to get him moving and listening, and he always needs a good canter before we begin working hard. However, what I think is really important that hasn't been brought up is a cool-down - he gets a good ten-minute+ cool down, either by going for a short hack or by doing sitting trot in a long low outline for five minutes and then walking with a long low outline for five minutes.


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## pinkjumperboots (Apr 13, 2012)

faye said:


> Your poor horse must be bored out of its mind!
> 
> Horses generaly do not have a very long attention span, I never do more than 40 mins of schooling on my horse and 20 mins approx of warm up.
> We will happily go hacking out for hours and hours but I certainly wouldnt spend an hour warming him up. He'd be so bored he wouldnt be able to perform properly.


They don't get bored because they are never doing the same thing, though, because my pony does multiple disciplines, from stadium and cross country jumping to dressage to gymkhana. So I never do the same thing there between those 3 disciplines there are many muscles, circles and routines to go through. So whichever I chose to work on that day, I know she is properly warned up and won't hurt or pull anything. Because she had sore muscles in when I got her so I want to make sure that doesn't come back either.
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## KnB (Apr 21, 2011)

I walk around, both reins and lightish contact. Then into a slow trot, getting him forward and moving, both reins, then I move him fast and then half halt, forward then slow, I do this so he's listening to my aids and if I was to canter or jump and he gets to forward then I will be able to slow him down. I usually do a few spirals in and then leg yield out on both reins.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

pinkjumperboots said:


> . Once i start trotting, i dont usually walk again till im completely finished my work out. That includes being finished jumping, and everything.


so you dont walk your horse for 2 hours ??


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## Jumper12 (Feb 2, 2012)

i usually hand walk my mare around at least once to get her girth up (she needs it tightened realllllly slow) then get on and walk for like 10 or so minutes, trot each way on the buckle and then pick up the reins and start working her w/t/c.


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## Almond Joy (Dec 4, 2011)

I've heard a lot of people say bending/sidepassing. I know what sidepassing is, but what is bending? Thanks!


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

Litteraly getting the horse to bend, so serpintines, circles, changes of rein, changing the horses bend!

I personaly start on a long rein in walk and encourage him to lift his back and come into my hands (still on a long rein) we do some bending and stretching to get him working through and long, then we do some trotting on a long rein and some bending.
I'll then drop back to walk, bring him up into a higher contact (shorter rein) and ask him to do some bending, turns on the forehand, tourns on the hind. Then into trot on the shorter contact and again lots of bending, some leg yielding, lots and lots of transitions, half halts to pop him back on his botty a bit more.

He realy isnt ready for much canter work yet (mentaly, physically he is more than ready) so if we do canter it is just one or 2 transitions on each rein to make sure we can strike off on the correct leg.

Then he is ready for competition, however I do start schooling ponies the moment I sit on them, warming up is always part of the schooling plan, but you can school and warm up at the same time.

Sometimes if the pony is just not in the mood for working in the school I will take him for a 15 min hack to warm him up and get them settled mentaly and then start schooling in the school. Or a lot of the time I will school out on hacks.


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## cowboy bowhunter (Mar 15, 2012)

I like to walk maybe 1/4 of a mile then trot 1/4 a mile to 1/2 mile then ill start working them. Or if it is just a fun day where we are just working on getting in shape we may trot for a few miles up and down hills then walk for a cool down.


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