How do you warm a lazy horse up for dressage?

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Cruiseonamiro

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Short of borrowing my instructor to come and warm my horse up for me (Probably against the rules, but he went beautifully yesterday after she'd ridden him!) has anyone got any tips on warming up a lazy horse? He feels to me like he needs to go for a gallop before the dressage, but I think everyone would think I was mental! I get a lot of comments like, "Behind bridle" and "Needs more elasticity of the steps" or "could be more forward." I generally do direct and indirect transitions, a bit of leg yield on a circle, and run through a few movements of the test, but he's still quite lazy. Discovered on wednesday i'm in the area dressage team, good luck vibes needed!
 
Lots of transitions works for me and if she doesn't respond straight away, a big "pony club" kick (obviously not with spurs on though). Only takes a couple of times then she's listening and less lazy. Also warm up then go straight in rather than hanging around for next rider to finish etc. This is a bit time dependent so check classes are on time first.
 
My mare is a bit lazy and last summer i did some BD with her and the person who taught me for a bit got me to gallop her round the edge of the school and she told me not to be afraid to do this when you warm her up at a competition. So i did! It did liven her up a bit and you have to do what works for your horse!
I did canter her round the warm up at Addington, people probably thought i was mad! As long as you are safe in what you are doing and aware of others do what you think is best!
 
My horse is a complete lazy ass.. when I first take him into school, I have to check to see if he's got a pulse lol!

Totally ignores my leg, I try not to nag and squeeze unless I'm asking for a upward transition or halting etc, so I keep my leg away, he gets a squeeze twice, if still no response he gets a tap tap (shot quick flicks) behind my leg at the same time as my leg aid which usually wakes him up and say's 'hey you listen to me now'' kinda thing. I try and make myself stick to that rule.
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Also I find useful with my other horse I used to have, once you have warned up, school with two schooling whips (one in each hand) for a few minutes so there listening to your leg, it really does work, I did it at a show and he went like a different horse!

But after about 15 minutes (by which time I'm panting like a dog cos I'm so unift) he's then going nicely and takes a good contact and can go from walk to trot instantly from a push of the leg and really picks him self up and carry's himself better, he's only 4 so, still being schooled etc

I've not got a strong leg though, so I'm to blame too, never had to use spurs on him though, but I wont resort to pony club kicks, as I think this would spoil him and his attitude to work...but that just me and my oss though.
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I will often go for a gallop before the dressage, it isn't mental at all, it gets them thinking forwards. I also find that if I warm up in walk and then in canter in a forward seat getting him to work long and low over his back, I get a more forwards test.

If he's really being stuffy then I will find somewhere quiet and really gallop him twice in a forwards seat, preferably up a hill. I have also found keeping my whip and only dropping it just before I enter at A can help. I also am testing out not trotting round the arena but tortting, cantering, halting, cantering and then trotting a circle before I go in, using the canters to do medium canter down the long side before I go in.
 
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My horse is a complete lazy ass..

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Mine too!! When I have lessons, the one awe use is "legs away" so I take my legs totally off his sides for a second and then totally pony club kick. He soon learns that when I say go, I mean it. Then all it takes is for my to take my legg off, and he goes forward
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Seems to be working so far.
 
Rather than using tons of leg, my instructor makes me "tap tap" on the very top of his bottom to make him go forward and bring his hing legs beneath him.

I also do lots of canter, making him gallop down the long side so he is a bit more perky.
 
if u can get her to go forward enough to get a little extended trot across the diagonal it always helps with my horse makes her a little excited.
 
I give my bone idle chestnut a boot and a sharp smack early on. Only have to do it once but boy does it get him going. Then we do a lot of trot/canter transitions. I did know a supremely lazy horse who didn't care much for the whip and would buck a bit if smacked so I used to get the whip in one hand and make the whooshing noise with it by his ear. That got his attention and he was quite forward after that.
 
He heee oh we'll have to make sure all us with LA horses compete in the same dressage classes then....judges will have to pay extra close attention...be like watchin paint dry lol
 
My friend was paid to school a liveries horse in the week before a dressage comp as they had gone away. This horse had never been placed in dressage. When schooling if he didn't move off her leg she tunred her schooling whip upside down and gave him a good crack - cue bucking down the long side.

He did it again on the other rein, so he got another crack, and more bucking.

Came first and second at his dressage at the weekend, and apparently was very forward off the leg. That might be a bit harsh for yours - but it def worked in this case!
 
My horse is like it every day! I usually let him walk round for a while to warm up, then a quick trot and then get him moving in canter and then transitions both within and between the paces.

He is usually a bit sharper at shows anyway so that helps!

I think the key is to get them sharper to the leg aids so that they are quicker and sharper to respond. I have to be really strict with mine because as soon as I start to let him get lazy he throws a wobbly! It's a case of if he doesn't response straight away he gets a smack. Now he is much better and respects my legs aids!
 
Mine can be a bit lazy at times when warming up and i find if i do a lot of short, sharp transititions with him and then once he's listening a bit more, i really get him moving forwards esp in trot. I try to keep him like this until he is ready to go in as i find if i stop he begins to switch off. Hope this helps!
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Not much help if you're just doing dressage but if you're eventing there's no harm in a hack round by the XC warm-up/start box and a forward canter in the XC or SJ warm-up.

I had a horse who loved XC but didn't see the point of making an effore for SJ. I have been known to take him for a warm-up and a pop in the XC warm-up area before going SJ
 
With my lazy show pony, lots and lots of walk to canter transitions, or halt to canter. i also do not nag him at all, if he doesnt go from my first aid he gets a smack on the botty at the same time as being asked again, it normaly gets him thinking very forward, i try not to do much latteral work when warming up for dressage as the constant leg contact seems to deaden thier reaction.
It worked for my show pony.

for my connemara on the other hand he is either completely dead or extremely forward, on one of his dead days he gets asked for a walk canter transition if he doesnt do it he gets 2 cracks behind my leg with a short crop (and i then have to sit the resultant bucks) and then pushed forward into gallop. repeat as much as nessecary untill it winds him up enough to turn it into an extremely forwards day.
 
I found leg yielding worked, also warming up in the XC warm up to start with. The other thing was to get my instructor to ride him at home for me before the event. It took a while for him to forgot what strong legs she had.
 
I have the worlds laziest horse with the shortest attention span imaginable! I try to keep it short and sharp when we're warming up for anything, and its go go go! He does his best work when he's in a real huff with me, in fact, it's very difficult to get anything out of him unless he's stropping, then he thinks he's being naughty, but is actually going well
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I really get him galloping down the long side, and whenever I get him going forward I bring him back so he gets really irritated and wants to go
 
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