How long does it take to warm your horse up

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mjcssjw2

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Mine used to take no warming up at all, but as he gets a little older is certainly seeming to need more loosening and softening before a test, is this normal?
 
Mine is only 10 yo but i do need to work him in for about 20 minutes before i get him supple enough to do any more complex things, before i test i warm up for about 30/40 minutes depending on how he is feeling and then he is normally at his pique when we go in for the test
 
The same as above, about 30 or 40min before a dressage test or jumping round. The first 15min will be walk, then 10-15min walk/trot before going into canter for about 5min, followed by a short rest break on a long rein. Then he's ready to compete, start jumping or to start learning something new.

It's natural for older horses to be stiffer in their muscles and joints than younger horses and to need a longer warm up.
 
Depends on horses mood lol

Average of 15mins-20mins, usually with lots of circles and transitions. It would be normal for me doing 5-10mins solid of trot work (varying pace of trot) changing the rein a lot.
 
I find all of my horses take around 20 mins to become supple, I then do another 15-20 mins of proper work. They are all young at 5, 8 and 10 . I have to use a fair amount of circles and basic lateral work to get them to use their backs or else they can become a bit lazy!
 
Roughly 15-20 mins. I allow more like 25 mins at a competition as he is a bit sharp and needs longer to settle and find his zone.

I follow a set warm up routine, so it's like a comfort blanket for him and he knows what to expect wherever we are.

Shoulder in/traver/renver and leg yields in walk, shoulder in/traver and leg yields in trot, shoulder in/traver/renver in canter.

Depending on how he's feeling I may do some on and back in the canter, and do some leg yielding out of a circle in trot and canter.

Counter canter is good for the warm up too I find, really gets them swinging through their hips.

For Fig, the main thing is to get him soft round the leg and the rest follows. I don't do too many transitions in the warm up as it makes him sharper and then he peacocks against my hand.
 
It really does depend on where we are. If i'm at home in the school and his feeling lazy a good 30 mins. If we are at a show (jumping) a few transitions pop a couple of jumps and we're ready. If at a show (dressage) any where between 20-40mins depending on what mood he's in.
 
In general about 30 mins for mine! He really needs lots of working in to get him listening and starting to work properly. But usually that's the point where I'm knackered and want to finish lol.

In yesterday's lesson it took him until the last 5 mins (of 30 min lesson!) to understand that we weren't supposed to jump the trot poles as I had only warmed him up for 10 mins or so. (We have done trot poles many times before so not a lack of training!). Had I done longer, would have been a different story.

He lacks concentration until he starts to get a little tired and less full of himself.
 
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thanks everyone, did loads of walk and laterla work before I even trotted last night and he seemed sooo much better, perhaps I was just not giving him enough time.
 
i do 20 mins stretchy warm up at home, before starting to work on *improving/progressing* things, at a show he needs an hour of work before he can do his best test as he is quite sharp away from home (of that 20min is stretchy work and he gets LOTS of walk breaks).

CS works best if i walk, then canter, THEN trot as due to his EPSM he finds canter easier to loosen off in.
so:
walking figures/circles etc in a quite deep outline, concentrating on him relaxing over his neck down in to the hand and being sharp off the leg.
do some ext walk to colleccted to ext making sure he stays in front of me and active.
1/4 turn on forehand each way to start gathering the hind legs.

up in to canter still in deep outline:
lots of on and back to get him taking contact forward
si/traver/si alternately on a circle or down long side makign sure hind leg stays quick
walk/canter/walk to get the sit

back to trot in a slightly higher outline as he can be a bit cunning about dropping the wither and losing the hind leg:
baby on and back in trot, few short almost half step, then to a half medium and then back shorter again.
si/travers as before
stretching right down to ground.
 
I only do about a 10 minute warm up before dressage, both horses i compete in it get very bored if I go any longer so I keep the warm up short to keep them sharp! I only do about 10 mins for sj and xc too but usual with a good but of walking before I start the actual warm up
 
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