Multiple warm ups for multiple tests........

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el_Snowflakes

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Hello,

Wonder if anyone could share their experiences......

How/how long do you all warm up your horses when you are doing multiple tests which are some time apart? My horse needs around 30 min to be supple & soft, however as she is a (fairly fit) veteran & we are doing 3 tests at our next competition I would like to have her warmed up properly for each test without over tiring her at the same time.

Many thanks :)
 
what level are you competing at and how long do you tend to ride her at home for? Is she reasonably fit and used to travelling? All of those things will have an impact.

I tend to find that the warm up for the first test takes longest as the horse needs to loosen up from travelling and familiarise itself with the venue, as well as tune into the rider.

Both of my girls have needed about 25 to 30 min warm up for their first test, and I tend to find 15 mins sufficient for the second, as it's just a sharpen up and refresh of the aids rather than starting from scratch. I might add an extra 5 mins for some easy stretching if there are many hours between tests.

I haven't ridden 3 tests in a day on the same horse before but if I was planning to, I would expect a very short warm up for the third test - horse should be well tuned in by then and just need a little time to get the muscles working and brain in gear. Mine both do about 45 mins to an hour per session at home so this should be well within their capabilities.. .though the travelling does sap some of their stamina I find.
 
^^^what milliepops said.

I'd practise at home - get on, warm up, run through test, walk off, get off and put horse away. Wait a bit, get horse back out again and repeat. You'll soon find out how much she needs at home, then you can adjust for competition atmosphere depending on her normal adjustments from home to away.
 
Its really trial and error - and practice! 3 tests a long time apart are quite lot for a horse to do. I don;t know if there is any scope to see if you can get a time right at the end of one class and then right at the start of the other - or swap between rings depending on layout - to get at least 2 of them within 5 or 10 minutes?

Otherwise the advice is right. Fully warm up for test one. The other warm ups will be shorter but exactly how long will depend on how cold it is, how long the horse has been standing and whether or not they are excited - or bored. Practicing at home does work - but can't account for any fatigue from traveling, nervous excitement etc.
 
I don't compete very often these days, but I do 3 performances a day with 2 hours between each every weekend at a historical property that would equate very well with the situation you're describing. For the first one I do a proper 30 mins, including quite a bit of walk suppling (horse is 16 and getting a bit stiffer), lots of transitions W/T/C. For the 2nd show we do about 15mins, mostly trot & laterals. The last show we trot out to the display area and go straight in. The horse gets ridden for a total of 90 mins on the day, not too much for a reasonably fit horse. The travel is a total of 3 hours there and back, and I do have a tired horse at the end of the day.
 
Thanks to everyone for taking the time to respond :)

I more or less do the same as you all (long warm up at start & much shorter for next test) so that's good to know. We normally only do 2 tests but thought we'd do 3 this time since it's a championship. We are only competing at prelim & novice so the movements are much less strenuous than what we do at home. My horse is fit & doesn't stress during travelling or competitions so that always helps too. She's a very 'young' nearly 21 year old & I've been working on getting her 'all round' fit with hacking, jumping, beach gallops as well as dressage training so I think she will cope just fine.

Thanks again for your replies :)
 
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