Suggestions for warm up exercises that are fun and confidence building

[Fire sign]

Would anyone like to suggest a warm up routine and some exercises

For a low level jumping session with my Irish draught type mare ..

She tends to be a bit behind the leg and on the forehand, is a willing enough jumper once she gets going but runs out of steam fast ..

I am an older rider who also runs out of steam fast and tends to rush into the jumping phase without warming up properly because I am nervous, once jumping we struggle with straightness, getting a good rythym and seeing a stride .

We have a square arena with enough room for 4 or 5 jumps and mostly I don’t have a helper on the ground but could recruit one if someone has a good plan..

 

[Maddie Moo]

Have you got an instructor to help you?

From a flat work perspective, lots of transitions can help ‘wake’ a horse up rather than getting stuck in one pace. That will also help with the jumping as you want your horse to take you into a fence, it’s much easier to see a stride and meet the fence correctly when they’re in a consistent rhythm. You’ve said she runs out of steam and is behind the leg, has she been checked by a vet? Just in case there is anything underlying going on that is impacting on her.

When you say you struggle with straightness when jumping, is that on the approach or as you’re jumping? Do you use a placing pole in front of the jump? That can be helpful for helping you to see a stride and also the horse. Would definitely recommend getting a good RI if you don’t already have one.

I recommend these two books as well:

 

[Fire sign]

Thanks for your suggestions Maddie Moo.. I am in between jump instructors currently and so am feeling a bit rudderless .. I do try and do lots of transitions and my mare has been checked over by the vet a couple of times and nothing has shown up thankfully but she is long backed and chunky and I do find it hard to adjust the canter .. The straightness I sometimes struggle with is on the approach to the fence … and because my girl is big and a bit stuffy it’s a fine line between warming her up enough to jump but leaving some petrol in the tank for doing the actual jumping. Also the same applies to the rider .. who is long in the tooth rather than long in the back but runs out of energy and bravery !!