THOUGHTS ON WARM UP?...

[chantellemorris]

Toda i just couldnt believe what i was seeing when a person from my yard was riding their horse.
It was literally get up and go. Mount the horse and start an immediate trot.
I was just staring in disbelief, how can anyone justify NOT warming up?
Her horse is a stargazer and has barely ANY topline. She uses the excuse of it being a thoroughbred, whatever. ive had a TB and his topline was fantastic.
The reason she had no topline was because she didnt give her a 15 warm up, which gave the horse no time to relax her neck and back, or stretching at all.

Maybe this is just me, but i am a strict believer of at east 15 minutes of long and low strething through the horses back and neck before picking them up into a contact.

and she doesnt put any leg protection on her horse, which i despise!
Whether its excercise bandages, over-reaches, tendon/fetlock boots or brushing boots i always protect my horses legs!!

thanks, chantelle.

What are your thoughts?

 

[Lolo]

She doesn't do things YOUR way. Doesn't mean her way is not correct for her horse.

Reg starts working in an outline straight away, once he's focussed they move into trot and then canter and then stretch for a bit before picking him up again into a more upright (?) outline. If she gets him to stretch at the start, he prats about and no real work is achieved. Since they started this, his physio keeps commenting on the improvement in his muscle and how much stronger he is... He's also much more settled and relaxed, meaning he works properly.

You'd have keeled over the other weekend- Al walked him for a bit, then cantered him before trotting. Simply because it's what she felt he needed to be able to relax and work through... He also never wears boots/ bandages unless he's jumping.

 

[ThePony]

Sometimes I need to just get on and trot my mare - some days she just needs to get going, though preferably I would have a longer steadier warm up, but her head doesn't always agree!

The leg protection thing is a bit odd for you to be so ott about? If my mare needed leg protection schooling then I would be rather worried, and if she did then the last thing I would put on would be useless bandages - unless I was after nice hot tendons!

Her way isn't your way, it's the way of the world!

 

[bounce]

Although I agree that a horse should be warmed up for work properly to try to prevent injuries I did have a thoroughbred that you had to get on and trot up the road rather than walk to prevent being dumped in the ditch to watch him gallop off. If you meant business from the beginning and rode forward you didn't have the problem. Once he settled a bit then it was back to walk. I didn't have the facilities to lunge first of all.

Also, a horse out in the field will go from grazing happily to galloping around like a loon for 10 minutes or more with no problems. I've never seen one yet pick up in walk and do a few stretches before starting to trot or canter.

I personally like to walk for 10/15 mins to allow the horse to loosen up before picking up the pace but unless the horse has been confined to a small stall before being ridden it is not going to be the end of the world if it trots when it comes out. Its not ideal but its not a hanging offence in my view.

As for booting a horse up, it is personal preference. Boots only stop then knocking themselves and bandages do not support tendons anyway. If the horse has good confirmation and doesn't brush itself then why should it need boots or bandages on. I only boot up when there is risk that the horse is going to be silly and chance knocking itself. You cant wrap them up in cotton wool there entire lives.

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

Every horse is an individual and therefore needs a different approach. I personally could not ride my horse long and low for 15 minutes. There are some people who swear by warming up deep and round, and there are some horses who'd be ruined by such an approach. The key is finding what works for what horse

 

[coss]

depends on the horse - some horses are more relaxed in trot than walk so a nice limbering trot can be just as effective especially on a highly strung thoroughbred. I wouldn't expect a horse to work in a tight frame, or upright outline until they'd done some working in - but that working in can be in a frame - long and low in trot on a contact. as long as you're not creating a resistance and therefore tension in the warm up, the horse will get the muscles working ready for the more contained outline.
Topline takes time to build, and there's more to it than just correct work - age, type, feeding etc. Starting in walk isn't suddenly going to create topline.
Having said that most of the time i will spend 15mins in walk at the beginning of a session but it depends on how the horse is feeling on that occasion, sometimes getting them up into trot and doing some trot/walk transitions will be what's needed to get their attention.
As above - i don't put leg protection on the horses i ride. Only put boots on when going XC.

 

[Lolo]

Every horse is an individual and therefore needs a different approach. I personally could not ride my horse long and low for 15 minutes. There are some people who swear by warming up deep and round, and there are some horses who'd be ruined by such an approach. The key is finding what works for what horse

Thank you, you said what I was bobbling about trying to say in about half the words!

 

[Ali16]

OP - You've clearly never ridden on a dealer/competition/racing yard!

Although it's not how I would choose to do it, on all the above yards I've worked/ridden on we frequently had to just jump up their shoulder and ride the thing away! Gave us the best chance to stay on.

And leg protection?? What's that all about?!

 

[pigsmight:)]

Yep mine rarely wear boots on the flat. All horses require different management and it would be v difficult to work a hot horse In walk for 15 mins on a loose rein without getting them thinking forwards first, ( this is my humble opinion) but there are far worse things that happen to horses to be getting all worked up about how someone warms up.

 

[FrodoBeutlin]

You'd have keeled over the other weekend- Al walked him for a bit, then cantered him before trotting. Simply because it's what she felt he needed to be able to relax and work through... He also never wears boots/ bandages unless he's jumping.

Exactly - who says a horse has to do walk, trot, and canter?

A friend of mine used to have a horse that needed to canter quite early in the session, after just a little bit of walking, and DEFINITELY before doing any trotting! The horse was trained to GP and retired in his 20s having won gold at the YR World Cup final

 

[FigJam]

Every horse is an individual and therefore needs a different approach... The key is finding what works for what horse

Agreed. What works for one horse/rider combination doesn't work for the other and it really isn't anyone else's business unless the other person a) asks for advice/help or b) is doing something dangerous (which they aren't by the sound of it.

As for boots/bandages- I only put boots on for hacking when I plan to do fast work (brushing boots all round), for SJ (OR and tendon boots on front only) or XC (OR and XC boots all round). IMO, my horse doesn't need boots for flatwork so no point heating her legs up unnecessarily. As has been discussed many times on here (and my vet agrees), bandages offer no improved protection or support over boots.

 

[ihatework]

My thoughts are that you are probably quite young and with a bit to learn

You would hate me. I have a lovely horse. The only time he wears boots is to Sj (front tendon only or to XC/hunt. This very horse went for a lovely hours hack with lots of cantering this morning, and tomorrow he will school. Not a boot in sight. Maybe I am lucky in that my horse is straight and balanced???

Warm ups vary for each horse, some do very well to go straight into trot/canter, especially the buzzy types. Granted I wouldn't be putting them straight to 'work' but warm up can take different forms. Are you aware that stretching cold muscles can do more harm than good, my stretching work usually starts a good 5 mins after beginning the warm up period.

 

[MagicMelon]

Everybody thinks differently and what works for one horse wont for another. Whilst I agree a horse generally should be warmed up gradually, it does depend. My current horse used to be very spooky as a youngster - if you walked bout at first, he'd have had you off. So I'd get on and go into trot pretty quickly and ask for work straight away to focus him. Nowadays, he's far more mature and I can now spend a good 10 mins warming up.

I dont agree about the leg protection, whilst I always use front brushing or tendon boots purely because I have a worry in case my horse tripped on the flat and slashed its tendons (after watching that documentary where they pulled a thoroughbred apart and snapped its tendon - YUK!!). I guess its each to their own. I would always use boots for jumping and lungeing no matter what. Thing is, you mention you use bandages sometimes - I see those as totally pointless as they offer no solid protection whatsoever. The equestrian world is very opinionated

 

[whizzer]

Agree with everyone else! 15 mins of long & low at the start is a nightmare for me! Very buzzy TB who is very spooky, he'd prob ditch me very quickly if I insisted on long & low when I first got on! I have tried it but just not consistent enough with it as 99% of the time he's just too on his toes. I also canter fairly early as it really loosens him up. I do long & low stretches when cooling off,it's mostly in walk but we do sometimes in trot if he's in a sensible mood! Booting up is personal preference, I always use boots but know plenty of people who don't & it never seems detrimental to them.

 

[stencilface]

Depends what the horse has been doing beforehand too - if they have just been turned out, they are already warmed up really - enough to go straight into any pace, if not real work as such. I have never seen my horse do his stretches before having a hoon round the field

Sometimes for warm up at a comp I feel a nice out of the saddle canter is nicer for both of us to get us going, depends on the day and the horse really.

 

[chantellemorris]

ive ridden on some big showjumping yards and i have ridden many different horses, many highly strung stallions or just fizzy geldings/mares and youngsters. If your ride correctly there is no reason why you should just jump on your horse and go. If this was my approach half the people ive ridden for would have chucked me.

Ive trained at scotlands most prestigious equestrian centre and have ridden some difficult horses and not once have i had to trot straight away because its easier. If you actually spend ten minutes working your horse correctly then these problems shouldnt occur. So for those who say "my tbs crazy i cant do that" its kind of not true as ive ridden so many different horses and with time and effort long and low stretching is so do-able.
I do agree some horses are wrongly trained and backed which can make it difficult but that does not mean you cant atleast warm your horse up!
Id rather warm up and fall off than jump on and parade around on a stiff horsen with a constantly tight back and neck.

Im not saying its easy! and im not saying ALL horses are easily stretched. BUT what annoys me is lazy people who find it easier just to get on with it rather than at least try and ride correctly!
im not saying everyone is lazy, just some people i know.,

AAgain this is personal preference!
im not having a b*tch!

Just advising people to try before they decide their horses are too crazy!
90% of the time it is the riders fault with horses that "cant do" things theyre asked!
I rarely believe it is the horses fault!
A horse is not born bad, theyre taught bad!

 

[mcrobbiena]

OP you would probably be horrified watching me showjumping then, at comps I just walk her around outside and keep her quiet jump about 3 jumps maybe 4 then go in. She responds much better to this than jumping 47 times over the same 2 jumps with 15-20 horses galloping around and pushing in front.

However, I do always put boots on because it takes 2 minutes to put them on and if something did happen I would be sooooo peeved off. My friends horse was out hacking and somehow managed to get a stick stuck in its leg and pushed under the skin they spent alot of money and time trying to put it right and in the end it had to be put down. Freak accident that would have been avoided if wearing boots. Same if they were to clip themselves because they have spooked. But each to their own I always put boots on sometimes bandages in winter because it makes me feel better...!

Just a thought on the whole, if its a "hot horse and needs to go straight into trot" I would be inclined to teach it some manners, I wouldn't want it exploding out the stable everytime I wanted to ride it, I would spend time making it learn it does what I want when I want. ( I do little warming up at shows to avoid stress on both our parts) Just my thought.

 

[ThePony]

Good for you then!
The more you learn, the more you will see that there are many different approaches that work for different horses. There is simply no one 'right' way for anything! Your way obvisouly works for different horses, but that is not to say that it would be detrimental to work them differently.

 

[BEUnderTheInfluence]

With older horses I give them more time in the walk, but it would be disasterous on my young TB as he gets itchy feet if I insist on walking, the best way for him is to crack on and let him get going in the trot, once he's settled down he'll relax and stretch in his own time. You have to remember not every horse needs exactly the same thing.

 

[ThePony]

Just a thought on the whole, if its a "hot horse and needs to go straight into trot" I would be inclined to teach it some manners, I wouldn't want it exploding out the stable everytime I wanted to ride it, I would spend time making it learn it does what I want when I want. ( I do little warming up at shows to avoid stress on both our parts) Just my thought.

Could the same then not be said of your approach (if one were to be picking holes!) that if the horse and rider gets stressed with warm up that it would be better taught that it isn't stressful and then be able to warm up for longer? Not having an argument, just playing devils advocate!

I have a few approaches in my tool box for my mare, different days/different attitudes and different freshness means that warm up isn't a one size fits all work out!

 

[TGM]

What are your thoughts?

I've got to admit my main thought is "I wouldn't want to be on your yard"!

 

[chantellemorris]

This wasnt supposed to be a post whch turned sour, which it obviously has! lLike everyone i was having a releasing rant over my personaly preference and ask what youre thoughts were on warm up, i didnt ask what your thoughts were on my warm up ways!

I understand every horse is different and every rider is different! But for those who say im young and inexperienced i really am not. I am just very strict with my way! Between the ages of 8-12 i was riding in belgium, they were exteremly strict on how ANY horse should be ridden! Alot of my opinions whether anyone agrees or not are from being in trainin g over there and at my current yard im affraid we all share the same outlook bar this one person!
But there are way more reasons that we over react to her way, is hitting your horse in the face with a brush acceptable too?
Its just my opinion and i was only asking how others do it, not to have a go at how i see things, but contradictoy i have just ranted over the way she does things, but she just does everything out of propertion! her horse is in 24/7 so it is not warmed up in the field! she has her in a double mouthpice dutch gag and should she even look the wrong way she gets a dunt in the head, more than often! i have ridden this mare in a happy mouth loosering snaffle and she does go beautifully, hence the rant.
Just so many sightings of her being a nasty horsewoman and i just popped today !

So sorry for those offended by my ways and my rant but everyone rants about things once in a while and today is my rant day

Chantelle.

 

[KatB]

Stretching cold muscles is actually potentially damaging. Doing some quiet walk/trot work to start, and THEN working on stretching horses when the muscles are warm is the best approach. Some horses are naturally able to work "long and low", but a lot find this difficult, and it would make them very uncomfortable to do so so early in a session, so this can actually be MORE damaging then letting a horse slop about in trot!.

Getting on a trotting is really not an issue, as long as you are not pulling a horse into an outline falsely, which can create sore muscles, and keep everything soft and relaxed before asking any real questions.

Interesting that my back man believes the MOST damage he sees is due to people forcing horses into an outline they struggle with, and this can be any outline depending on the horses conformation! My mare would find working long and low more uncomfortable straight out, then working in a higher soft outline, because of the way she is built.

So really, it is horses for courses. You see some people warming up in Rolkur, because that's how they train their horses, but is it really "right" for the horse?!

 

[coss]

This wasnt supposed to be a post whch turned sour, which it obviously has! lLike everyone i was having a releasing rant over my personaly preference and ask what youre thoughts were on warm up, i didnt ask what your thoughts were on my warm up ways!

I understand every horse is different and every rider is different! But for those who say im young and inexperienced i really am not. I am just very strict with my way! Between the ages of 8-12 i was riding in belgium, they were exteremly strict on how ANY horse should be ridden! Alot of my opinions whether anyone agrees or not are from being in trainin g over there and at my current yard im affraid we all share the same outlook bar this one person!
But there are way more reasons that we over react to her way, is hitting your horse in the face with a brush acceptable too?
Its just my opinion and i was only asking how others do it, not to have a go at how i see things, but contradictoy i have just ranted over the way she does things, but she just does everything out of propertion! her horse is in 24/7 so it is not warmed up in the field! she has her in a double mouthpice dutch gag and should she even look the wrong way she gets a dunt in the head, more than often! i have ridden this mare in a happy mouth loosering snaffle and she does go beautifully, hence the rant.
Just so many sightings of her being a nasty horsewoman and i just popped today !

So sorry for those offended by my ways and my rant but everyone rants about things once in a while and today is my rant day

Chantelle.

I think what you're saying is, the latest part that goes againt the grain you are used to is the straw that breaks the camel's back - i certainly read as a rant against having trot as part of the warmup possibly before walking in the warmup - having read the above, its about the whole management of the horse.
No harm in trotting a horse in warmup if they are on turn out as they limber up walking about to a certain degree, taking a horse out of a box and asking them to work in a trot is an entirely different scenario

 

[mcrobbiena]

Could the same then not be said of your approach (if one were to be picking holes!) that if the horse and rider gets stressed with warm up that it would be better taught that it isn't stressful and then be able to warm up for longer? Not having an argument, just playing devils advocate!

I have a few approaches in my tool box for my mare, different days/different attitudes and different freshness means that warm up isn't a one size fits all work out!

I thought I would get that which was why I put the whole it stresses us both out in. I just find that I get bullied warming up at bs shows. People are so frigging pushy!! But it doesnt cause any problems spending the least amount of time in the warm up arena for us. It saves time and we are both relaxed and enjoy the day more. She doesnt freak she just tends to get eliminated the days I have spent ages warming up and when I keep things quiet she jumps clear ( its alot cheaper for me to warm up this way!!)

However it would drive me nuts if I had a horse that had been allowed to get away with just going staright into trot, I would worry that it will only get worse, next thing you'll have your foot in the stirrup an the cheeky bissim is trotting off down the drive. MAKE IT WALK!! (thats what i can already hear my mother would say!!)

 

[chantellemorris]

COSS - yes! I probably should have put the whole thing in the post at first but owell! mistakes can be made!

I have written that i do understant each horse and rider to their own!

And alot of the rant is based on the horse management!
And my personal preferences!

So again i apolgise !

 

[siennamum]

I'm quite old fashioned and so do believe that you walk 10 minutes at the start and end of each piece of work - especially if the horse has come straight out of the stable.
Having said that, I can sometimes be seen trotting briskly off the yard to ensure we don't plant at any point on the driveway on dustbin day - so think you have to have some flexibility!!

 

[*Maddy&Occhi*]

Personally I always give my mare about a 10-15 minute warm up, which includes walk and light trotting (more a less on the buckle) my mare naturally works long and low and I find this warm up really encourages her to work even longer through her back and neck, this way when I gather her up for a slightly shorter contact, she is very soft and subtle, no tenstion through the back.

I always use boots (all round) and over reach boots, she tends to over reach when im asking her for mediums. But then my mare is 14, so I have to say I am a little protective over her legs especially. Maybe boots dont provide much support, but thats my personal preference and it makes me feel better that her legs are protected (even if the tendons, muscles arent supported as much)

I also find if I canter on earlier in the session (isnt necessarily collected- usually just a lap on each rein) she feels alot looser and collected then if I cantered on a bit later.

 

[HappyHorses:)]

I think the skill of being a good rider is to work each horse as an indivdual.

In an ideal world I like to do lots of walking, stretching at the start as well.

I had one horse who I would warm up in walk then go straight in to canter as this seemed to help him relax through his back. Another who needed to go out for a hack first to relax her as she found it hard to settle if she went straight in the school.

All horses can be worked in the same way but it's what suits them if it's my choice.

OP - for what it's worth I too see people rushing the way they warm up but not because it suits the horse, it's more a I can't be arsed attitude. That is a totally different thread

 

[Rossifoal1]

I think OP has a good point, yes as said a hundred times already each horse is different but I think a horse should relax in walk before moving into trot. But not too for too long and most certainly not on a useless long rein. At the event yard i worked at all young horses were trotted almost instantly, but the older more established horses were walked for up to 10 mins but this includes cricles, halts and leg yielding to keep him attentive and loose.
If mine started jogging and pratting about in walk at his age I would definately need to reconsider his training.

As for leg protection all my horses have bandages (tendon boots when sj) on all round every single time they are ridden no matter what they are doing. Just the other day my horse struck the inside of his foreleg in the field which resulted in 4 days off work which I really could have done without! The same thing could have happened whilst being ridden, prevention is so much better and cheaper than cure! I also notice a lot of scuff marks on the tendon boots both front and hind so they obviously must help a little!