THOUGHTS ON WARM UP?...

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!!):D:p

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!!)

Lol, I do find just the same at shows (which was why I was just playing devils advocate!), I know that some days the warm up is lethal, and because I get stressed so does my mare, so we are better off doing just a little and minimising time spent in the warm up.

Choosing to go into trot is very different to your horse trotting off and you being ok with it. On principle, if my mare guesses ahead, I will change what I was going to do and get her listening to me. I most certainly wouldn't accept her deciding to trot off - not on! She does what I ask (at least that is the general idea!!), but some days from first sitting on her back I know that asking for a chilled walk around first is asking for trouble - her brain needs work otherwise she will go hunting for fun!
 
Walk for 15 minutes? But I only ride for 25!!! 15 minute warm up, 10 minute warm down..... Job done!!

Just out of interest, if you are going for a run, would u spend 15 mins stretching prior, or just 5?
 
Just out of interest, if you are going for a run, would u spend 15 mins stretching prior, or just 5?

I think its just people's preferences and prefering to feel the horse is warmed up properly then not warmed up at all. Personally I feel horses should have a good warm up in order to warm up the muscles, tendons- this I believe is vital as I wouldnt want strains to occur if worked too suddenly and quickly (my mare's tendons arent as strong as what they ust to be either so I have to be more cautious). Again other people have different views and this is myn, but I would never tell someone they were careless owners for not following what I do. I worked in Portugal on a professional dressage yard, and this is what I learnt also, so I use the same methods on my horse, and if I ride others.

If you were feeling a little weary and strained- surely you would spend more time warming up before you went for a run, unfortunately we cant ask horses-so its up to us to judge for them.

Not a dig or anything, just saying :)
 
I don't really warm up at all before running - you can do more damage stretching before you're warm than if you just get going, stretching is for afterwards (and a cold shower if you're truly dedicated :eek: )

Walking around is enough 'warm up' for me going for a run, and then I mean walking to the wardrobe, downstairs and out the door. I don't want my tendons warming up either, afaik, tendons are more like elastic bands and are best left as cold as possible!

Horses do have bigger muscles yes but as a flight animal they should be ready to get up and go with a moments notice without damaging themselves :)
 
mbequest - i would warm up for 5 minutes, but prior to seeing a discection of a TB i noticed how much bigger horses muscles are, which take longer to warm up ;)

You would also have seen them tell you how much more efficient their heart is as a pump and their lungs are at taking in oxygen? ;) Both of these factors will make them far more efficient at warming up than us mere humans! Also, as Stencilface says, you don't want tendons "warming up".

Seems a little odd to me that you have come on here to criticise someone else's routine/warm up, then say that you didn't want folk on here commenting on/criticising your's?! If it works for you, then that's great, folk on here are just saying what works/doesn't work for them. :)
 
When wild horseys on the plain spot a big lion, they say 'Oh just hang on a sec, I need to warm up ;) '

In an ideal world, we would love to stretch and flex our horse before starting proper work but it is not always possible and all horses are different. I think you are being a little opinionated and harsh tbh :P

I got on my horse for his lesson the other day, and I think there was something in the air, he was crackers! so i immediately got on and worked him deep , started straight off trotting and transitions, because if i hadnt, i think its a safe bet i would have been on my arse on the floor before long! Was i in the wrong??
 
I cant remember who said it but it was one of the top dressage riders. If you are riding a fresh horse there is no point trying to get it to walk and are better off just getting on with it.

My warm up always depends on how the horse is feeling. Is she is relaxed then we do a few laps of the school on a buckle end, if she is spooky then I take up a contact and get her to work. If she feels stiff I will do lateral work in walk, if not off I go. I often canter before trotting as it gets my horse going more.

Horses for courses.
 
with baby B she needs to do the 5min walking on the buckle to relax herself and get into work mode without tension, then we do flexing and trotting in a very quiet way for a few mins and a bit more walking before we 'start'

with K ive found she gets really silly and spooky if she has this warm up (been dumped a few times trying to persevere with it!)- so we go onto a round outline straight away in the walk, lots of flexing inside and out, do a few trot walk trans, let her stretch in the walk and then start the same as baby horse...
shes also better once shes cantered...

not got the hang of Ms warm up yet as only had him a week!

and with old git, she needs to be allowed to walk out on a long rein- she really marches and stretches, then after 2 laps of the 60x60 each way she gets bored and i need to do some trotting!

if they have come in from the field i dont tend to do so much walking and low work as they have already been walking about....
cold from the stable i try to walk them for 10mins with a few gentle trots but its not always possible... (time constriction or the way the horse goes!)
they also get carrot stretches before i get on and once on board before and after a session and i walk them in hand once around the arena before getting on to check they are ok.
 
Everyone's horse is different - my current one likes to amble and do some walk leg yeild and shoulder in before doing real work, i used to canter my mare around off her back on a loose rein for 10 mins because she had a very tender back.

RE leg protection - I disagree entirely. I am of the persuasion that boots and bandages
a) heat tendons unnecessarily
b) let the horse be lazy and degrade a clean action

My horse only wear boots to jump, and for SJ they have the lightest most minimal things i can find to protect them w/o letting them knock down poles and not feel it

However that's just me and with horses it's best to keep your own to your own unless the horse's health is at immediate risk - she probably thinks she's doing the best for her horse

As I'm sure you know, there are a million and one variables with horses and tbh I think it's just best to keep your nose out of other people's business, with only one eye open for serious risks.
 
i have to get on and ride my horse staright away if i tried to do long and low at the start he would just tank off. He needs a contact to begin with as he is very hot and until he has relaxed usually atleast after a good 5 mins of trot work with maybe a canter if he felt like that woudl relax rather than aggrevate then thats what he gets i then ask for a long low outline in walk and i encorporate a long and low in walk/trot thoughout all my schooling. especially if he has done a good piece of work it is my way of telling him that was right now you can relax.
As for boots i dont even turn mine out without overreach boots on, he is ridden in brishing/tendon boots and fetlock boots behind but he is an exracer who is prone to kicking himself through any excitement. i once took his boots off after riding to hose legs and he managed to step on his other foot and cut himself...cotton wool is required for him!! But i never used boots on my previous horse unless jumping/galloping
 
Have to agree that each horse is different. I warm up all four of mine in different ways however all four do at leave ten minutes walk before work starts.
 
Interesting, I know one horse i used to ride and you had to get on and straight into canter to get him moving off the leg and thinking forward otherwise you had a very stuffy horse the entire session, if you captured his attention from the outset you had a wonderful horse to ride, responsive and soft if not you might as well get off as you would achieve nothing but a good workout for you!

On my yard we also have a riding school so lots of horses and ponies and very few wear boots or leg protection. The basic rule applied is only put them on if they need it. Some do have front boots and some just back boots and there is one horse who just wears Yorkshire boots behind. If they need leg protection they get it, if they dont then you dont put any on for the sake of it and they never have a problem with knocks etc from working and being ridden.
 
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