Warm up??

[gail_rose]

Warm up?? - Please Help!!!

Hi everyone.
hope you're all well! Got a bit of a stupid question for you all. I'm starting regular riding lessons again finally ( ) on Wednesday night this week. I went up last week to watch my friend's lesson, which is the one before mine, and to see some of the lesson I'll be joining.
Now for the stupid bit - everyone has to warm up by themselves & I've never done this before despite having ridden for almost 15 years!! Whenever I've ridden before my instructors have done a sort of group warm up with us all so I have absolutely no idea.
Any hints/tips will be greatly appreciated!! Don't want to make a fool of myself in front of everyone on my first time.
Thanks,
Gail. x

 

[Pink's lady]

Warm up on a strange horse is primarily to get the horse listening to you. They will get a good physical warm up whilst you're doing it.

So lots of

halt/walk transitions
10m circles, 15m circles, 20m circles
shallow loops (rememeber to get the change of bend)
figures of 8 - 10m and 20m
Slight shoulder in (or even just an outside bend whilst walking down the long side)
Walk/trot transition
chnages of speed within the pace

If you've walked more than half a lap of the school without doing something, you're wasting time. ALWAYS be doing something.

So, for example:

Halt at each letter at A, K, E and C then change the rein MXK and do it on the other rein A, F, B, M. Then up the centre line C to A, concentrating on a straight line. Turn left then 10m circle at K, then E, then H. Then go C round to A getting a faster/slower/faster/slower walk. Down the next KEH get the horse to look to the out side whilst walking in a straight line (lots of leg needed). Then Change rein as a 2 loop serpintine. Repeat circles and outside bend on other rein FBM then 20m circle. Do few more halt transition, make absolutly sure the horse moves straight off the leg(use your stick if ness). Then a 10m figure of 8 from E, though X to B and back again. Anything the horse found difficult, practise a little more. Then move into trot, doing the same excersices. Once you've got the horse really moving forward, off the leg, start some canter transition. Just short (i.e down long side) and make sure the brakes work. Then back to trot doing some more bending. Finally back to walk and let the horse stretch (but NOT dawdle).

It should take about 15min for a proper warm up, but find out how long you'll get. And if your allowed to canter in warm up. If it's only short, just spend a little less time doing each movement, but make sure you've gone through all the movements on your list, on each rein. By the end of it, you should have a horse thats really listening to you.

I ride for the Vet school and at comps we're given 15mins to warm up a strange horse we've never even seem before and then do a dressage test. The above movements really get a horse listening and gives a good idea of what that find hard.

The most difficult aprt of warming up in open order are the other horse . Remember, pass left to left always and stay on the inside track if everyone else is going faster and you're just walking. However, you need to be fairly agressive (but polite) in your use of the school and just get on with it. Othewise you spend the entire time wait for other riders to get out the way.

 

[gail_rose]

Thanks, loads of good ideas there!! I have an advantage as I know the horse I'll be riding already. Have had a few semi private lessons on him before & a few hacks so I know which buttons need to be pushed!

Keep the ideas coming folks.
xxx

 

[gail_rose]

Any more suggestions anybody?

 

[xXSundanceBayXx]

if there are people working in a faster pace ie trot and canter you need to go onto the inside of the track so they can pass. also if you want to start trotting and everyone else is walking you say 'track free' before you trot therefore people are aware and they will leave the track to go on the inside.

also if some people are working on the other rein to you pass left hand to left hand.

i have to warm up everytime we ride but the instructor tells us when to change the rein to insure those having a dippy day (quite often in our lesson) dont collide with others (we also have a weird mix of horses and ponies, some mad some sane in our lesson)

 

[Pickles]

I would keep it simple and just make sure you don't collide into anyone else!

Don't forget to include walk, do transitions and keep the circles large to start with, working up to smaller circles, canter work and lateral work if these are appropriate.

Also keep an eye on the others in the class to give you an idea what is expected, but this can be easier said than done

 

[Skyhuntress]

You know, my trainers and all the clinicians I've ridden with say that the walk is the most important part of the warmup.

It lets the horse's muscles gradually warm up, you can start with them really low and work up into a gradual frame and lots of bending, so that when you DO upward transitions like the trot and canter, your horse is already loose and mellow.

Most clinicians I know told me to take a nice 15-20min warmup, 10 of those minutes being walk.

 

[Est]

The above movements really get a horse listening and gives a good idea of what that find hard.

Wow, Pink's lady! I'm ashamed to say that your "warm-up" is more demanding than my entire schooling session!!
I've recently been invited to ride a lovely horse at my livery yard twice a week, because Merrick isn't in work at the moment.
As I frequently find myself dawdling around wondering what to do next, I have taken a good look at your suggestions and will attempt to put them into practice next time I ride
Thanks for the help

 

[Pink's lady]

I frequently find myself dawdling around wondering what to do next

LOL. I used to be the same until I started competing on strange horses for the uni. You're only given 15 min max to have whole warm up then expected to go in and do a Novice dressage test. I really quickly got used to having to do a thorugh warm up.

Having said that, I still dawdle around on Pink thinking about nothing much in particular, get bored and go for hack.Then I wonder why her schoolings so no-existant - I'm in the school 3 times a week

 

[momofsix]

My trainer also told me that I should walk for 20 minutes and do lots of circles for flexion.