GIVING YOUR HORSE A GOOD WARM UP 

Horses are athletes and they need to warm up their muscles just like we would before a marathon. Without a good warm up, your horse could suffer an injury. So take the time and warm up right. 

Here is a good warm up routine that you can do, before your regular schooling. Your warm up should be about teaching him to be a forward thinker and to be in front of your leg. And slowly warming up his muscles one step at a time. Routine helps, but try switching what you do up a bit. Don't always go down the center line and halt at X. sometimes halt at G or don't halt at all. Change it up and keep your horse busy not board!

*Wear are we?
So the first thing I do when I get on my mare, is let her have a look around and see where she is. Especially if we are at some place new. I walk on long reins once around the ring. If she is fresh I can pick my reins up a little.

Ok she she knows where she is, so now I am going to pick up a light contact and ride her long and low, as seen in the picture above. This is the key on getting your horse warmed up. Riding them long and low will stretch their neck and back muscles and will help them come up in their back, instead of hollowing. So with this contact I walk circles and serpentines each direction. After 10 to 25 minutes of walk I start trotting. Again riding long and low. As I ride my circles I start to ask her to look to the inside of the circle and then straighten and then look to the outside. I do this both ways. Then I will start  serpentines each way, asking her to bend around my inside leg in the turns and straighten across the school. 

 Now I can slowly start picking my reins up and ask her for a connection. I will ride her straight down the wall and leg yield out into my corners. Then I will ride my circles and supple a bit to the inside, straighten and then to the outside. Again I will ride a serpentine and try to get a study connection. Across the diagonal I will ask for a lengthening and before I get to the wall I will shorten her stride. This will get her listening to my body. 

When I feel that she is ready I will ask for canter. I don't ask for a few strides and then have a walk break. Your warm up is again getting the horse in front of your leg and teaching them to be forward thinkers. So I ask for canter and get a good rolling canter. on a circle I supple a little inside straighten and supple outside and straighten. Then still on the circle I slowly let her take the reins and stretch her head down. This teaches her to stand up and she can stretch her back. It also teaches the rider to rely more on their body and not the reins.

 

Then I slowly pick my reins up, drop my heels and trot. Now she can have a walk break. Then I would do this the other way and do some trot - canter - trot transitions.

 Now your horse is warmed up and ready for your schooling. Remember to keep him forward thinking and have fun:)