Warming up and Cooling Down and More

Warm up and Cool Down and more

Warm up

In the old days a person was to walk the first mile from home and  the last mile to home.  This walking is very important for the horse and rider.  It gradually warms up the horse for work (this is especially important if the horse has been in a small paddock or stall where walking was restricted.  Joints and muscles need to gradually become accustomed to work.  The brain of the horse, importantly, needs to change into work mode.  The worst horse to ride is a horse the is ready to run as soon as you are seated (or before).  This horse is a menace to his body.  There is no warming up period.  Some riders like this but is shows inexperience on the rider’s part.  

Calmness also known as relaxation is necessary for a horse to work intelligently.  A calm horse can learn.  A calm horse does not injury itself.  

Prior to mounting groom your horse.  Take you time.  Enjoy the feel of his coat.  The shine in his coat.  Even if you are in a hurry.  Notice your horse’s demeanour:  standing, attention, coat, ears, eyes, legs.  They will all tell you something.  Your subconcious will record this. 

Tack up gently.  Place the saddle on your horse’s back.  Slowly do up the girth just touching the skin the first time. Then gradually tighten it one hole as you finish preparing to ride.  The last tighten will be just before you mount. After trotting and cantering, check your girth again.  How you do up the girth matters to the horse.  A big tensioning of the barrel will mean a very loose girth at some point.  

Walk your horse to your mounting area.  If your horse does  not stand for you to mount that is your first lesson of the day.  Don’t expect the horse to stand long, but the horse should be still before you put your foot in the stirrup.  gently sit in the saddle by catching your weight with your other hand and easing into the saddle.  Dropping in the saddle is not a good idea.  That could be one reason why your horse does not stand for mounting.  Another would be a sore back.

Once mounted, get your stirrups, adjust your position without bouncing on the horse’s back, and sit.  Loose or long rein.  It doesn’t matter.  Halt your horse when you feel he is going to move.  stroke his neck to reward.  If your horse is quite anxious (not still). Reward that second when he is still.  Give a food treat if you can (something else to work on).  Then walk on after the horse is finished chewing.  

The rein length depends on the horse and the surroundings.  You do want control.  If your horse is skittering around then a loose or very long rein is not a good idea ((half halt, flex to inside, sit quiet, keep your legs on the horse, walk on bending lines to keep the horse focussed on you).  

Walk around the arena, the yard, the fields.  Two point up and down hills or slight inclines (if will help you loosen up your legs, too).  Enjoy being outside.  The rain, the wind, the sun.  Its all fine. 

The walk should be a forward marching type walk.  You should feel the horse is going someplace.

If you have areas where you can trot then  do some trot work.  Long slow steps.  Trot downhill once the horse is balanced in two point.  All trot work is in rising trot.  

Canter as well. circles, spirals, al in  a long, slow canter.  Don’t canter down hill unless you are very balanced.  

Go over cavalletti as part of this warm up.

A formal warm up would consist of 20m circles, turns, inclines (diagonals) on both reins then repeating at trot, then at canter.  Gradually as the horse collects and rounds up shorten your reins.  

If your horse cannot trot quietly, softly then trot work becomes part of the schooling, not part of the warm up.  Do rising trot until you can include trotting in the warm up (which should always be in  rising trot)

If your horse is not able to canter quietly then that is not part of the warm up.  It becomes part of the schooling portion of the ride.  

If your horse is inattentive (tourist is calm, alert and looking for something is different) then the rider must regain the horse’s attention.  A turn or circle is easy.  If the horse is alert in one particular spot avoid this area.  When the horse is working and focussed on you it will not be an issue.  There is no point at this time teaching your horse to be suspicious of things by making the horse go near it or worse to it.

Bend your horse to the inside as you go on the circles.  See the inside eye/nostril.  Not the side of the face.  The top of the neck will flip when the horse is bending correctly.  If the horse cannot bend his neck as it is very stiff then do some head and neck bending. (bend the head to see the side of the face and release immediately).  Your horse will turn so do not worry about that.  Be sure your hands are not holding the horse (this will cause the horse to be rigid in the neck).  Loosen your reins.  Ride without contact, even.

After the warm up walk on a loose rein.  Praise your horse by stroking his neck from the poll to the withers, from the saddle to the tail.  (this will also stretch you).

For the rider warm up drop your stirrups and ride with your toes down.  Lift your toes as if they were in stirrups and you will notice a tension in your hips.  That is why toes down.  roll your shoulders, wiggle your fingers and toes, breathe deeply in and slowly out.  If your horse is quiet this can also be part of the horse’s warm up.

A more advanced horse would do lateral work now for loosening up:  turn on the forehand (horse either responds to the leg aid or doesn’t.  Be sure horse is not turning because you are turning his head), leg yield and on through the progression of difficulty.

The schooling portions is what you have decided what you are working on during the warm up.  It can be a continuation of something done the last day if the warm up has been uneventful.  Or jumping, galloping, focus on your position, etc.  Repeat what you are schooling three times and move on to something different.  (eg if schooling walk pirouette, then change to lengthening and shortening of the stride).

It is better to introduce something totally new to the horse at the end of the session, just before the cooling off.  It is a very short time.  Introduce it, reward a response (don’t expect a perfect response) walk, rest.  Then cool down ending with walking on a loose rein just as you started.  Even go outside if it was not possible for the warm  up.  This is a good time to introduce the great wide outdoors.

Gradually do down the paces:  jumping to a canter, to trot, to walk to loose rein walking.  Stand before dismounting. For minutes at a time.  Stop and stand during the session.  If you have a horse that does not stand there you have something else to work on that you can do without help.  In the beginning when the feet are still reward and walk on.  Gradually expect a longer stand.  Treats help relax your horse and keep him standing longer.  Pair the treat with verbal praise and your horse will associate “good” with a treat (clicker training without the click).

If you finish on a good note then the next ride will continue on from there.

Problems and Solutions

Horse is too fast

• your position:  are you pushing (hips when walking, leaning back with feet forward) or following with hips and back
• tack:  saddle tilted back (too narrow)
• is horse getting grain (feed more hay, no grain)
• off the track, gymkhana horse,  (need to retrain to obtain calmness.  Start with lungeing (big circles, walk, then trot, then canter.  Only ask for trot when horse is pretty calm in the walk, think trot rather than asking for it. When the horse breaks into the trot then say “Good boy, trot”,  the same with canter.  Because at some point you will be asking for a trot or canter and it is easier if you haven’t been stopping it.  Reward what you want.  Ignore what you don’t want and make the circle smaller until the horse has to walk, then praise for walking.  Keep sessions short.  10 minutes is long enough.  

Once your horse is walking on the lunge you can get on and cool out.  Repeat at trot and canter.  Extend your cooling out area as your horse is calm.  Circle,  turns will slow the horse down nicely.  Add trot to cooling out area.  Add sidereins to lunging or a neck stretcher (both long) so the horse is uncomfortable being inverted and bends to the inside on the circle.  It is best not to walk in sidereins or neck stretcher so you don't interfere with the nod of the horse’s head.

Horse too slow

• your position: thighs gripping, legs clamped on, leaning forward, saddle tight in  front
• close leg, release pressure, but leg not off.  tap, tap, tap with leg if horse reactive, tap with whip behind girth 
• beside you are following the movement of the horse your hips and back will undulate

Jigging or short quick walk steps

• lunge to regain walk
• when leading expect horse to walk (turn around and walk back until horse walks, then turn around.  Repeat until you get to where you were going)  
• Leg yield, lateral work can be done but loosen the reins is easier
• walk on loose rein (about 12” from he buckle) after a period of time the horse will stretch to the contact.  Stay on bending lines.  Good time to introduce ground work:  L, over things, on things.  Flex and release.  and keep doing it until the horse walks.  Shorter reins if your horse is shorter.
• walk over cavallettis on loose/long reins

Looking

• looking is not the same as spooking.  That is ok.  During warmup let the horse look around.  On trails let the horse look.  I like a tourist.
• When is work the horse does not look around.  flex to inside.  

Spooking

• No big deal.
• Stay away from the scary area until horse is working then the horse will go by because the horse is focused on you.
• Gradually go nearer, just enough to almost get a reaction.  
• No praise no treats.  You do not want this behaviour so don’t reward it.
• Horses spook because they are alive.

Nappy

• refuses to go
• use a whip to encourage horse to go someplace (rather than using legs stronger)
• Do something different someplace else
• Persist quietly.  The more effort you use, the bigger the answer from the horse.  
• Eventually the horse will stop refusing to work.  Check tack, position, previous history
• If you cannot ride the horse then lunge the horse.  
• No rewards no treats because you do  not want to have this behaviour
• Circles help (riding outside and horse won’t go further)

Inverted:  Stargazing

• keep your hands low, reins long/loose
• flex neck and give
• cavalletti work
• lunge with neck stretcher, lauffer reins
• back drops when head is up so sit light, two point, rising trot
• ride the horse forward rather than slower
• hillwork 
• low grids at trot