| So many riders are confused about how to warm-up | | | | Cross-Train Your Horse, Train with Jane Volume 1, and |
| their dressage horses so they can have a productive | | | | A Happy Horse Home Study Course.) |
| schooling session. So here are 9 tips to help you with | | | | 6. Connection: Use the "Connecting Half Halt" to put |
| your warm-ups. | | | | your horse on the bit. The "Connecting Half Halt" is the |
| As a rider and trainer, your goal in the warm-up is to | | | | version of the basic Half Halt (a momentary closure of |
| take the restrictions away from your dressage horse's | | | | seat, legs, and hands) that puts your horse on the bit. |
| body. So depending on the day, your warm-up could | | | | Close your legs steadily for 3 seconds as if asking for |
| be as short as 10 minutes, or it could end up making up | | | | a lengthening, close your outside hand in a fist to |
| your entire ride. | | | | capture and recycle the energy back to the hind legs, |
| 1. Since your horse has probably been standing in the | | | | and keep the neck straight by giving 3-4 little squeezes |
| stall, spend the first 5-10 minutes walking around on a | | | | or vibrations on the inside rein. The connecting half halt |
| loose rein. | | | | lasts approximately three seconds. During those three |
| 2. After walking around "on the buckle" for several | | | | seconds, you "Add, add, add" hind legs through your |
| minutes, pick up a contact so you can begin your | | | | closed outside hand while maintaining flexion at the poll |
| warm-up. | | | | to the inside. |
| 3. Focus on the first three ingredients in the Training | | | | In warm-up, I connect my horse and ride him either long |
| Scale-Rhythm, Suppleness, and Connection. I always | | | | and low, or if he tends to be heavy on the forehand, I |
| start my work on those first three ingredients on a | | | | ride in a "horizontal balance" with his topline is parallel to |
| large circle. Then if all goes well, I'll go large around the | | | | the ground. |
| arena. | | | | 7. When things fall apart, always go back to the |
| 4. Rhythm: As you walk, trot, and canter around, check | | | | beginning of the training scale. First, reestablish regular |
| that the rhythm is always regular and the tempo is | | | | rhythm. Then, supple your horse. Finally, ask for |
| neither too fast nor too slow. | | | | connection. |
| 5. Suppleness: Spend as little or as much time as you | | | | 8. While focusing on rhythm, suppleness and |
| need, suppling and relaxing your horse both mentally | | | | connection, it's appropriate to ask the training level |
| and physically. Work done in tension is a waste of | | | | horse to do school figures like circles, serpentines, and |
| time. When you supple your horse, you'll relax him | | | | shallow loops. |
| physically. Once he's physically relaxed, he'll relax | | | | The first and second level horse also can do school |
| mentally. | | | | figures as well as leg-yields, and rubber band |
| In a nutshell, to supple your horse, bend his neck 7 | | | | exercises like gentle lengthenings, and then coming |
| inches to the inside of a neutral position (neutral is | | | | back to the working gait. |
| when his nose is in line with the crease in the middle of | | | | 9. Many riders do a lot of transitions from gait to gait |
| his chest) while you close your leg on the same side. | | | | with their dressage horses in the warm-up. Personally, I |
| Do a set of " three supples" which means you'll bend | | | | think your horse needs to be warmed up sufficiently |
| and straighten him three times quickly but smoothly. | | | | first before you can expect him to do good transitions. |
| Then do nothing for 7 or 8 strides. Then do another | | | | So, I save schooling the transitions until the second |
| set of "three supples". | | | | phase of my work after the warm-up is complete. |
| (This "suppling" technique is described in detail in | | | | |