The Warm-Up: Part I - Two Styles for Two Different Horses

We know that the warm-up for a dressage horse (or any horse for that matter) should be for 'as long as necessary and as short a time as possible.’ In my experience, depending on the type of horse, not only is the length of the warm-up going to vary, but also the method.

Cruz Bay is an 11 year old, athletic ¾ Thoroughbred. He often acts like a child with ADD and needs his attention focused quickly, and his energy channeled.

Callow Double Clover (aka CD) is my husband’s 17.2 hh Irish Draft/Thoroughbred cross. He’s 21 years old and very even-tempered with a touch of arthritis.

The two horses require very different warm-up approaches.

The Older/Calmer Horse

You can enjoy relaxing with a horse like CD at the beginning of each riding session.

But the big gray takes this one step further: unless you allow him to walk on a long rein for at least ten minutes, he’ll fight against any real contact. He can resist for hours without giving in!

But after you walk him on a light, almost non-existent contact for those ten minutes, he’ll accept a long and low frame, allow you to bend him left and right, and soon start to carry himself. He always honors his end of the deal if the rider does, too.

The More Athletic/Easily Distracted Horse

Cruz Bay is a more challenging animal. If I lead him down to the arena in just a halter, he’ll behave much better than if he’s bridled. He’s no dummy, and knows when Work is about to happen!

He’s not a good candidate for doodling at the start of a warm-up because he’s too likely to ‘spook’ at the trees swaying at one end, or imaginary deer rustling behind the bushes at the other. Cruz needs stronger contact with shorter reins than CD as soon as I’m mounted. It’s almost as if he feels more secure when I use a more masterful approach right from the get-go.

He’ll allow me to perform a series of warm-up exercises with him in a shorter frame, although I keep his poll below his withers at this stage. He needs the opposite of the light loose contact to relax him.

After five minutes or so of this he is more settled and focused, stretching down into a nice long frame on a lighter contact.

It’s been interesting to understand that although following the German Training Scale is a must when riding dressage, there are various ways to achieve each stage, depending on the temperament and athleticism of the horse.