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.

Rubesca's Anniversary of Death: Laying a Wreath and Remembering

Yesterday was tough. Three years ago, on 22nd November 2006, my equine soulmate colicked at 5:30 p.m.

She was 26 years old, had won a trophy that summer for the highest dressage scores over three shows in Virginia, where I was living, and I thought we had many years ahead of us yet.

We were in the middle of a move. She and my three other horses were staying at a boarding barn while we sorted out the new house and built new stables. She hated it. I shan't go into the callous attitude of the people who ran the barn, but suffice it to say, I couldn't wait to get my guys out.

It was the night before Thanksgiving, quite literally a dark and stormy one. I hadn't seen my horses since Monday, because of waiting for deliveries at the house. All day Wednesday it had been raining and blowing a gale and all day something told me Rubesca was unhappy. Either she would be outside in the weather with a blanket on - she hated blankets - or she would be indoors and miserable. After waiting forever for a morning delivery, it came late afternoon. As soon as I could, I bolted out of the door and roared round to the barn. I had to check on all my guys, but especially Rubesca. That nagging voice....

The horses were indoors, with little hay and even less water. Everyone had gone home. The horses were glad to see me: more hay and more water were distributed. Rubesca nickered to me. I rubbed her face, relieved she was O.K.

Ten minutes later she lay down and groaned. I was perplexed. She lay quietly, and I began to brush her face, waiting for her to tell me what was going on. This behavior was new. Soon she got up and began to look at her flanks, wanting to lie down again - this time to roll. I grabbed a halter and lead rope and walked her around outside in the roaring wind and rain. She kept trying to go down.

There followed three long hours of rousing people to help, getting the vet out and having to make the agonizing decision to euthanize. Her gums were going black - her circulation was shutting down.

We were in the indoor arena now and after she fell, I asked everyone to leave. Lying over her head, stroking that beautiful face and sobbing, I chanted over and over and over: "What am I going to do without you?" I really didn't know how I was going to cope.

Cruz Bay's Mum: Kelly aka Rubesca (for shows)

Rubesca was my success story, the crazy 18 year old Thoroughbred chestnut mare who was given to me free. Within six months we had bonded and she was winning showjumping, dressage and one day event shows with me. She'd had three event wins alone as a 25 year old the year before and together we were more than the sum of our parts. I was about to retire her from competing and watch her frolic with her son and the other two geldings in the fields.

Instead I have an "In Memoriam" plaque on the door of the stall at our new barn which should have been hers. She lies in a grave, situated within the paddock closest to the house and enclosed with white fencing. I have planted a garden over it. Last October she was joined by our 22 year old cat, Mitsu, who lies facing her. I can see them from the house.

At 5:30 p.m. yesterday I began crying as I remembered the last time I brushed her face and lay a wreath on her grave. At 8:30 p.m., the time she died, I added a solar lamp from our yard. It was burning brightly, and by its light I could see the plaque: 'If tears could build a stairway, and memories a lane, I'd climb right up to Heaven and bring you home again.'

But at least she gave me the gift of being able to say 'goodbye.'

My Thoroughbred cross horse and his apparent reaction to sudden temperature drop

After four solid days of pouring rain, a swimming pool instead of a riding arena, watching Cruz roar around the field, rearing and spinning for lack of other exercise, and a missed horse show on Sunday as a result, the sun came out. Hurray! By late afternoon the arena was rideable.

As I groomed Cruz I noticed two things. One, his winter coat has suddenly sprouted and two, he is no longer sensitive about being brushed. He's been enormously antsy while having his stomach and even his back cleaned, and has several times tried to cow-kick me: that's not Cruz at all! I was very much hoping this new sensitivity was down to the change in season, and it looks as if it was. This is the first year it's happened. Maybe because of the rapid drop in temperature and his body's attempt to compensate fast. Now his coat is thicker he's back to enjoying being groomed.

After the second day of rain, which my British born horses usually don't mind, I brought them all in for a few hours to dry off. I didn't want them getting rain rot/scratches. They have the option of coming out of the weather any time they want, as I've set up the stables to act as run-in sheds as well, but they weren't taking advantage of this shelter.

Kinley and CD were fine, but Cruz was shivering. I put a net blanket on him and covered that with a light wool rug. He was immediately more comfortable, and soon warm and dry. The three horses then wore New Zealands until the temperature rose and they were happier without them.

Anyway, that's taught me that when the weather suddenly and dramatically cools down, the Thoroughbred part of Cruz has a tough time with it. Luckily for them, the Irish Draft in the other two overrides the sensitivity of their Thoroughbred side.

This is different from usual: Cruz is normally the horse wanting to be out in the rain, snow, ice, you name it. I always thought this was his one quarter Welsh Cob coming through - the rugged pony part of him. In Virginia he used to open his stable door so he could be out in some terrible weather conditions. So once again I put his atypical body reaction down to the suddenness of the temperature drop.

One has never learned everything when it comes to horses. That's why they never get boring!