Warm up for the Dressage Horse

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Hi Everyone! This is a "real life" warmup. It's not all perfect and since he's a young horse we do work through some issues in this video. But I hope that you find it helpful!! What exercises routine do you have in your warm up?

[@minderellafox7906]

Amelia Newcomb Dressage ive recently taken my young horse out for her first show, she got good scores, but comment from judge was tight thru back. Any exercises to get her looser thru the back? She is built very uphill in front, and to get her to stretch when she is worried is hard. At home stretching is easy 🙈

[@emmalaukkoski3273]

Lately I’ve been beginning my rides with a 10 min walk in the forest and the pony I ride seems to love it! After that I walk a bit more doing circles. Pretty quickly I work on a few walk to trot transitions (really helps later on with the trot since he’s a bit on the slower side). When I’m trotting I bend him on big circles and do walk transitions if I feel like he needs it. I focus on him being relaxed. As soon as the trot feels good I start focusing on the canter. I pretty much just concentrate on him going forward and being balanced in the canter since that’s pretty much where we are at :). Sometimes I ride a bit more in the trot before finishing the warmup and taking a break before the actual exercises. (Sorry if there were some mistakes, English isn’t my first language😅)

[@lindav3747]

I like to do lots of walk and start my horse stretching down a lot. I also canter in his [and my] easiest direction first [which is left -counter clockwise]. just want to really thank you for the way you present your videos - so instructive and love that you verbalize everything. Really good. Much wow!

[@TractorCat802]

Why does he appear behind the vertical even while warming up?

[@danamoore3025]

This is exactly what I do! I have played a lot of sports, and we always always would warm up the muscles first, and this was a mile jog or if you were indoors - for basketball jog around the court for 10 15 minutes. Thank you. I think Carl Hester has an interview where he says the exact same thing!

[@kck3163]

Great warm up! I appreciate the explanation of why you are doing what and the outcome you’re looking for at the end of the warm up. Excellent articulation! Thank you.

[@alyssahxle1218]

One of the best warm up I’ve ever seen

[@bogdancostea294]

Walking a lot, and gradually more collected - that helps a lot - mine is an Irish Draught and needs that kind of thing. We also have a gallop where i ride and that helps enormously with schooling. Thank you!

[@julieheyrman]

Amelia, thank you for this warm up tutorial. I will definitely start incorporating this into my warm-up routine.

[@barbaraschaffner4709]

Been using your corners short sides exercises and it really really is going well the transitions are getting much crisper really enjoy them and also the trot canner trot for sure

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

That's awesome! Great to hear!

[@danw6014]

I tend to start my warm up at the pasture gate. I take any opportunity to yield her hindquarters so I send her out the gate. As we walk up to the paddock where I usually saddle her I yield her hindquarters and bring her front end though. Once I'm on her I do hindquarter yields and serpentines. I think the serpentines are very helpful for tight horses switching eyes. I like to get her into an extended walk as well as a few walk stop transitions. This horse has had a tough go at life. She is very tight through her shoulders, especially the left. We have made good progress on her hindquarters. I am not a great rider but for some reason we seem to get on well together. I like working on a lot of slow exercises and I think that helps her keep from getting lost. Thank you for the great video.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Good point!! Thanks for sharing!

[@loredelore7286]

Really fantastic. Big moving horses, particularly warmbloods absolutely need to be over in the back and use the full extent of their own gait tempo and its vital to regulate each individual horse and find the point where he can go to the maximum stretch without landing heavily on the forehand.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Yes!!!

[@bobbi0513]

@@AmeliaNewcombDressage Your "warmup" is longer than my usual ride. ;-)

[@JoergMom]

I want to start dressage! I do hunt eq right now, but I'm switching barns. Hoping they do dressage!

[@Irishope]

Nice to see I'm on the good path with my warmups 😁 I struggle having my horse relaxed on descending transitions tho, especially to the walk. I also like to end my warmup with a few shoulders-in, as my 6 yo tends to be very heavy on his shoulders after cantering.

[@mettehjris7879]

Simply love this video. Fantastic horse and brilliant rider 😍 I have a 6 year old mare by Blue hors Don Olymbrio and the challenge with her is , getting her to be mentally relaxed and thereby physically relaxed . So this method you are using will help me and my horse i am sure . So thank you for telling it in a way that is so easy to understand❤️ keep making more videos 👍🏻

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Wow! Nice breeding!!

[@mettehjris7879]

Thank you😀 I simly love that stallion❤

[@sabinelloyd8532]

After your warmup, how long do you spend on the actual working session and what do you do. I would love to see a follow-up video to this one.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

It depends very much on the horse and where they are in their level of training and where we are in the week! I have more videos of my training sessions with my personal horses on patreon: www.patreon.com/amelianewcombdressage

[@tracyhopkins7701]

Really enjoyed this video, definitely going to use some it tomorrow in my warm up

[@beateindahl8100]

I let my young horse go on a loose rain to start, then try to do some serpentines, and circles in walk and trot, then some stretch in the walk. We still have a lot of work to do in walk-trot transitions and trot-canter transitions. Thanks for another Great video and so helpful tips :)

[@chrisbusboom166]

Ready to try this today. Your videos are so helpful.

[@adelaideemeralding]

Just bought a three year old Friesian! Hoping to do Dressage with her in the future 😁😁😁

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Super!! Good luck!!

[@falizianme5846]

Thanks... going to use this in my warm ups this am! Happy riding!... 😊🦄

[@mariepelton]

Hi Amelia, Thanks for the warm up video. That really helps a lot!

[@khalilm6282]

Thank you for your instructif content, i'm rider from Morocco, i'm Showjumper basically, but i work too much dressage for young horses, it's in my opinion the best way to have them in control when jumping, and to have all the commands panel...it makes jumping more easy especially when starting for youg horses. What i can add, is that in my routine i lunge my the youngest ones for 15min befor riding or i do a long walk and start my cercles and lateral weight report from shoulder to other, in the same attitude you started with, a horse who searches for the contact softly, long and down neck engaged posteriors...thank you very much !

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Thanks for sharing! Yes I lunge my young ones too!!

[@Heidi.Fredriksberg]

Thank you! This was very helpful. I also do a little leg yeald to check out that he respond s well to both legs 😃

[@kimnenninger7226]

I love these videos. I have learned a lot even though I am a trail rider. I just got a 16 year old Tennessee Walker who was just trail ridden but never really broke nor stretched through her top line. She curls her neck and is always behind her bit. She isn't trying to run away, she was taught to go like this. She feels like she is diving into her forehand and with this she trips s lot. How you are riding the horse in the beginning of this video would be a great improvement. Is this appropriate for my horse (I don't care if she gaits)? Getting her balanced and not tripping would be great.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

A long and low frame is a great frame to warm up a horse that likes to curl behind the bit!

[@anna-karinwiklund3216]

Very, very good!!!

[@Mi55Jessica]

Thank you for this video, one I requested so really useful 🧡

[@Lynne2106]

This video was very helpful. Thank you!

[@mkrelaxingartforeveryone73]

I wonder what would be your recommendation to the warm up a horse build downhill like a QH?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Same thing that is in this video! Get him from working from behind - incorporating circles, transitions, and changes from direction will help.

[@karenthornton7014]

Hi Amelia, thank you for this video it’s really helpful. How long would you ride in a session like this? 15 min warm up then....?

[@RosanneMPeterson]

This was great and very helpful. I have just purchased a polo pony and teaching her how to collect in the ring. I am also an older rider who has returned to horse ownership after 20 years, so I am working on my seat and proper riding as well. My goal is to teach both of us some dressage and jumping. She holds her head very high and I am trying to help her drop her head. I have been successful at a walk and a slow trot, but as soon as we pick up speed, she starts to throw her head and ignore the bridle. How can I help her with that?

[@leah-bethanderton9419]

@Rosanne M. Peterson-Brandt I’d really recommend making your horses deep and round. I work with OTTs and it’s the first step with all of them. You, at the halt, bring your hands down to your knees and slouch (yes I know not the correct seat) and just ask for her/him to go as deep and round as you can get. That way your hand hold their head in so if they try the throw it up the highest it’ll get if probably where it’s supposed to be. You just keep them there till their comfortable and then start the work on correct frame so then if they feel uncomfortable of unsure instead of throwing their head they’ll just soften and go deep and round with is much better then head throwing and safer and really helps them to develop mussels and later on collection. Hope this helps 😀

[@33CHRISTINA33]

Awesome video, big thanks🐴💕

[@patriciabures3844]

Great video! thanks!! Would you try to make a more active, with a quicker tempo when starting the warm up? My horse gets more reactive as the warm up goes on but should I be insisting on this from the beginning of the warm up?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Depends a little on the horse and situation. If they are a little lazier, I would; but if I'm trying to conserve energy, I might not. Also important to remember that the warm up is about tuning your horse in for the ride, not so much about training new things at that moment

[@db9am]

Hi Amelia, thanks so much for your fantastic videos. Have been really enjoying them from New Zealand :) You mentioned not stretching horses built a bit downhill as low in the warm up. What would you suggest for those types of horses to still achieve suppleness and stretching of muscles before work?

[@anna-karinwiklund3216]

Very, very good!!

[@lej6550]

So for a young horse like this (ie I’m guessing a training-first-second level horse), after you do the warm up what does your “work” portion look like? Would you say you warm up longer than the actual work part or opposite? Thanks! I have a 5yr too who isn’t as far along as Kensington but i would be tickled with him if he ended the ride where you end the warm up!

[@lizgarland2241]

So so helpful 💚🍀💚

[@sue-ellencallaghan8238]

Great video. My horse is so sluggish at the walk when I start my training session so I bump him up to a trot fairly quickly then he will walk a bit better after. Once I start trot canter transitions I seem to have his attention. He's a pretty laid back kind of horse. Any tips for that? He wears me out in the walk warm up. 😱

[@patriciabures3844]

My horse is exactly this way. I start with walk halt transitions, turns on the forehand and then he tends to offer more walk. But going right to the trot is a great idea!

[@betsysmall3744]

Great..helpful video!

[@carolinebeetz]

Hi Amelia. How do you know if they are seeking the contact down and through their back as opposed to just putting their nose in the dirt but being on the forehand?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

The tempo should stay the same and they should not pull

[@christinas907]

Great question!

[@Lynne2106]

Do you use a Pivo for your video? I was wondering if the Pivo would bbe good to use in recording a virtual test. Thanks.

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

I don’t but I have a student that does and it works quite well!9

[@christinerichmond5263]

How do you get that stretch down. Is it a trained command or a natural effect of your warm up?

[@isabelleluft4230]

Work on length and give neck pats if the start to stretch and little at a time, it helps stretch there back so in warmup and cool down this is important

[@christinas907]

Agree how do you get the stretch? More leg? Push with seat ? Tried both.

[@patriciasaul9544]

THANKS!!

[@Miss-Laine]

I recently watched a video where Leif Aho said that you should have 80% in your thighs and 20% in your stirrups. What does that mean. Also can you please tell us more about independent seat? Thanks

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

An independent seat means that your seat follows and influences the motion of the horse, while your legs give their cues, and your hands stay where they should be, all independent of each other. The USDF Definition reads: An independent seat is the rider’s ability to maintain balance in the saddle, and give an aid to the horse, without the application of the aid affecting how she sits in the saddle. Here's a video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZ3deKN5mseUbLM

[@candacewade767]

I love the advice to walk a lot before starting and giving some easy tasks. All that "yeehaw" the minute the rear hits the saddle seems unproductive to me. I will extend my warm-ups and pay attention to see that SHE is paying attention.

[@julieklett6751]

This is not a criticism, but clarity-seeking. My trainer would be telling me, loudly, that my horse should not be behind the vertical, even while stretching. What is correct? My guy stretches, readily (he even knows the word "stretch"), but his nose is more forward - vertical or out in front a bit. Does it vary for the horse? I want to know what I should be asking my horse to do.

[@TheGinny77]

If I decided to wear spurs on my five year old my trainer might slap me as well. I understand Amilia is an accomplishment rider however it makes me question why spurs are used at this time in a young horse’s training?

[@kaseyenright3712]

Not a trainer just an amateur, but to my knowledge, whether or not a horse is "behind the vertical" while stretching has more to do with how open their throat latch is than keeping the face at a perpendicular angle to the ground. The deeper they are stretching, the further "behind the vertical" their nose might appear to be while actually keeping a pretty open throat latch. That definitely doesn't mean encouraging a horse to be more open is wrong or bad.

[@Cmartin621]

Ginny R most riders that are riding several horses in a day keep their spurs on but don’t use them on their young horse. If you are wearing spurs then you should already be advanced enough to know how to ride without ever touching the horse. She has said in prior videos that she sometimes rides a dozen horses a day so it’s just easier to leave them on

[@kathywarrack1800]

Do you lunge your horse before this type of warm up? Or just get to it

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

It depends on the horse... some yes and some no. On this day I didn’t lunge n

[@realisticequestrian8229]

Anybody else go down a phonics dark hole with serpentine? I've never heard it pronounced with an ee. Is that an American way? We say it serpent(split digraph sound so:) I-n-e in Australia. I thought oh my goodness, have I been saying it wrongly my whole life 😂

[@AdilKhan-ny1hk24]

Hi Amelia,

[@aprilolivier716]

Hi Amelia, when you say you are helping to balance and support your horse, can you explain what you are doing to achieve this

[@hendrikjurgens7021]

Allow me to disagree. I believe asking so much of an un-warmed horse, especially in a rising trot, is not suitable for every horse. For particularly movement-intensive horses, throwing their legs around in this manner without a proper warm-up can put significant strain on the tendons and potentially cause damage. Therefore, I would focus more on achieving a correct stretching posture and balance. When trotting, it may be better not to immediately switch to a rising trot; rather, ensure there’s correct rotation of the spine and its spinous processes, practicing walk-trot transitions and rein-back exercises. Then observe how the horse’s movement improves and becomes more relaxed. I would only demand such an intense movement sequence, as shown in the video, once the horse is responsive to aids and placing its steps with focus. That would be my alternative suggestion. Other than that I really like your videos.

[@magstergirl]

Gosh, realise my warm ups are nowhere near sufficient.