Horse Riding Lesson - How To Warm Up Your Horse

Do you have a method or plan when you warm up your horse or do you just randomly ride your horse around? I have a method and in this video, I show you how I do it. It's uncut from start to finish and by the end of the warm-up, I have a horse that is ready to go on and do the "work" part of the session. He is supple and his joints and muscles are ready for work.
I hope you find some value in it and would love to hear from you in the comments.
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• Horse Riding Lesson - ...

[@BasicHorseTraining]

The warm-up is the most important part of your ride. It's here you set the horse up for the rest of the session AND help prevent injuries.

[@Franklin-pc3xd]

Wonderful equestrian skills and practices. Not to bugger the theme here but I'll bet this great lady also covers a cool down protocol. After trail rides and even after local events within a mile or two of our barn, I called it my last mile dismount cool down. Several decades later it is those last mile dismounted, on-lead walk-back routines with one of my horses that I remember fondly as some of the most rewarding moments of all my horsey relationships. We were both relaxed and communicating - we actually had conversations - no stress - no rushing back - natural benefits of a cool down for both of us. I found it reduced my soreness later at home and I assume Feito noticed that as well...plus I let him stop and grab a mouthful of some of his fav greens on the way and a little cool/clean water if available. It was a far better solution for returning home from a reasonably close event, rather than the whole trailering thing - not that Feito was trailerphobic, at all. It was just, for me, by the time you're done with all that you may as well have spent just a little more quality time relaxed - weather permitting. Whether after an event or just a trail ride or boondoggle day ride, I felt like we ended it up, and finished the day as equals and buddies with some good memories. One of the other benefits I noticed is that he usually unloaded some road apples along the way - so less ending up on his stall floor that night😉 Just recalling it now, I started that practice after a particularly disappointing and embarrassing low level, local dressage test. We both did poorly because I was just off and that surely off-put Feito. I don't know what prompted me, but I just decided to use the opportunity to de-stress the whole thing, forget about it, and for the two of us to just have a nice stroll back home.

[@rachaelperry9302]

This is such a great warmup! I was timing myself to ensure 10nins walking but had got slack, definitely going back to it, followed this basic formula today. So many gems of information and wonderful tips, really appreciate this! 😊🙏

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I'm so glad you found it helpful Rachael 😊

[@aponinaapu2973]

Oh my god i love you so much ♥ i will try it with my crazy horse mama when she is ready, maybe she will tolerate me more and start like work wirh me again :)

[@benitascott3533]

Lovely warm up Josie! I think the best I've ever seen. I love your strategic approach to everything you do, & I love that you share all the elementary knowledge purposefully, to bring other riders along with you, for the betterment of horses in general. Thankyou for sharing! ❤ yr work! And a pleasure to watch your results with Rebel too! He's a lovely boy! 🐎💖🙏🏽

[@hhp2788]

random especially now that i don't have an instructor because Im in a barn that is not my choice of discipline so sometimes I feel really lost on what to do. But this is nice it gives me some steps to help.

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I'm so glad it was helpful.

[@huubboschker2956]

Nice 😊 thanks for your video

[@aina3387]

Great warm up with a lot of tips and tricks in it!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Glad you liked it!

[@sabinelloyd8532]

Some nice bits to add to my warmup routine!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

So glad you found something helpful Sabine 🤗

[@CathCrouch1]

I’d love to see a video about your end point of a horse that snatches the contact because you’ve been holding them! ❤

[@sharonparbery6452]

Thank you, great to see!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Thank you Sharon. 😊

[@cbpoultrysaddles5580]

Brilliant thank you off to warm up now x

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I hope it went well 🤞

[@jeanbat9475]

Beautiful horse, lot of impulse and rebound for a such massive horse ! He seems a bit less comfortable on the right, could he be left-handed?

[@cherylyingstbartel1457]

Thanks for this, Josie. Very helpful. I appreciate your comment you "always ride the lines". Good advice. I also appreciate your sharing with us what you are trying to achieve, and your plan for getting there. Thanks for also distinguishing between contact and connection, and for noting that a green horse will likely not be working under contact early on. It was good of you to distinguish between horses in a stable 23 hours a day (which occurs in some parts of the world) and those who have 24/7 turnout (like mine). Here in Canada, we are coming out of winter and my horses are as of this month being slowly brought back to fitness (I follow Hilary Clayton's method of slowly bringing horses into work so muscles, ligaments and tendons can catch up to cardio fitness, which occurs first). A suggestion for a further video would be to talk about how to build fitness and avoid injury when bringing a horse back into work after some time off (whether due to weather or rehabbing from an injury). I think many people have to do that at some point, and pushing too hard or fast can result in injury. I would be interested in understanding your methods.

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Thank you for your comments and those suggestions Cheryl. I will pop them on my list. I'm glad you liked the video and thank you for letting me know. 😊

[@hayleyhatcher3586]

Wat a beautiful horse 🐎

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Thank you Hayley 😊

[@paulg6852]

Great vid thx👏 could I ask when u do the first 5 minutes on a long rein, are u still controlling the direction he goes at all? Or should we just let them walk wherever they like but just keep them moving? Thx mil

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Hi Paul. I usually keep him on the track and change the rein often. 🙂

[@CK-uh4wq]

Hi Josie. What are the cues there for when you start doing the slight flexion then go to each side?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Watch this C K. It should help. Bending A Horse Starts With Flexion kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4eqqouamM-WkNU

[@elizabethkiener9220]

I started the warm-up on a long rein & felt quite relaxed when the horse suddenly spooked and took off in full galopp - no time to shorten the reins & slow the horse down, which resulted in a fall & a broken arm ..... Bad-mannered horse? Training issue? Anyway, in my warm-ups I usually change reins a lot, ride circles & serpentines, often using cones I place in the arena to ride figure 8s, etc. I usually spend 20 minutes on this, especially in winter (where it gets cold in my country). Still recovering, don't know if I dare ride on a long rein again ... Any tips to regain confidence after such an incident? Thx for your videos, always helpful🙂!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I don't really believe in bad mannered horses Elizabeth. Always a training opportunity maybe not an issue as that brings about negative connotations. All horses are born with a flight instinct.and it sounds like something triggered you horses instinct while you were warming. I'm sorry that you broke your arm. That must have been very frightening. I hope you have make a full recovery.

[@blackdiamond7708]

Wow such a beauty. Is Rebel a Trakehner or Dutch Warmblood or something? ❤⭐🐎

[@BasicHorseTraining]

He is a TB x Oldenburg 🥰

[@blackdiamond7708]

@@BasicHorseTraining Oh ok those were some of my other thoughts. Thank you! ☺️⭐❤️

[@staceyarbelo4255]

Thank you for the video. How long do you think is an appropriate time to school after the warm up?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Stacy that depends on the horse, his level of training and his level of fitness. My really green horses just do a warm up as their session because the don’t have muscles developed and lack fitness. It also depends on heat, time of year and what I’m doing in the “working” part of the session. Sorry that is not really an answer but there are so many variables. I always check in with my horse too as some days he can work a little longer and some days he runs out of puff a bit quicker. A bit like me really 😆. Rebel did a further about 25 minutes after this particular warm up. We were working on improving the canter balance so I kept the segments short with walk breaks in between because it was hard work.

[@staceyarbelo4255]

@@BasicHorseTraining That makes complete sense. Thank you so much.

[@BasicHorseTraining]

You are welcome 🤗

[@HURCNchristine]

I am going to work on this - but I don’t quite know how to do the yields, how to feel if I’m doing things correctly….I’ll watch this again and again 🙏🏼❤️

[@CK-uh4wq]

Yes I am the same.! The cues are vital!

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Try this video Christine. Leg Yielding Made Easy kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5q9oKNvbdSnbKc

[@melancollie9597]

Hi Josie i left a comment in e.mail just saying that I do warm up for me and horse every time before we start. sometimes I do walk 4 strides, trot 4 strides and repeat, changing direction, keeping the horse's attention I do this in the second part of the 5 min warm up is that ok...thanks . I also move my leg forwards and back, take my legs away from saddle and back, sometimes I bring my legs right up like a jockey seat out the stirrups to find perfect balance/ symmetry with my seat bones then return my legs back down and feet back in stirrups.I do this on a horse I know well I must add, at the walk, is that alright...x

[@BasicHorseTraining]

I think the walk 4 trot 4 is a fab warm-up Mel. I often use something like that if I have a horse that lacks a little forward. I find it helps a lot. 😊

[@inwonderland333]

How do you get your young horse to learn to “warmup at a walk” without wanting to go go go? Do I always need to lunge with a you g horse before a ride or it dosent have to be like that?

[@beautiful_wrangler6178]

What size are the bell boots ?

[@BasicHorseTraining]

These are large 😊

[@CK-uh4wq]

The leg yield cues please

[@BasicHorseTraining]

Leg Yielding Made Easy kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5q9oKNvbdSnbKc

[@d.l.bamlett4393]

I think I'd better learn how to leg yield while on the horse.