Building a Partnership with Your Horse by Lynn Palm

“Communicating with Your Aids - Keys to Success, Part 3”

Most people who do any form of exercise know that it is important to warm up. Because a horse is an athlete too, he also needs a pre-exercise warm-up routine to help loosen and limber up his muscles after standing in a stall or in a pasture. A warm-up also prepares the horse’s mind, as well as his body, for the work you will be asking him to do--whether it is schooling, trail riding, pleasure riding, or showing.

The same principle applies to the rider’s mounted warm-up. The warm-up is time for the rider to get into correct form and balance as she loosens her muscles and joints. I find it is a pleasant time when I reconnect with my horse before starting the more serious work at hand.

Here are some tips for making your warm-up time more effective. Start the warm-up by letting your horse walk on a loose rein. The warm-up pattern should include very large circles, large turns, and straight lines. The horse should be moving forward, but in a relaxed manner. After warming up at the walk, ask the horse for the trot or jog. The trot is the best gait to limber up the horse.

At this point, the rider should not be worried about the horse being “on the bit.” Instead, he should be allowed to move forward on a loose rein with the rider guiding him to stay on the circle, large turn, or the straight line. Remember the rule of thumb that you should spend equal time going in both directions. You should change directions often to loosen up both sides and to keep the horse’s interest during the warm-up.

I recommend that the rider, even if using a Western saddle, post when trotting/jogging during the warm-up period. Doing so gives the rider the opportunity to warm up and to use her own muscles. As the rider begins to loosen up, she will notice that her muscles respond better and her coordination improves while her thinking slows. The rider begins to relax as her warmed-up body allows her to better follow the horse’s movement.

As part of the warm-up, the rider may try taking her feet out of the stirrups to get down in the saddle and closer to her horse. As her body loosens up, she will find she is able to follow the horse’s movement and stay in balance even without stirrups.

I am often asked how much time should be allowed for a warm-up. The answer is that there is no set amount of time for a warm-up routine. It depends on many factors that you, the rider, must take into account for each ride. Usually, the colder the weather is, the longer and slower the warm-up should be to loosen up cold muscles and joints. It must be long enough to physically and mentally warm up the horse, but it is not intended to wear him out or bore him! Enough time should be spent in the warm-up so that both sides of the horse are equally loosened up.

A good gauge for the rider of how long her warm-up period should be is that she should feel the same balance and relaxation without stirrups as she feels with them. She also should feel her mind slow down and focus, and she should feel positive about the upcoming riding session!

In the next article, I will cover the core of communicating with your aids-your seat, your legs, and your hands. For more information about Palm Partnership Training™, visit our website at www.lynnpalm.com.