What is The Ideal Way to Warm Up Your Horse?

A good warm-up before training is a common thing for most riders. However, the question is, what makes a good warm-up? Also, whether an intense warm-up is better than a slow, relaxing one? A lot of riders with a good intention think that the duration of moving their horses around on the lunge or under saddle before their workout is a significant and suitable preparation. However, that is not the case.

In terms of a physiological standpoint, the warm-up ensures the amount of conditioning and positive physical benefit a horse will or won't receive from the training. When the dressage riders have the target to make their horse stronger, fitter, and flexible, the pre-workout routine can either help or cause hindrance. This post will offer you an insight into the simple things that can make the training session more successful and the horse stronger.

Loosening vs. Warming

Before we begin, it is significant to understand the difference between loosening and warming. They are two different activities that need to be done before the workout. The overall goal of warming up is to increase the oxygen flow and blood circulation to the horse's skeletal muscles and to avert the early accumulation of metabolic wastes like lactic acid in the tissues. Besides causing fast fatigue, the lactic acid buildup can also prevent the horse from benefiting from the workout. It changes the muscle pH levels responsible for contracting and relaxing. If you want expert help, you should get equine services in the US to ensure that your horse is taken care of in the best way. 

Loosening Up

Loosening up can be defined as the moment when you mount up or start exercising, it is significant to spend eight to ten minutes letting your horse walk around in a relaxed posture without the presence of any restrictive rein. It is a gentle exercise that allows the horse’s joint’s fluids to begin moving and lubricating. According to research, it can take several minutes for the fluids to circulate completely, especially for horses that stay in confined places. One must remember that it is pertinent to ensure that the horse's muscles should not be in a contracted state. Hence, joints should be allowed to move through a complete range of motion before going to a static position at the time of dressage exercise with a round frame. 

Warming Up

After the loosening up is done, it is time to start the brisk activity of warming up. This is the time when you want your horse to stretch into contact yet not be in a collected frame. The right thing to do at this phase is spending the first five minutes with active forward movement in trot or canter. However, the gait you select should vary from one horse to another. Some horses are more balanced in trot, yet some others choose to canter. The goal is to maintain an active gait that will stimulate the skeletal muscles enough to push blood flow in them. 

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