AIDS COMMUNICATION
Keys to Success:
Include a Warmup
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Your Next Step…
58 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
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TRAINING & Showing
Palm Partnership Training™
Building a Partnership with Your Horse
Most people who do any type of exercising
know the importance of a warm-up. When
riding, including a warm-up helps the horse
loosen and limber up his muscles after standing
in the stall or pasture. It prepares his mind and
body for the work you will be asking him to do
whether it be schooling, trail riding, pleasure
riding, or showing.
The same principle applies to warming up ourselves
before riding. The warm up is time for the rider to
get into correct form and balance as she warms up
her muscles and joints. I find it is a precious, 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 relaxed. After warming up at the walk, ask him
for the trot or jog. The trot is the best gait for the
horse to limber himself up. At this point, the rider
should not be worried about the horse being “on
the bit”. Instead he should just 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 to equal the amount
of time going in one direction as the other. Change
directions to limber up both sides of your horse and
help keep his 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. This gives her the opportunity to warm up
and use her muscles. As she begins to get warmed
up, she will notice her muscles respond better.
Her coordination improves. Her thinking slows. She
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 can try taking her
feet out of the stirrups to get down in the saddle and
closer to her horse. As her body warms up, she will
find she is able to follow the horse’s movement even
without stirrups, and stay in balance!
Our next articles will
turn to one of the
most important keys
to riding… the use of
the rider’s hands,
seat, and legs. These
“natural” aids influence
how she communicates to her horse and responds
to him. If you want to learn how to “speak” to your
horse with aids that whisper, instead of shout, don’t
miss our articles.
I am often asked, how much time should be allowed
for a warm up? The answer is: there is no set amount
of time. It depends on many factors that you, as
the rider, must take into account for each ride. The
colder the weather, typically 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 up, but it is not intended
to wear him out or bore him! Enough time should
be spent so that both sides of the horse are equally
warmed up. For the rider a good gauge of how long
her warm up period should be is that she should feel
the same balance and relaxation without her stirrups
as with them.
At the end of the warm up, the rider and horse
should feel good and positive about the next step
they will take in their riding.
Until then, follow your dreams…
For more information about Lynn Palm, her clinics in
Florida and other parts of the U.S., DVDs and more,
visit www.lynnpalm.com or call 800.503.2824.
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