It doesn't matter whether you're coursing at 4ft. or heading out on a leisurely trail ride. Without proper preparation you could face some serious setbacks. You can call it mindful horsemanship or "Zen" riding but from the paddock to the performance ring following a methodical plan for getting your horse ready to work will eliminate wasted time, effort and energy not to mention possible injuries.
Let's start with the simplest exercise in horse work, the turnout. How hard can that be? Actually it seems more horses are hurt during a simple turn out than any other time. To insure your horse's safety you must first assess the turn out area. Is it safely fenced? Is the gate secure? Are there obstructions inside, rocks, wire, etc? Can the horse reach through the railings and make a meal out of the foliage growing next to the fence? Is the footing so deep your horse could pull a tendon or is it so hard that he could scrape his fetlocks or hocks from laying down to roll? Or is the footing so uneven that he might pull a suspensory? Do you have the proper tendon boots on your horse to protect his legs or bell boots in case he overreaches and can scrape his heal or pull a shoe? Can he jump out and if so, how dangerous or secure is the surrounding area?
So now that you're starting to get it... let's proceed. Let's talk about the round pen. Many of the same precautions above apply but now you have a little more control. First thing you need to consider is that the horse will be going in a circle around you. Having a constant bend in a horse's frame puts a lot of torque on his legs and the faster he moves the more it pulls on the tendons and stresses the joints. Tendon boots are a good idea as well as taking it quite slowly when the horse begins. There's great danger in sending a horse out on a circle at higher speeds without giving him a substantial warm up, truth is, it's dangerous at higher speeds period and so a proper warm-up is crucial as well as exercising a good deal of restraint on the handlers part.
But you say you're just going on a little trail ride? What sort of preparations could possibly be needed for that? To start with... has your mount been out lately or is he all hot and anxious because he hasn't been exercised for some time? Depending on your horse, this is where a bit of a turnout might be on the agenda. It's not fair to expect him to be relaxed and attentive to you if he just needs to go out and rip for awhile. It will be a much more pleasurable ride for you and your horse when he's not dancing on needles underneath you while exhibiting maneuvers along the trail that even a Lipizzaner would envy.
If you're jumping your horse you must consider him an athlete taking all the precautions necessary for any sport using the proper equipment for his protection and comfort. Warm ups are essential as well as cool downs taking breaks in between sessions so that he may avoid being winded. (Remember, when a horse is pushed past his ability to replace oxygen in his blood to nourish his muscles injuries will occur) Your horse should also be warmed up gradually over smaller jumps before taking on something bigger. I so enjoyed watching Michael Matz once as he prepared for a Grand Prix competition by jumping mostly over a small 2ft. vertical in the warm-up ring. His philosophy was that every horse only had so many "big" jumps available to him in his lifetime and that they should be used sparingly.
So you tell me you're only going to do a little Dressage? My question to you is; "are you going to ask your horse to go onto the bit?" Do you know that in doing so you're asking your horse to engage from behind which requires a good deal of muscle strength and control and it is unfair to expect your horse to do something that difficult without being properly warmed up. It would be comparable to a Yoga master doing a full lotus without first stretching resulting in some seriously sore muscles the next morning or something worse like pulling a muscle or popping a joint, ouch.
I think whether you heed what you know is proper warm-up for your horse depends on how much he means to you and how well you appreciate his efforts. I can only imagine it is not easy to be a horse especially when your owner either is ignorant of your needs and the demands his requests puts upon your body or they just don't care to take the time to insure your comfort. It is hard enough for your horse to do what it is you want when all the conditions are right so do your horse a favor and help him out a bit. Recognize him for the tremendous athlete he is and be determined to help him reach your goals in reasonable comfort and health!
If you'd like to know more about anything regarding horses, check out my website: backyardhorseman.com backyardhorseman.com
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