May 2008

Proper Warm-Up

A correct warm-up will positively influence the horse’s competitive performance.

There are many different opinions about how a horse should be warmed up prior to exercise. Unfortunately, there is not much available in terms of formal equine research to validate anyone’s opinion.

With flight as the horse’s major defense mechanism, he comes endowed by nature with significant built-in athletic ability. However, what we ask of our performance horses—particularly those in specialized disciplines such as dressage, cutting, jumping and high-speed work—is much more than a horse in the wild would ever do

Longeing is a good warm-up technique, but we aren’t advocates of over-doing it. It can be tough on the horse’s joints, tendons and ligaments.

on a regular basis. A correct warm-up has the potential to influence how well the horse performs. …