A thorough warm up during the colder months is imperative. Read on to find out how to structure a warm up that's easy to remember for every time you ride.
Pre warm up - See our recent content on “How to prepare your horse for exercise in cold weather” here
Exercise sheet - Yey or Neigh? Dependant on the day. Fully clipped? Yes, especially at the start of your session. Be careful to remove it as the session progresses to avoid excess sweating. Full coat? Your horse is unlikely to need an exercise sheet at all.
Winter warm ups - why are they so important?
- Colder weather and longer periods of standing/stabling, means your horse will require more careful preparation before exercise.
- Warm-up duration depends on the planned activity, your horse’s fitness level and the external temperature, but should be approx. 10-15 minutes in most situations.
- Help them stay injury-free by warming the muscles and soft tissue throughout their body. Increased body temperature improves elasticity within muscles, ligaments and tendons. This flexibility improves the ability of muscle to shorten, helping prevent injury.
- Rising heart rate occurs as the warm up progresses which increases blood flow around the whole body. As blood vessels widen, oxygen can pass to muscle tissue and organs more readily. Insufficient oxygen provision can lead to lactic acid build up which causes fatigue and muscle damage, and in some cases “tying up”.
- While you cannot warm the air as it enters the lungs (which can cause coughing and irritation), starting slowly and gradually increasing the intensity of the programme reduces the likelihood of a problem arising.
Warm up plan
- At least 10 minutes of walk is usually recommended, ideally in a long and low posture. If the horse is older, arthritic and stiff, or has had a previous injury, it may be prudent to walk for longer, gradually introducing bending and stretching before increasing the intensity of work.
- 5 to 10 minutes of trot or slow canter, often whichever they find easiest, some find trot more difficult than canter, but both paces will achieve the desired physiological changes of increased body temperature.
- Finish with a short period of activity-specific exercise. This may involve some gymnastic jumping work over small fences, beginning to bend and flex in a collected form for dressage, or a gradual increase in faster work if galloping is intended. The horse should now be ready for work.
COOL DOWN TOO! Build time into your session for a cool down, walking it for 10 to 15 minutes. Maintains circulation to remove lactic acid from the muscles. Replace the exercise sheet as the horse cools down to prevent chills.
@bluechipfeed Keep your horse warm, supple, and ready to go this winter! ❄️🌟 Quick and easy warm-up tips to beat the chill and keep them moving happily. 🐴✨ #horsesoftiktok #WinterTips #horsewinter #equestrian #poniesoftiktok #winter2025 #bluechipfeed #winterwarmup #horseroutine #HorseCare #horsetip #fedonbluechip ♬ original sound - bluechipfeed
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