Dressage Warm Up Routines

Does the amount of time spent warming up a horse really make a difference? How long do the professionals spend warming up? There is a difference between warming up and wearing out a horse!

British researchers went about investigating the amount of time spent warming up prior to a dressage test. The timed the warm up routines of just under 270 riders. The study looked at riders of all levels, right from the bottom all the way up to Grand Prix level. They observed local, regional and national championship events.

The results showed that at novice and Prix St. Georges levels, the longer a horse and rider combination spent warming up, the better scores they received. The average time all horse and rider pairs rode for was 30 minutes.

The warm up time did vary depending on the difficulty of the test. Those at novice level spent, on average, 25 minutes warming up. Whereas, those riding Grand Prix tests spent on average 34 minutes.

When comparing local, regional events and national events there was also a noticeable difference. Those competing at national level spent longer warming up than those riding at local or regional level.

Interestingly, riders of differing skill levels spent the amount of time warming up if they were about to ride the same test. For example, first time competitors spent the same amount of time warming up as seasoned and more experienced riders when riding a novice level test.

The researchers also analysed how much of the warm up routine was dedicated to each particular gait. Those riding at medium level spent the most time walking (44%), while the other levels spent 39% of their warm up at walk. Novice riders spent the majority of the time (40%) in trot, while the other levels spent only 32% of their warm up in trot. A novice rider spent 20% of their time cantering while a Prix St. Georges rider cantered for 30% of their warm up.



1 comment:

  1. Very interesting! "Interestingly, riders of differing skill levels spent the amount of time warming up if they were about to ride the same test" I would have thought there would have been some difference e.g. more experienced riders warming up for a shorter period of time!

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