The ideal warm-up will be perfectly executed to produce success in the ring – but horses aren’t machines. Ellie Hughes finds out how to cope when the warm-up throws you a curveball in this exclusive article for H&H subscribers

As hard as we might try, not all warm-ups go to plan – and some go really wrong – even for the elites of our sport. Becky Moody and Jagerbomb were minutes away from dancing into the main arena at last year’s London International Horse Show when the big bay stepped one foot onto another and wrenched off a shoe.

“One of the founding principles of sport psychology is to control the controllables, and I’m not sure pulling off a shoe falls into that category,” says Becky, reflecting on the moments leading up to their grand prix test.

By the time the shoe had been nailed back on the pair barely had time to draw breath. But, cool as cucumbers, they went on to deliver a plus-75% score and take third place.

No matter how well-honed your warm-up routine, sometimes a crisis can unfold when you least expect it. From lost shoes and practice-fence tumbles to weather disruptions and tack malfunctions, there are myriad ways your last-minute preparations can go pear-shaped. How do top riders deal with these glitches? And how can you minimise the impact of a crisis on your own performance?

Becky was given the option to slot in at the end of the grand prix class, but decided against it.

“I didn’t think that would have suited Bomb either. I was happy with my decision even though our normal routine went out the window and I knew it wouldn’t be our best test,” she explains. “Usually, I get on 45 minutes beforehand and give him a couple of breaks. The last 15 minutes is important as he doesn’t naturally rev himself up ready to go into the arena – I have to do it for him – and we missed that window.”

Keeping a cool head when warm-ups go wrong

Having the mental strength to deal with glitches takes practice, which is why professional riders, who have years of experience to fall back on and are generally well-versed in sports psychology, can keep a clear head when circumstances conspire against them.

Hickstead Derby winner Trevor Breen recalls a particularly eventful warm-up while preparing for a five-star ranking class at Gijon, in Spain, several years ago.

“The horse I was riding completely misjudged a practice fence and we both ended up clean upside down,” he says. “We had to dust ourselves off and more or less go straight in and jump round a 1.55m track. Amazingly, we jumped clear. Situations like that are never ideal, but these things happen and you need to try to stay calm and not panic.

“If something goes wrong it’s always worth speaking to the steward to see if they will give you a little more time,” he says. “Most are very accommodating and will allow you to take a moment and jump a couple more fences if you need to. If things aren’t going to plan you need to stop, take a breath and work out what you need to do to be able to go into the ring in a confident place.”

Equestrian mindset and performance coach Janine Lamy explains that it is important to have a mechanism of recovery to get you back on track if necessary, and explains some of the tools and techniques that can help.

“The warm-up is the place where your mind can wander as there is so much else going on,” she says. “Horses tend to mirror our energy and nervous system, so it’s important to stay as grounded and present in the moment as you possibly can.

“Slowing your breathing and using grounding techniques, like feeling your hands or massaging your earlobe, can work well,” she continues. “Like anything, you need to have practised these to find out what works for you. The idea is that you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, which tells your brain to communicate with your body so that you can respond to a situation, not react to it.”

If another rider falls off in the warm-up area, for example, and there’s a loose horse causing chaos, it is important to be able to redirect your focus back quickly onto you and your horse.

“The really good riders have tunnel vision,” continues Janine. “They have a blueprint of what they want to achieve and a process they need to go through to get themselves there.

“You need to ask yourself whether you can have a positive influence over a situation and if you can’t, then you need to let it go.”

International event rider Storm Straker was given little choice in the matter when she hit the deck over a practice fence moments before starting the cross-country at Ballindenisk CCI4*-L in 2024.

“I decided to string a line of fences together as my final prep, but my horse was distracted by something, left a leg and I went straight out the front door,”

she recalls. “We were both fine, but Fever Pitch galloped off back towards the stables, my air jacket had gone off and before I knew it, I was being marched off to see a doctor. I was terrified that I wouldn’t be able to start.”

Storm was eventually given the all-clear and ultimately went on to secure her first win at the level.

“In hindsight, it was probably a good thing I didn’t have too much time to think about the fall as it made me ride in the moment,” she says. “Once I was allowed back on board, I jumped the fence that I fell at, so that I could put that behind me, but then I just had to trust that Fever Pitch would do his job. We both knuckled down and went on to have a brilliant round. I would say the fall sharpened us up.”

The uncontrollables

The weather is something that is completely outside your control and yet may exert a considerable influence over your warm-up. Former World Class performance manager Yogi Breisner recalls day two of the eventing dressage at the London 2012 Olympics when a monsoon-like thunderstorm descended on Greenwich Park moments before British team member Tina Cook was due in the ring.

“There was no better person to have to deal with a difficult situation than Tina because she was so cool, calm and collected,” he recalls. The competition was held briefly to allow the worst of the storm to pass over, leaving those in the collecting ring completely drenched and with their carefully considered warm-up routines disrupted.

“We had prepared our horses the best we could for the challenge of a home Olympics – during team training we had even bussed in some local school children to wave banners and flags to try to recreate a bit of the atmosphere – but we couldn’t control the weather,” he continues.

Yogi explains that although it is crucial to have a warm-up plan, it is also important to be able to adapt it.

“It is always worth looking at the weather forecast because that might dictate how long you warm up for,” he says. “If it is very wet or very hot, you might not want to spend as much time on board before your test. If it’s very cold you will likely need an exercise blanket, so make sure you have someone on hand to help take it off.”

Taking care of the factors that are within your control will leave you more able to deal with other issues should they arise.

“Sometimes there is more than one warm-up area, so do a recce before you ride and make sure you know where you need to be at what time, and also where the steward is,” advises Yogi. “Both you and your groom should locate the farrier in advance and know where to find spare tack, so you’re not wasting more time than is necessary if the worst happens and you lose a shoe or have a tack malfunction.

“At a championship we make sure the only people in the warm-up are the ones who are part of a rider’s close team,” he adds. “This helps minimise the chance of outside distractions and helps riders focus on what’s most important.”

Ultimately, that means peaking in the ring itself. While the warm-up is designed to set you up for success, a bad dress rehearsal can still lead to a polished show.

Can warm-ups go too well?

Psychologically, having to deviate from the best laid plans just before a big moment can be unsettling. But what happens when plan A goes too well and you feel your horse has peaked too early? This was exactly the conundrum last year’s Burghley runner-up Austin O’Connor faced before his dressage test on Colorado Blue. Fifteen minutes before his test, Austin hopped off and rolled up his stirrups.

“I’d already worked ‘Salty’ in the morning and had gone up to the warm-up 25 minutes before my test,” recalls Austin. “After about 10 minutes he felt great and was exactly where I wanted him to be.

“It wasn’t the plan at all to get off, but at that moment I felt he was exactly at the point where I wanted in the ring. If I’d have stayed on board I would have been tempted to carry on working him, which could’ve led to him being over the top. I took a gamble and jumped off so we could both just take a breath.

“At this level, with an established horse like Salty, it’s all about fine lines and small margins. I knew I was taking a bit of a risk getting off and if it hadn’t worked out I’d have looked like a bit of an idiot, but fortunately for me it did and we went in and did a great test.”

The duo went on to record a personal best five-star dressage score of 27.8.

More examples of top warm-up recoveries

Champion unshipped at Dublin Horse Show

Germany’s former world eventing champion Sandra Auffarth, who is now a top-draw showjumper, was unshipped from Quirici H in the warm-up just before her first round in Nations Cup showjumping at Dublin Horse Show in August 2025. She was permitted to take a little extra time to recover, so jumped a couple of horses later than the original running order, and went on to record an impressive clear round, ultimately helping Germany to second place.

A snapped stirrup at Boekelo

New Zealand five-star eventer Amanda Pottinger suffered a snapped stirrup iron while warming up for cross-country at the final leg of the FEI eventing Nations Cup series at Boekelo on Good Timing.

“It’s part of the sport – there are pressured situations and things don’t always go to plan,” she said at the time. “You learn to adapt to get the job done.”

Testing the nerves before Blenheim Europeans gold

Moments before she was due to canter down the centre line at the 2025 European Eventing Championships, eventual individual gold medallist Laura Collett had to contend with her often comedic partner, London 52, trying to scupper her last-minute prep by grabbing the bit and trying to run off.

“He does test the nerves in that respect,” she said afterwards.

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Laura Tomlinson on competition plans and scoring the warm-up

The Winter Dressage Championships at Addington were a fabulous opportunity for British horses to experience a bustling and atmospheric competition venue. My home-bred Full Moon certainly could do with some more practice!

He felt fabulous at the smaller shows and in the warm-up at Addington, but I lost his focus going into the ring. He didn’t lose his head or get stressed but nothing flowed the way it should have and little mistakes crept in as I was wrestling the tradestands for his attention.

It’s fantastic to have competitions like that across the levels to prepare our young horses for bigger occasions in the future and the experience has strengthened our partnership, even if it was not our best.

Next for me will be Hickstead Premier League with four of my horses, two of which are home-breds. I decided to take a little more time with them before competing at international level as they’re still very much in the consolidation phase of the grand prix work and we stood to lose more by rushing them than we could gain.

Perfect harmony

Meanwhile, the race for Paris Olympics selection is on with a strong group of contenders making for a potential medal-winning team. Having seen what’s out there so far, my bet would certainly be on British team gold.

What I saw from the top British riders at Hagen in Germany last week looked very impressive for their first rides of the season, with harmony at the forefront.

Interestingly we’ve seen marks drop significantly lower in early internationals this year, including the World Cup Final, with the judges seemingly struggling to agree on how to approach some of the known combinations when presenting with tight necks or open mouths.

During this time of reflection and adjustment in our sport, looking to refocus on scales of training rather than extravagance, it is to be expected that marks will fluctuate. I do not envy the judges at this time.

International five-star judge Hans-Christian Matthiesen made some interesting points in his recent piece on how the competition format must change, which Anna Ross highlighted in her last column. His idea to score the warm-up was something my father and my old coach and mentor, Klaus Balkenhol, always wanted to see.

It would be fantastic to let how we get our horses test-ready affect our final score. The ways in which we deal with different situations in the warm-up and use the trust and partnership we’ve built or are building with a horse should be celebrated. Of course, there would need to be a period of trial and error on how the guidelines for this would work.

How would they judge the length of warm-up and how much power would the observing judge have? If a horse starts unlevel but warms up and is sound by the time it goes in the ring, does this judge have the power to deem the horse unfit to compete?

Continue the conversation

Hans-Christian’s idea of having in-hand, equipmentless classes also sounds interesting but could become more divisive as it would create separate competitions for those who want to perform tackless – but combining the two sports seems insurmountable.

Could we do a grand prix test and then re-enter the ring with our horses tackless and demonstrate some natural horsemanship and partnership? It sounds wonderful but what of those competing stallions – they’d be at a disadvantage during breeding season for sure.

There are interesting ideas out there, but some create complicated scenarios, though that’s not to say they aren’t worth exploring. For now, devising a way to mark the warm-up and maybe seeing more relaxed horses in the ring would be a good start. Judges are responsible for the marking but us riders are responsible for what we give them to mark.

With that in mind, I believe we’ll have some fantastic horsemen and women in Paris this summer to show what a beautiful sport ours can be. But behind the scenes, the conversations must continue to work out the best way forward to keep our sport alive and our horses’ welfare at the forefront.

● What changes would you like to see to the current competition format? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

• This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 9 May

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Horses and riders in national competitions in Switzerland can win awards for the quality of their horsemanship and behaviour while warming up.

The Happy Horse project, introduced by Swiss Animal Protection (SAP) with the support of the national equestrian centre in Berne and the Swiss Equestrian Federation, was launched in 2019 and first implemented at dressage competitions the following year. In 2021 it was introduced in eventing, and from this year, showjumping warm-ups will also be judged.

“The SEF supports the project ideologically, but it is fully funded by the Swiss Animal Protection,” a spokesman for SEF told H&H. “The evaluation team consists of two or three people with many years of experience as trainers or judges, who are selected by SAP.

“Show organisers are welcoming the Happy Horse campaign and support it. They allow the SAP to present the prizes during the awards ceremony. The riders participating in the competition are informed in advance that they will be observed and assessed by the SAP during the warm-up.”

The spokesman said assessment of the warm-up is based on the idea of promoting “horse-friendly riding”. The judges consider relaxation, specific preparation for the competition, the riders’ aids and seat and the “behaviour of the horse produced by the aids” including the horse’s happiness and suppleness.

Points are awarded and all riders who achieve a certain number of points are given awards and vouchers for Swiss equestrian outfitter Hauptner.

“The rewarded riders are to be considered as role models for all equestrians,” the spokesman said.

SEF president Damian Müller told H&H horse welfare and public acceptance of horses’ involvement in sport are “hugely important issues today”.

“In Switzerland we have some of the most stringent animal welfare laws in the world and for the SEF there is zero tolerance for offences against those laws,” he said. “But it is not enough to punish bad examples. We must also reward positive action and put the spotlight on the fascinating partnership between humans and horses that makes our sport so unique. The Happy Horse project is the perfect example of this.”

Project manager Sandra Schaefler added: “The vast majority of equestrians make an honest effort to do justice to their horses, even in competition situations, and to treat them with respect at all times. The SAP would like to publicly recognise such behaviour with the Happy Horse award.”

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Easing horses into exercise in colder weather will help them stay injury-free and perform at their peak, explains Dr Susanna Ballinger MRCVS, who investigates the biology behind warming up and how to provide the best post-workout care, too

Warming up before work is important year-round, whatever the weather, and in simple terms it raises the horse’s body temperature to allow safe, injury-free exercise.

In winter, when shorter daylight hours can restrict riding time, it may be tempting to condense this vital phase.

Yet a combination of colder weather and longer periods of stabling, often with little or no field turnout, means that many horses require more careful preparation at this time of year.

Basic biology

How exactly does a warm-up ready a horse for harder work?

When movement commences, muscles contract. Chemical energy converts to mechanical energy for this contraction, which in turn causes an increase in muscle temperature. Heat then dissipates throughout the body and the horse’s overall temperature rises.

As a result of rising body temperature, blood vessels widen – a process known as vasodilation – to facilitate an increase in blood flow to all organs, including muscles. A higher rate of blood flow also increases oxygen delivery to muscles, promoting aerobic metabolism.

If there is insufficient oxygen in the blood to allow muscles to produce energy to exercise aerobically, anaerobic metabolism kicks in. This leads to a potential build-up of lactic acid which causes fatigue, muscle damage and, in severe cases, rhabdomyolysis, or “tying up”.

Oxygen is carried in red blood cells, up to a third of which are stored in the horse’s spleen. At the start of exercise, during a controlled warm-up programme, the spleen releases these into general circulation. This “splurge” of red cells increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, preparing the horse for exercise by ensuring a greater supply of oxygen to all organs and muscles.

As the warm-up intensifies, the rising heart rate increases blood flow around the whole body. The increased body temperature improves elasticity within tissues, including muscles, ligaments and tendons. This flexibility allows more efficient contractility, the ability of muscle to shorten, helping prevent injury.

Warming up also promotes a steadily increased airflow into the lungs. Inhalation of cold air can cause irritation and constriction of the airways, leading to respiratory problems including coughing. This is particularly evident in horses with pre-existing respiratory conditions. While you cannot warm the air as it enters the lungs, starting slowly and gradually increasing the intensity of the programme reduces the likelihood of a problem arising.

An established warm-up routine used at home and prior to competition will prepare athletes – both human and equine – mentally, for the work ahead.

Stepping it up

There are two warm-up phases:

• Passive warm-up is more relevant in colder weather and involves increasing the

horse’s body temperature by external means, with rugs and heat pads, or by using a solarium. This warms the muscles, but usually only along the topline and back.

A massage pad will boost blood flow but only to the area of application, with a small increase in temperature in the muscles being massaged.

Unclipped horses with a thick haircoat over their quarters should not need an exercise rug during warm-up, even in colder weather. If they are clipped out, however, keep their muscles warm, ideally with a well-fitting exercise rug of an appropriate weight for the climatic conditions. Remove the rug once the horse is warmed up to prevent the detrimental effects of increased sweating.

• Active warm-up in colder weather should start with a generalised session which includes initial walking exercise, progressing to a period of controlled, faster (trotting or cantering) exercise. The overall warm-up duration will depend on the planned activity, the horse’s fitness level and the external temperature.

At least 10 minutes of walk is usually recommended. 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.

This should be a relaxed phase with the horse moving forwards freely in a manner it is comfortable with, ideally in a long and low posture. As the warm-up period progresses and, if appropriate for the individual, flexing and stretching within the walk can be included.

Monitor the horse’s respiratory and heart rate during this time to ensure that you are not stepping up the work too quickly.

Walking can be undertaken on a horse-walker or treadmill, in-hand or ridden. The risk with lungeing is that the horse will have a hooley and set off at canter, rather than walk, potentially sustaining injury by using muscles before they have warmed up sufficiently.

With the walking completed, five to 10 minutes of trot or slow canter exercise can commence.

The horse should be comfortable in the pace chosen; 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.

Management plan

Be prepared to tailor or adapt your warm-up for the individual and the weather conditions. Remember, too, that a horse’s management routine will affect its ability to cope with exercise in the season ahead.

Forage will help maintain body temperature, especially in colder weather as it is used to generate body heat, so provide a plentiful supply.

Hydration is also key to performance and recovery, yet most horses have reduced turnout and less access to moisture-rich grass in winter. Encourage a horse to drink by taking the chill off the water, and consider feeding haylage as it has a higher moisture content than dry hay.

Exercise after-care

Build time into your session for a cool down. Controlled walking not only promotes physical cooling and a decrease in heart and respiratory rates, but maintains circulation to remove lactic acid from the muscles.

Cool a hot, sweaty horse by walking it for 10 to 15 minutes post-training, until its skin has dried and its nostrils have stopped flaring. Use a sweat sheet or exercise rug in cold weather for this phase, just as you would put on an extra layer immediately after your own exercise session.

After cooling, a horse should be washed down with warm water and either rugged appropriately or stood under heat lamps or in a solarium to prevent chilling. Replace the regular rugs only once the horse is completely dry.

About the vet, Dr Susanna Ballinger

Susanna is an RCVS advanced practitioner in equine practice and clinical director at Ballinger Equine, the award-winning first-opinion ambulatory equine practice. Providing 24/7,365-day veterinary care and top-quality diagnostic imaging in the field throughout eastern England. Ballinger Equine also undertakes pre-purchase examinations across the UK and Europe.

Ref: Horse & Hound; 19 November 2020

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Many horses will have had a season out of work due to the cancellation of the majority of competitions. Laura

I had to fly to Scotland recently, a short internal flight. On the way home we were delayed at Edinburgh airport. Of course we were told to head for the departure gate anyway, where there were hardly any seats, so we were all left standing in a disconsolate line waiting for news for what seemed like an eternity.

After about an hour, our flight was announced and we all shuffled drearily through the gate, into a sort of Perspex corridor about eight feet wide. It had a dead end, while the doors to take us through to the coach were about half way down.

We queued single file all the way up the long side until we hit the dead end, then all the way back down the other side to the sliding doors, which were still firmly closed. I exchanged a smile with the lady next to me. This was going to be a real test for the British etiquette of forming an orderly queue. I think in any other country, when the sliding doors were opened, all the people standing down the long side would have broken ranks and crossed the corridor, but no. This was Britain. We all filed obediently right down to the dead end of the corridor, turned round and filed all the way back again to the doors, good as gold.

I wish this sort of mannerly behaviour extended to the warm-up arena. We have seen some shockers. There are two main types of ‘warmer-upper’: those who are oblivious to everyone else and those who aren’t. The former generally go in well before their time, then proceed to monopolise the space, often riding too fast, unconcernedly cutting across everyone else, shouting to get people out of the way. The rest end up having to pick their way around whatever space is left, doing their best to avoid a collision.

It takes a collecting ring steward with a lot of courage and a very loud voice to take on a ring-hog. Often when challenged they will carry on regardless, selective hearing switched firmly on. If everyone is polite, the collecting ring can be very busy and still very safe. But you only need one ring-hog to create total mayhem.

I am probably a bit twitchy about crowded collecting rings because of an early bad experience. With my daughter on her lead-rein pony, I was making my way tentatively through a very crowded warm up area at a local show. A man was holding his youngster to my left, facing in my direction. I was giving them as much space as I could — probably a couple of metres — but as I passed by, the youngster decided to express his disapproval of me by doing a full 180 degree turn and double barrelling me in the side. It was gratifying to see everyone around hurrying across to sympathise, until I realised that their sympathy was reserved entirely for our pony.

“Oh no, is she ok? Is she hurt? Do you need a vet?” As they fussed around her, if I had been able to speak I would have reassured them that she was perfectly fine. I knew this because I could feel the imprint of both back feet on my own kidneys, so it was clear to me that she had escaped untouched.

Article continues below…

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I suspect most ring-hogs don’t realise they are ring-hogs, so any appeal for them to change their behaviour is likely to fall on deaf ears, but with this year’s competition season starting up, it’s worth a try. So here’s my advice. If the collecting ring is packed, listen to the ring steward, don’t go in too early, and while you are in there, keep your eyes and ears open for the people around you. In other words, channel your inner Brit and wait your turn!

JG

For all the latest equestrian news and reports, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday.

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When the pressure is on and the collecting ring is busy, knowing what to do and implementing it can be daunting. We asked former European champion Rachel Bayliss to give us her tips

The dressage

“It sounds obvious, but no two horses are the same and riders have to adapt their warm-up to suit their mount,” says Rachel. “The warm-up isn’t the place to iron out new problems, but if you’re aware that something isn’t working find out how to improve it.

“Remember that every rider tries hard to have a successful day, so be considerate. It’s easy to get wrapped up in what you’re doing and cut up other horses. Always be polite — especially to stewards — no matter how bad things are going.”

Rachel’s tips for… the dressage

➤ When you collect your number, find out how long it will take to get to the dressage area. It’s better to have 10min in hand. Running late means stress for you and the horse.➤ Before you start working in, find out which arena is yours.➤ Make time to stand and watch a test in your arena to ensure you have learnt the correct one.➤ Always pick up your dressage sheet to check that what you’re feeling matches what the judges see.➤ Remember that each dressage movement is like a showjump or cross-country fence — they have to be done, so be accurate.➤ Assess where the marks come from — sometimes a 10 is earned just for making a turn and halting. If you mess something up, forget about it. The next few strides could earn another 10 marks.

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The showjumping

Knowing how long to warm up for the showjumping can be difficult to gauge.

“The first thing to do when you get to the collecting ring is find out whether things are running to time,” says Rachel. “There is no point being ready to go only to have to hang around for another half an hour while your horse gets bored and you switch off.”

There are two common errors that Rachel witnesses in this phase: riders overjumping their horses or having a lesson in the warm-up area.

“You’re not going to transform a horse in the warm-up, so don’t try to,” she says.

“Having a helper is very useful, though, and many riders do find that having someone giving pointers gives them confidence.”

Often the warm-up ring can become busy and subsequently get chaotic.

“A lot of riders don’t really know what they are doing and get anxious because they’re not used to working with others who do. It’s easy to be fazed by professionals taking over a fence, but you have every right to be there, too. Take your time and do what you need to.”

Rachel’s tips for… the showjumping

➤ Often riders don’t get a chance to walk the showjumping course. If you don’t, walk around the edge of the arena looking at the fences to work out your line.

➤Go through the course in your mind to make sure you can remember it. Once it’s in there you won’t forget it.

➤If there is a long period between your dressage and showjumping times, allow an extra 20min or so to warm up on the flat. Don’t overjump your horse.

The cross-country

“You can’t just float from the showjumping to the cross-country. It’s important that both horse and rider get into cross-country mode in both body and mind, so you have to make a clean break,” says Rachel.

This starts before you get on — changing your kit, shortening your stirrups and changing studs if necessary.

Begin by establishing a good quality canter in a forward rhythm.

“It doesn’t need to be fast or for a long time. The aim is to get the horse thinking forward and in front of your leg,” says Rachel.

She suggests that you try to achieve a more open jump compared with the showjumping and, once you have cleared the fence on both reins, try riding it at an angle and off a turn.

“This makes sure the horse is switched on and listening to you,” says Rachel.

“Aim to have no more than three horses left to go before you. Then you have time to catch your breath, check your girth is tight and that the stirrups are still sitting properly on the bars of the saddle before heading off to the start.”

Rachel’s tips for… cross-country

➤ If you are riding multiple horses, write each name on their number so you don’t get confused. Keep all the numbers in your bib and change the order as needed, then you will never find yourself without one.

➤Make sure everything is as you want it. It’s very easy to get down to the start only to be told you’ve forgotten something. Eliminate unnecessary stress by sorting your kit into a pile in the lorry so it’s ready to grab.

➤ When you arrive at the cross-country warm-up, find out if it is running to time.

“As with the showjumping there is no point having your horse ready to go only to discover there’s 15 more horses before you. It’s very frustrating,” adds Rachel.

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.

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Getting ready to tackle the coloured poles at a one-day event can be stressful for event riders. H&H asks the experts how to approach the second-phase warm-up

The showjumping warm-up at one-day events can be the undoing of many riders as the pressure piles on. So how can you avoid ruining your competition in the collecting ring?

1. Tailor your warm-up

Every horse is different, so your approach to your warm-up should reflect their specific character and way of going. Izzy Taylor says: “On average I spend 15-20 minutes warming my horses up for the showjumping phase. I tend to do slightly longer warm-ups in the spring and autumn as temperatures are cooler, so your horse will take longer to warm their muscles up. How long ago you performed your dressage test will also affect the length of your warm-up — if it wasn’t very long ago, you will need to shorten the time you are in the collecting ring.”

2. Don’t over-do it

Izzy says: “It is easy for people to overdo their showjumping warm-up. People tend to forget that when you are jump schooling at home, they haven’t warmed up for and performed a dressage test beforehand. Therefore, if you warm up for the jumping at an event for the same length of time as you do at home, you will inevitably end up with a tired horse who is more likely to have fences down in the ring.”

Piggy French agrees, saying: “A trot and canter round the collecting ring to familiarise them is fine.”

British Eventing master coach Lizzel Winter encourages riders not to do too much in the warm-up: “Nerves and lower levels of self-confidence mean that a lot of riders tend to overjump their horses.”

3. Don’t jump too big

Izzy says that she doesn’t jump any bigger in the warm-up than the maximum height of fences in the ring. “I might open a horse up over an ascending oxer, but no more than that. It’s important, especially with event horses, to avoid jumping too big in the warm-up as they are then more prone to going into the ring and not respecting the smaller fences.”

4. Confidence is key

Izzy says that whether your horse is careful or not, confidence is key. “A particularly careful horse will tend to over-jump and become frightened, so I never jump a big fence in the warm-up, because I want to keep them confident and their jumping style natural. The same applies for a less careful horse.

“Some people will try to encourage their horse to have a fence down in the warm-up to ‘make’ them careful but I think this is the wrong approach. If you warm up with generous groundlines and under maximum height, your less careful horse is more likely to go into the ring feeling proud and that they are capable of jumping a clear round.”

5. Have a clear plan

Lizzel stresses the importance of having a clear plan when warming up. “Have a routine that works for your horse, and make sure that your helper on the ground knows your plan too, to prevent any confusion. Stick to your routine — don’t look at what the professional riders are doing and think you should do the same — you should know what suits your horse.”

6. Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Sometimes riders can find themselves without a helper on the ground to alter warm-up fences. In this instance Izzy says that riders should ask someone in the collecting ring on foot, even if they don’t know them, to give them a hand. “Most people will be more than happy to help. Don’t try and jump something you wouldn’t usually tackle just because you don’t have someone helping you,” she advises.

7. Keep calm

Riders might get bumped around on the board by the collecting ring steward as riders slot in, which can prove difficult with regards to keeping your horse on the boil. “It’s frustrating when this happens but the worst thing you can do is to get angry. It won’t do your riding any favours,” says Piggy. “Keep calm and continue working your horse to keep his brain and body active so he’s ready to jump when your slot comes. If you’ve had a long break then another jump or two might be necessary before you go in.”

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8. Keep your horse moving

Lizzel recommends that riders keep their horses moving. “Don’t drill your horse,” she says. “Communicate with the collecting ring steward and maybe pop one more fence before you go in. Either way, I like horses to have finished their jumping warm-up with two horses to go as this gives them a chance to catch their breath.”

9. Respect the etiquette

Collecting ring etiquette is important. Riders must always pass left-to-left to prevent head-on collisions and upsets, and you should also avoid circling around the immediate vicinity of the warm-up fences so that you don’t block the approach or landing areas. Izzy recommends riders “keep their heads up and open their eyes”. She adds: “Also make sure that you don’t chase the rider in front of you down to a warm-up fence. If they knock it down you will end up having to pull your horse up quickly, which isn’t pleasant.”

This article was first published in 19 January 2017 issue of Horse & Hound magazine

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

The warm-up arena can be a stressful, hazardous and at times, downright chaotic place for both man and beast. Even the seasoned pros of the horse world can find the collecting ring a challenge at times. Here’s nine thoughts that typically go through most riders' minds at least once while warming up

1. ‘What happened to left-to-left?’

Unless things have changed since your Pony Club days, why do some people insist on ignoring the universally-known fact that while riding, oncoming horses should pass left shoulder to left shoulder? Thus resulting in near head-on collisions.

2. ‘Am I allowed to change the rein?’

Hmmmm, everyone is riding in the same direction (typically showjumping collecting rings only). But the warm-up isn’t tiny space so you are struggling to understand why this is the case. In order to avoid creating bedlam, you go with the flow and stay on the one rein, even though it’s killing you inside.

3. ‘Don’t scowl at me just because I want to ride a circle’

You are fairly sure that the ‘scowler’ doesn’t have exclusive rights to this particular warm-up arena, so why do they feel the need to give you evils each time you carefully ride a circle, while doing your best to keep out of everyone’s way?

4. ‘Please don’t use my horse as an emergency stop barrier’

This is one of the worst. When someone can’t stop their horse so they use your beautifully behaved four-legged friend as a bumper car instead. Totally unacceptable.

5. ‘Where on earth is my helper?’

That panic when you’re desperately seeking some advice pre-dressage test or you need a warm-up fence altering and a quick scan of onlookers proves unfruitful, is a panic like no other. HELP!

6. ‘I can’t hear you’

So you’re relaying information (or at least trying to) back to your helper/trainer pre-dressage test or asking them to put the warm-up fence up a couple of holes, but they can’t hear a word you’re saying. So you resort to some form of improvised sign language instead.

7. ‘I’m next in, PLEASE let me jump a fence’

You’ve been waiting patiently for the warm-up fence that one person has been hogging for the past 15 minutes and now you really need to jump something as you’re next in.

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8. ‘Why are you warming up over 1.50m for a 90cm class?’

This is a classic. Not strictly allowed, but there’s often one who insists on jumping at least six holes bigger than the class they are in.

9. ‘Oh dear God it’s *insert famous rider’s name here*’

You know the feeling. You’re happily warming up with your humble little steed and one of the best-known faces of equestrian sport steps into the collecting ring. Suddenly you can’t concentrate, question every last thing you are doing down to ‘is my hair net the correct shade?’ and resort to walking around trying not to stare at them.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Do you struggle to get your horse working as well at a competition as he does at home? That effortless, relaxed feeling you know they are capable of can be mirrored in the dressage arena — you just have to hone your warm up routine.

Leading dressage rider Andrew Gould uses a tried and tested formula that gets results. Here are his top tips for creating your own effective warm-up plan, too.

1. Work as you would at home

“How you warm up shouldn’t really change from what you do at home,” advises Andrew. “But at an event you get caught up with people watching, other riders working around you and the pressure to perform. As a result, you change what you are doing and ride differently.”

Settling into a familiar pattern will help your horse — and you — relax and focus.

“The key is to keep what you’re doing along the same lines, as though you are at home.”

2. Know your horse

If your horse does his best work after 15 minutes of working in at home, use this as a guideline for how long to warm up at an event.

“Some horses are affected by the atmosphere and what’s going on around them, but even in that scenario less can be more,” says Andrew.

“Use smaller events to test warm-up times. You might get it wrong and do too little the first time, and then too much the next. Eventually you will find the right point and it will be beneficial in the long run.”

3. Consider a double warm-up

Horses that need more work might benefit from two or more shorter sessions, rather than a long warm-up immediately before the test.

“Older and more experienced horses will be better off going for a hack in the morning so that they can have a stretch and take in their surroundings without any pressure,” says Andrew. “Then they come out before the test and do a short warm-up that closely matches what you do at home.”

Continued below…

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4. Don’t overdo it

Like humans, horses start to ache, too. Therefore it is not productive to spend 30 minutes trotting and cantering a horse in a test outline, because by the time they enter the arena they will be tired.

“I see a lot of people riding their horses in a high, test outline in the warm-up,” says Andrew. “By the time they get into the arena the horse is shattered and trying to go on its forehand.

“Know the moment your horse is ready to come up into self-carriage and work backwards from that. I bring some of my horses up to the contact when the bell goes, but others will do this 10 minutes before.”

5. Is he forward or excited?

It is easy to think that a tense or excitable horse is working forward when he isn’t.

“A hot horse isn’t the same as a forward-thinking one,” explains Andrew. “The latter accepts the aids and that is vital. If a horse is so hot that you can’t touch it with your leg, it’s not thinking forward and you can’t ride a good test.”

6. Think three movements ahead

“You should know the test so well that you don’t have to think about it in the arena,” adds Andrew. “If you’re thinking about where to turn next you can’t ride boldly and forward, and that will cost marks.”

Andrew recommends being three movements ahead in your mind the whole way through the test.

“Snooker players line up three balls they want to pop and dressage is the same. Each movement sets up the next, so you must plan ahead.”

Why you won’t want to miss the H&H Festival of Dressage…

The Horse & Hound Festival of Dressage is a three-day unaffiliated competition featuring championship classes from intro to medium level, as well as warm-up and evening freestyle competitions. It is being held at Sheepgate Equestrian, Lincs on 20-22 July. There will be a prize fund of about £1,000 per level, including winners’ rugs and top-quality prizes. And as well as the dressage, competitors are invited to a drinks reception on the Friday, a hog roast on the Saturday and more evening entertainment, giving all the buzz of a stay-away championship. Find out more >>

Don’t miss this week’s dressage special issue of Horse & Hound magazine (23 March 2017), including our exclusive interview with Isabell Werth

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Forget competition anxiety — for many of us, the warm-up arena can prove more intimidating than the event itself. Take a look at these 10 tactics that you can employ to rise above your nerves.

1. Take your time: a good warm-up should never be rushed. International showjumper and British Showjumping trainer Judi Piper-Dadswell recommends loosening up for 20min — including at least 10min with the horse in a long outline — before moving on to lateral work and jumping.

2. Think outside the ring: “I’d much rather hack around a showground than battle with the frantic atmosphere of a warm-up arena rife with vocal mothers (normally mine) yelling at their partially out of control kids,” says showing rider Henry Hird. If the warm-up ring is full, he recommends finding your own alternative space to work in.

3. Make allowances: consider the needs of your horse and plan your warm-up accordingly. “If I have a young or sensitive horse, I try to pick a weekday when there are fewer amateurs around and arrange to go early in the class,” says showjumper Max Routledge. “It’s important to ease the horse in gradually.”

4. Stay aware: “It’s crucial to be focused both on what you’re doing and what is going on around you,” says event rider Kelly Aldous. “Not everybody is as switched on as they should be, and you have to prepare for the unexpected.”

5. Don’t overdo it: for showjumping Judi recommends restricting jumping practice to 3 cross-poles, three smaller verticals, 3 smaller oxers and 3 larger oxers. “If you jump these fences and you are confident that’s enough,” she says. “Do not try anything heroic just before you go in the ring.”

Continued below…

10 commandments for competition riders

6. Know the rules: it might sound blindingly obvious, but too many riders simply aren’t aware of the rules of warming up. Showjumper and showing rider Rachel Watts recommends taking a look at the guidelines printed on the back of most show schedules to refresh your memory.

7. Stick to what you know: 5min before a class isn’t the best time to start learning new moves. “I make a point of not trying to teach them anything new while warming up,” says eventer Nikki Philips. “It’s purely a gymnastic exercise to get the muscles and brain working before we go in.”

8. Acknowledge your mistakes: “When you’re in the zone, it’s very easy to make a mistake and cut someone up,” says Julie Hammond, who competes across the disciplines. “As long as you’re apologetic, though, it’s not so bad.”

9. Ask for help: Rachel suggests making friends with other competitors — particularly if you frequently attend the same shows. “When you’re alone, it’s great to have somebody there who will put up jumps for you and give you tips on walking the course,” she explains.

10. Tailor your warm-up: Judi believes that eventers often erroneously see their dressage test as a warm-up for the showjumping. “Before jumping you’ve got to come away and work on that canter so you build impulsion and can lengthen and shorten it as required,” she explains. “That can make or break a round.”

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Italian eventer Vittoria Panizzon finished best of the Italian squad at last year’s European Championships and at the 2012 London Olympics when she piloted Borough Pennyz into individual eigth and 11th places respectively. Unfortunately, Vittoria had to withdraw Pennyz from this year’s World Equestrian Games just before her dressage test.

Here she shares with H&H her top tips for warming up and down:

1. The Italian rider learned a lot from studies carried out prior to the 2008 Olympics into the best way to cool down horses.

“The hotter the weather the more of a concern it is to get a horse’s body temperature back to normal as soon as possible,” says Vittoria.

At a three-day event she uses a pre-cooling technique prior to going across country. She likens it to the days of the long format, which included a mandatory 10-minute break before crossing the start line.

“I begin by letting the horse loosen up and then we will do some faster work as

a pipe opener — rather like the roads and tracks and steeplechase in the old days,” explains Vittoria.

“It is important that the horse’s heart rate is up and we will jump several fences to get our eye in and make sure I am seeing a forward stride.”

This is followed by a 10-minute break. The horse walks around and his flanks and neck are washed down. Excess water is scraped away before he is towelled off — imperative for preventing slippery reins.

“The idea is that if the horse sets off cool then he will recover quicker.”

2. After crossing the finish line it is important to pull up gradually.

“I do see people forgetting to do this because they are so happy with their round but tired horses are more likely to trip and that risks injury.”

Loosen the horse’s girth before undoing it and removing the saddle completely.

“I like to do this so that the pressure is released gradually,” adds Vittoria. “Keep the horse moving as much as possible to help blood circulate around his body which will speed up the recovery process.”

3. It is crucial to get water on to a hot horse quickly. This applies to finishing a cross-country round, after schooling or working on the gallops.

“There can be a 25-degree change in the water temperature from when it goes on the horse to dropping off his stomach, so sponge it on and then scrape it off and put more on. You don’t want hot water sitting on the horse,” says Vittoria. “I like to offer a few sips of drinking water quite soon after exertion. I wouldn’t want him to be thirsty after working hard.”

4. She does not allow horses to eat until they have stopped puffing.

“Then they will have a pick of grass so that they drop their heads which helps to clear the nasal passage,” adds Vittoria whose team places ice in the water tank on hot days to keep it cool for washing down. “Prepare this before your cross-country round so that it is ready for use as soon as you get back to the lorry. However, don’t leave buckets in the sun.”

5. Vittoria’s horses wear cold boots after a big run to help warm, tired legs recover.

“We check the boots frequently because they heat up quickly and then have the opposite effect on legs.”

6. On a sunny day a cooler is applied to prevent the horse catching a chill. On a colder day a Thermatex is worn to wick away moisture while keeping the horse warm. Studs are taken out as soon as possible.

“Borough Pennyz is bouncy so her studs are removed before she treads on herself or a person.”

7. The key to cooling down a horse efficiently is organisation.

“It is important that every helper knows what their job is and all the necessary kit is easy to get to to save wasting any time,” says Vittoria.

This training feature was originally published in Eventing magazine in the May 2014 issue.

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now

Irish shows have introduced “horse-free zones” in warm-up areas. The move comes after a woman was knocked down and paralysed by a horse that galloped in between the practice fences at Cavan Equestrian Centre’s indoor championships in September 2012 (news, 25 October 2012).

Course-designer Tom Holden, who is on Showjumping Ireland’s (SJI) health and safety committee, has driven the initiative.

Plastic traffic barriers at 1.20m are positioned between practice fences to “create a safe area where the groom or trainer can retreat after adjusting the fence”.

“It’s not legislation, but we have encouraged show centres to use them,” said Mr Holden. “People were suspicious at first, but we’ve had positive feedback from riders, grooms and trainers.”

Mr Holden added that since Dublin Show agreed to try horse-free zones last summer, “most show centres have followed on”. Tattersalls and Ballindenisk Horse Trials are also using them.

SJI chairman Georgia Stubington said the organisation is working to reduce the risk involved in warm-up arenas.

“The plan in 2014 is to trial a few options,” she said. “They include a penned area built with plastic traffic barricades and a penned area designated with poles on the ground — which provides a demarcated area for assistants to stand in.

“There were concerns about the barricades blowing over or loose horses jumping them, crashing into them and causing more injury.”

The Meadows Equestrian Centre in Co Armagh was one of the first venues to start using the barriers.

“We now wouldn’t consider running a show without them,” said director Hugh McCusker, who believes 70% of Irish centres now use them. “At first there was opposition, especially from riders, but now people can see it’s an excellent idea.

“The horses don’t even notice, and we haven’t had any problems with them trying to jump or run through them.”

But they are unlikely to be spotted in this country imminently. The subject has not been raised at British Showjumping (BS).

“Before we consider an idea like this, there would have to be stringent health and safety checks,” said BS’s Maria Clayton.

British Eventing confirmed that while the initiative “has been discussed, we are not planning anything at this stage”.

One argument for the barricades is that some insurance companies on the Continent now insist — to prevent accidents — that shows employ professionals to adjust jumps, which raises the cost of hosting a show.

Mr Holden believes that Ireland is the first country to use the horse-free zones.

Up to 6 barriers are required, at a cost of €60 (£50) each.

The three-stage warm-up

Warming up is about kickstarting physiological processes that make exercise safer and more efficient. This leads to a better performance.

1. Passive

• Make the body warm using something external like an exercise rug, even before the rider gets on, as well as a gentle walk.
• The horse should not be standing outside uncovered on a cold day or the blood vessels will be constricted.

2. General

• This is not specific to discipline and will take the form of walk, slow trot and canter, maintaining a pretty low heart-rate.
• The horse should not be stretched or pulled, but be able to jog along at a relaxed and comfortable rate.
• At this stage in the warm-up, the muscles, tendons and ligaments might not be flexible enough in some horses, so do not force the issue.
• Working in long and low warms up the back. If the horse’s head is in the air, its back is fixed, rather than engaged and using the core muscles effectively.
• This stage should involve general movements, working the different muscle groups, flexing to either side without pulling anything too tight.
• Keep abrupt transitions to a minimum because they make the horse work hard and raise the heart-rate.
• If short on time, it is preferable only to work up to this point, rather than skip it.

3. Specific

• Finally, start practising the types of movement you will be using following the warm-up.
• Abrupt transitions, tighter circles and specific movements can now be incorporated. Jumping would be introduced towards the end of this time.
• For competition, you want to practise the nerve-muscle patterns that you will be using in the arena. But the horse must not be made to work to strenuously so he leaves his best work for the practice ring.
• For a power discipline, such as dressage or jumping, we have to be careful not to exhaust the energy (glycogen) stores by jumping too much or spending 20 minutes in piaffe.
• As a general rule, this warm-up stage should take place about 20 minutes before competition.

TOP show jumper Robert Whitaker has some very specific warm-up methods. We find out what he does, and why it helps his performance in the ring.

What is his warm-up routine?

ROBERT Whitaker has two favourite exercises to help ensure his rides are focused and go into the ring with confidence.

One involves walking his horse over a pole just 6in off the ground at the start of his warm up. The other is to drop the fence to 20cm below the height set in the ring, for one last jump before competing.

Why and when does he use them?

“I have no hard and fast rules as to which exercise I use,” says Robert. “Sometimes I will use both on a horse, and some days, I don’t need to use either of them.”

Asking a horse to walk over a pole 6in off the ground, either with or without a placing pole, makes the horse focus on picking each foot up individually, believes Robert: “It helps the horse to relax and concentrate.”

He sometimes drops the practice fence 20cm after a horse has worked over fences set at the same height as those in the ring, if Robert feels the horse is over-jumping.

“It is especially useful to horses like Prima Vera, who is super careful over every fence, and can sometimes try too hard.”

This Q&A was first published in Horse & Hound (14 December, ’06)