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Regular
Posts: 59
| How should I warm up my mare for barrels? She can get easily distracted and can get unfocused pretty quick. This can be at home or a show. I'm mainly trying to find something that I won't tire her out too much that she won't be able to run from being so tired from warming up. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
  
Location: Montana | What you are asking is kind of like how deep is the ocean...because every horse is different. Older horses (particularly arthritic ones) generally take longer to warm up.
Usually, for my, I warm up with some walking and trotting for about 10 minutes, then I lope each direction. If I see any are lacking, I add to it as I see need. But my main mare is one that the more you do with her (unless it is a LOOOONG time until we run) the better she does. If she has to stand around a long time, it is better to stay off of her until it is closer to run time. So my entire warmup routine is probably 20 minutes. I've never really timed myself, I just do some work until I feel her limbered up. She is getting older (16 this year), too, so it may change and take longer to warm her up.
Every horse is different and there is no one warmup routine that works for everyone. |
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Expert
Posts: 1477
Location: In the land of peanuts and cotton | I have one that the more you warm up the better she does. One is better to either stay off him completely or just walk him until right before I run. I lope 2 BIG circles each direction and 2 decent sized sprints and run. If he has to sit he gets lazy and doesn't want to run. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| There are a bunch of great videos on this topic on trainingbarrelhorses.com |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1079
Location: MN | My guys warm up routine is long trotting for a bit, then lope nice big circles each way, then smaller circles each way. I make sure to do some counter archs at a trot and some spins to stretch and free up his shoulder and to get his feet moving quick. I like to get in a good amount of backing up too. One good sprint in at the end and done! It probably takes me 15-20 min total. I try not to over do it or get him real tired because he needs all the run he can get! If I dont sprint him though his turns are usually really really rough. So I have to time my sprint pretty perfect or his belly muscles will tighen up again.
Edited by Kay-DRacing. 2017-01-03 1:31 PM
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Regular
Posts: 59
| Every horse I've ever rode has a different routine. They all get long trotted and loped for a bit and then I do some drills on their weaknesses. Some get counter arced, some do roll backs, some do a lot of backing up. It really just depends on the horse. As the horses change your routines will do. There is no magical formula. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 678
Location: Canada | As other people have said every horse is different. For the ones who start to get hot or unfocused I use a lot of lateral work. Side passing, leg yielding, haunches and shoulders in etc.
I find that for the hot ones changing the direction of the energy helps to warm them up without making them worse. That being said every horse is different. |
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Regular
Posts: 57
| A drill that usually works for a horse to stay focused is to trot and lope large circles but instead of going the whole way around, you trot/lope 3 or 4(depending on size) smaller circles inside of the big one. It is up to you if you do the small circles or just the big circle each time, so this keeps the horse listening to you. This drill also warms your horse up well and keeps him round and soft with his hind end under him. |
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 Miss Laundry Misshap
Posts: 5271
| Have you considered what's causing her to be coming unfocused?? Is she nervous? Do you get nervous? Is she bored to tears, so she's entertaining herself by being naughty? Do you drill and drill?
Could be acid production from nerves which may cause ulcers. Could be sensing your feelings. Could be pain, which she's trying to get away from, or she could just be high energy. You could try In The Zone paste, or Ulcergard paste to see if that made a difference.
I had a gelding that when he was 5-6, I would have to ride fairly hard (like an hour, w/t/c) before he would focus because he was very high energy. Once rode, he'd settle down and work and we'd make nice runs. Warm him up and run was WAY out of the question. He needed to be tired in order to function. |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7622
Location: Dubach, LA | .My best horse ever walked from the trailer to the alley. Anything else and you were asking for trouble. He ran 2 and 2d around here for 14 years. |
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Warming up a horse