I was very excited to see this warm-up tip from our Technical Consultant, Felicitas von Neumann-Cosel. Not only do I have my students do a similar exercise where they need to frequently transition at exact points, but I also do this as a warm-up for myself on certain days. She points out that it gets your lazy horse sharper and your hot horse more focused, which is great because I think that for all that is complicated in dressage, having a few exercises that are no-fail and straightforward like this make life a little easier. Perhaps a go-to warm-up to think about at a horse show, when your brain is on another planet and your horse feels like a stranger underneath you?!?
When I read this tip, I went home and worked through the exercise on one of my horses to see if I could add anything. I have to say that my favorite part was her added advice to try power hand-walking to get both of you warmed up. I ended up walking around the whole property, up and down hills, for a good 25 minutes with Holiday before getting on for a training ride. We had a great time! It not only made me sweat, but it also cleared my mind like a good yoga session and got me completely focused on the work ahead. Great tip -?Thanks Felicitas!
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