Keeping Your Cool in the Warm Up!

With the weekend fast approaching and the season well underway, here are my 5 top tips for keeping your cool whilst warming up! * Have a Plan A, B and C It's brilliant when everything g oes to plan isn't it; those days when everything is running to time and, you can get the best out of your horse! No drama! But, we all know that those days don't always happen; no, shows can be running ahead of schedule or, hours late! Equally, we can arrive with plenty of time or be stuck in a carpark of traffic and just about make it! It goes without saying to plan your trip to avoid these situations but, you should also have different warm up plans for you and your horse! Plan for adversities, not just perfection. *Don't be a copy cat. Every horse is different. Some horses might need to spend longer in the warm up, others may need to be lunged before going in, some may perform better on a short warm up or, even a split warm up! Experiment with what works best for your horse! Do you need to put your canter work in earlier or, later? Do you need to jump a cross pole first or, a low wide oxer? How do you get the best work out of your horse at home and can you apply this at shows? *Know Yourself Do you need to watch others go before you? Are you better to not watch anyone else go or, will watching others motivate you? Think about what makes you nervous and, what makes feel ready to go in. Do you need a few minutes quiet time to imagine yourself riding the course or, test? Learn what makes you get into your zone best! *Buzzing! As you warm up both, you and your horses adrenaline rises! To some horse/rider combinations this is a great advantage as it quickens reaction speeds and, gives you a competitive edge. To others it's sends there reactions into over-drive and, can increase anxiety! Can you use adrenaline to your advantage? Do you need a few minutes of calm before you go in to channel this adrenaline or, are you better to go in with the buzz? *Have Courage and Be Kind! Competing can be very stressful to some people, be sure not to get caught up in this! Be kind to volunteers, stewards, staff and fellow competitors (not forgetting anyone who has accompanied you to the show and of course your horse!). Have courage to ride your line and stick to your plans, communicate with other riders, and warn them which fence you are planning to jump. Help each other and always, maintain good sportsmanship! Don't fogert the warm up golden rules.... Left to Left and Red Flag on the Right! I hope you all have a successful weekend competing. Sian :)