How to warm up for jumping

Whether you’re having a lesson, at a showjumping competition, or having fun at the yard, we all want to make the most of jumping our ponies. It’s so easy to do a quick warm-up and rush on to the fun part, but the perfect round of jumps comes from having an effective warm-up routine.

Follow our three-step guide to help you make the most of your jumping session with a foot-perfect warm-up.

1. Start with a stretch

The best way to start a session is with a chilled walk on a long rein, as long as your pony is relaxed enough. This helps him stretch his legs and gives you a few minutes to assess how your pony is feeling. Does he feel the same on both reins? Is he listening when you ask him to walk faster or slow down?

If it’s safe to do so, pick up trot with a long rein to allow your pony to keep stretching his neck down. This will encourage him to stretch over his back, which helps him make a beautiful bascule shape when you start jumping. If he’s tight through his back, he’ll find it more difficult to jump cleanly. Ride lots of circles and turns to help him feel more supple and get him listening to your aids.

Shorten your reins a little and pick up canter, riding around the outside of the arena or field to let your pony loosen up. If you can, stand up in your stirrups and ride in a two-point position to help him work over his back even more. Make sure you ride him evenly on both reins and praise him lots!

TOP TIP

Why not try adding polework to your jumping warm-up? It’s a great way to keep your pony interested if he finds flatwork a bit boring, and you can practise counting your strides without needing a jump – ideal!

2. Add in some transitions

Once you’ve had a good walk, trot, and canter with some loose circles and changes of rein, spend some time working on your transitions. Start with walk-halt-walk and walk-trot-walk transitions to make sure your pony is responsive to your aids. This will make it easier to change the length of his stride as you approach a jump and will make your leg aids more effective if he needs some extra encouragement towards a super-spooky filler, for example.

Gradually build up to trot-canter-trot transitions when you’re sure your pony is listening – they’ll help your pony feel more supple as well as improving his attentiveness. Why not have a go at doing your trot transition over the centre line in a figure of eight? Canter around the outside of the arena or field, then make a turn across the long diagonal or from E to B or vice versa.

Straighten your pony up using your outside rein and leg, then ask him to trot. Stay in sitting trot and ask him to bend slightly in the direction you want to go with your inside leg, inside rein and shoulders, then put your outside leg back slightly and ask him to canter. You can then finish your change of rein and have another go.

TOP TIP

Does your pony wear boots for jumping? There are loads of options, from full-protection brushing boots to open-fronted tendon boots. Ask your instructor if your pony should wear a pair to protect his legs.

3. Make sure you’ve got a good quality canter

Most of the time, we ride a course of jumps in canter rather than trot. This means that making sure your pony’s canter feels positive and punchy is really important. A lacklustre canter will be more difficult for your pony to jump from and make it hard for you to see a stride. So, use the rest of your warm-up time to work on your pony’s canter.

A good exercise for this is to canter around the outside of the arena or field (or ride a large circle) and practise pushing your pony on and bringing him back. This is called a transition within the pace. To push him, soften your hands slightly and press with your legs to encourage him forward. Sit tall and try not to lean forward or tense up when he speeds up. Then, when you’re ready, squeeze him gently with your legs and sit taller and deeper into the saddle, using your voice and half-halts to help slow him down. He might drop to trot, so be quick to use your legs to keep him cantering. This exercise will make a huge difference when you’re ready to start jumping!

TOP TIP

Using your voice can be a really useful way to back up your leg and rein aids. You can practise this in-hand or while riding – why not give it a go next time you’re on a hack?