The Importance of Warming Up and Cooling Down Your Horse 

Proper warm-up and cooldown when riding help maximize your horse’s athletic potential while preventing injuries. 
A young woman warms up and cools down her palomino horse in a riding arena in the summer.
Adobe Stock Images

When you’re excited to go for a ride, it’s tempting to just swing up in the saddle and trot off. Spending a few extra minutes easing your horse’s body into and out of work, however, can pay dividends. Taking time to warm up and cool down your horse before and after exercise is one of the simplest yet most important steps you can take to keep him sound and injury-free. Here’s why. 

A Simple Way to Prevent Injuries 

Ease your horse’s body into work gradually before diving into demanding exercises like jumping, running barrels, or collection. This not only helps him perform better but also reduces his chance of getting hurt. Here’s how a good warm-up benefits the different parts of a horse’s musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system:  

  • Increases blood flow and oxygen supply to the muscles. Gradually raising muscle temperature through warm-up exercises makes these soft tissues more pliable. This increased flexibility reduces the risk of strains, tears, and other injuries that can occur if a horse is asked to perform strenuous activities with cold, stiff muscles. 
  • Tendons and ligaments have a limited blood supply. Warming up increases blood flow to these soft tissues. Blood flow increases their flexibility and ability to withstand the load and stress of exercise without being overstretched. 
  • Movement stimulates synovial fluid production, which lubricates and cushions joints. When warming up, you’re also allowing your horse’s joints to reach their entire range of motion progressively rather than all at once.  
  • Building up exercise intensity over time increases heart rate, which improves blood flow to all vascular tissues. 
     

Take your time warming your horse up, especially if he was confined to a stall rather than roaming in a field when you grabbed him. Walk for a good 10-15 minutes before picking up the trot on a loose rein. You can walk your horse in hand, on a longe line, or in the saddle—any method works! Trot both directions before you canter. Allow your horse to stretch long and low throughout the warm-up period. Recent research confirms that low-intensity, low-speed warm-up techniques are preferable to high-speed exercises before a competition (Frippiat and Votion 2024). 

Cooling your horse down thoroughly at the end of each ride is just as important. An abrupt, rushed end to your ride without enough time for your horse to recover at a loose walk can disrupt the metabolic removal of waste products from his muscles. As a result, he might feel sore and stiff the next day. 

Consider Weather When You Warm Up and Cool Down Your Horse 

A woman warms up and cools down a horse in deep snow in the winter while wearing a quarter sheet across his hindquarters.
In winter, begin your ride with a brisk 20-minute walk. Place a cooler or quarter sheet across your horse’s hindquarters to keep his loins warm. | Getty Images

As you might have guessed, colder weather calls for a longer warm-up period. And hotter weather warrants a more intense cooldown process. In the winter, begin your ride with a brisk 20-minute walk. Place a cooler or quarter sheet secured across your horse’s hindquarters to keep his loins warm. Horses that are older or have arthritis—and the two often go hand in hand—might need even more time and gentle movement for their creaky joints to loosen up and acclimate to exercise in the cold.  

On a hot summer day, end your ride by walking your horse until his breathing normalizes, but don’t rely on walking alone to bring his body temperature back down. Newer research shows that hosing your horse continuously with room-temperature water is far more efficient than just walking when it comes to cooling his body down after exercise (Takahashi et al. 2020). 

Stretch After You Ride 

Stretching your horse’s legs can increase his flexibility and range of motion. That being said, there is a time and place for this exercise, and it’s not before you climb into the saddle. Remember the risk of overstretching tendons and ligaments before they’re warmed up when riding? Manually stretching cold muscles, tendons, and ligaments straight out of the stall can also damage those soft tissue structures. Your horse’s body is most supple and pliable at the end of your ride. That’s why stretching should be part of your cooling-down rather than warming-up routine. 

Take-Home Message 

One lap around the ring at the walk before starting or ending your ride isn’t enough to warm up and cool down a horse properly. Much like any other athlete, your equine partner needs a strategic, progressive “start” and “end” to his exercise routine, allowing his body to prepare for and recover from exercise successfully. 

Related Reading:

Lucile Vigouroux, MSc, holds a master’s degree in Equine Performance, Health, and Welfare from Nottingham Trent University (UK) and an equine veterinary assistant certification from AAEVT. She is a New-York-based freelance author with a passion for equine health and veterinary care. A Magnawave-certified practitioner, Lucile also runs a small equine PEMF therapy business. 

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