I’m calling this a warm-up exercise for trotting and loping (cantering), but it can also be used for conditioning in arenas. I do most of my conditioning on the trail, because we’re doing endurance, but arena work strengthens different muscles. The bending necessary for circles (and clover leaf patterns! See my post about those here) is more demanding that working on the straight or gently curved lines you usually find on the trail.
See a list of all my training ideas: Training Idea Blog Posts Page.
I do this exercise in our outdoor arena, which is approximately twice as long as it is wide. I’ve never measured it, but it looks slightly bigger than a small dressage arena (also length 2x width: 40m x 20 m). If I still had an Android phone, I’d use Dressage Lite to do my diagrams. This exercise is perfectly suited to a small dressage arena! Instead, I have made diagrams in Power Point that I have saved as images and will share below.
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Detailed instructions
Variations on this exercise
The Basic Idea
All the warm-up exercise for trotting and loping/cantering consists of is a pattern than makes doing circles a bit more entertaining. After warming up on the rail, I do 1-2 circles at one end, followed by 1-2 circles on the other end (in the same direction). Finally I do 1-2 Figure 8s, exiting the final one in the direction opposite the one I started with. Then I do it all again, in the new direction. The final Figure 8 (s) will be facing the other way (you’ll go through the center in the opposite direction).
Detailed instructions for the warm-up exercise for trotting and loping/cantering
- Complete at least two laps of the arena on the rail.
2. Complete 1-2 circles at one end of the arena…
3. Followed by 1-2 circles at the other end.
4. After completing the second circle(s), proceed tot he other end of the arena and complete 1-2 Figure 8s.
5. When you complete your Figure 8(s), exit in the new direction; this will mean continuing on your last loop to the rail. In this example, we started to the left, so we would exit to the right.
6. Now you will do the same thing (two laps on the rail, circles, Figure 8) in the new direction.
7. If you’ve done everything correctly, you will be doing the Figure 8(s) facing the other way (going through the center in the opposite direction). I tend to make my loops slightly larger on one side of the arena, so I make sure to do Figure 8s both ways.
Above: The map with my tracks doing this exercise generated by my Garmin Fenix 5s. Clearly imperfect! But that’s okay. I do these exercises on a long rein and do not micromanage my horse.
Variations on the warm-up exercise for trotting and loping/cantering
In the example in the diagrams, I begin to the left, but it doesn’t matter, as long as you go both ways. Try to maintain the same rhythm and tempo both directions, at least in the same places. (I tend to do a longer trot or lope on the rail.)
Sometimes, rather than repeating the same pattern the other way, I d it backwards. For example, two laps on the rail to the left, 1-2 circles at one end to the left, 1-2 circles at the other end to the left, 2-4 Figure 8s, 1-2 circles at one end to the right, 1-2 circles to the right at the other end, two laps on the rail to the right. I don’t like this way as well, because you end up going through all the the Figure 8s in the same direction. (I believe I do it this way in the loping video below.)
I also vary the number of circles and Figure 8s I do. It’s important to work the horse equally on both sides, unless it needs strengthening on one (then you would do more circles on the weaker side).