In this video from Ride TV, iconic horseman, Al Dunning, gives you his common sense warm-up drill to try at home. This simple drill allows you to check in with your horse, ease into the workout, and work on your horsemanship.
Listen to Al Dunning on The Ride Podcast
Walk a Circle
Walk a circle first, then jog a circle. I’m trying to make tracks here, so I should have a nice circle of tracks. My horse’s heads, hips, and shoulders are on the circle so has to maintain a smooth arc without throwing his hip out. Then, stop on the circle.
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Back a Circle
Because I went to the right I’ll make a half turn to the right. I still have a right arc and now, I’m going to back around that same circle.
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Turn Him Around
When my horse is backing really well around the circle, I’ll start turning to the right, and turn around, and around, and around and then we’ll walk back out into the circle.
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Keep Him Even
In the opposite direction, I start my circle at the walk. I walk that circle and try not to make my horse find the circle, I try to help him find the circle. My legs are even so he’s staying between my legs, and then I jog the circle. If you spend a week or two doing this, your horse will soon stay right on the circle in a perfect arc. Then, the next thing I want you to do, is stop on the circle but keep his head arced, and make a half turn. I’m backing around this circle as light as I possibly can, using my legs and hands. When I think he’s backing well, I’ll turn him around a few times and then walk back out onto the circle again.
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It’s About Finding Feel
Remember, it’s not about the drill. It’s not about walking a circle, jogging, making half turns; it’s about what your horse is doing. It’s not just about making a perfect circle. You might be able to do that but your horse could be backing wrong, or not staying between your legs, or isn’t staying collected and light. And then it’s wrong. It’s not just about walking or backing a circle, you’re feeling all of these things so that you know what to work on.
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—H&R—
