Warming Up For Performance: The Formula

So, how do we warm up our horses to get maximum performance out of the gate? Anybody know? Anybody considered it? Todd Plecher perhaps, or Bobby Frankel?

You'd think they have, but, if you watch their horses it looks to me they turn the warm up over to jocks and pony persons just like everyone else.

I'm paying particular attention with my own horses to the warm ups since I'm on the subject.

Last night, after my latest weather rant on the blog, quite luckily for the second scheduled breeze session in a row we dodged the rain--it was dry at the farm when I got there--and we got in the breezes. Maybe our weather luck is on the upswing.

Groovin' Wind last night did 4 x 2.4f after warm up pretty much as fast as our track allows. After each heat we gallop down and return to the starting point. The horse stopped to walk briefly only between heats 3 and 4 (the middle).

Wind's warm up last night was instructive: The breeze course is exactly 2.4f and for Wind's warm up I take him from the beginning of the course to the end, turn around, and go 2.4 f the other way. I then turn around and start the breeze sequence.

In the warm up the first 2.4f is preceded by about 1f trot and the horse commences a slow gallop. I generally go with the horse according to what he likes to do, which is maintain this slow near canter pace for about 2f. Since we're warming up for the breeze I only allowed it for 1.5 F and the final F of the first warm up heat I accelerated the horse to about :17/f pace in the last few strides.

We then walked a little, turned around and started slow (we're on a different lead now), but commenced a faster acceleration and the last 1f of this 2.4f warm up heat was at about :15/f pace.

We then walked a bit, trotted 1/2 f and walked to the starting point of the first breeze heat.

I use the Breeze heat #1 as more warm up to get into speed by starting the horse, but then allowing the horse to cruise along at it's own speed. What did Wind want to do after this 2 x 2.4f warm up with probably another 3f of trot-walk thrown in?

Here is how the first breeze heat went--and please note I considered the warm up a little deficient--too little distance and too slow--
Wind took right off almost all out. I was surprised at his strength and smoothness. BUT, here's the kicker--Wind for about 1.5f speedballed down the track at near max speed all on his own without any urging, but after about 1.5f he slowed himself down quite noticeably to the end of the 2.4f.

Heat #2--new lead--we're on the left lead now--the horse obviously was now "warmed up" and ready for max performance. The horse was urged right into the heat--started right off at max speed and maintained it smoothly and efficiently all the way through the 2.4f, hardly blowing at all at the end.

Heat #3--there was a short walk before Heat #3, maybe 30 seconds. The horse then took off under strong urging and pretty much speedballed all the way through the 2.4f again. At the end of this one he was breathing a bit. Heat 3 went a bit faster than Heat 2.

Heat #4--we turned right around and trotted to the start and took off--less urging on this one as I'm seeing what the horse has left. On his own he goes maybe 95% speed most of the way. This one he's tiring a bit, overheating, and definitely puffing at the end. A little trot and we go home.

Conclude: the warm up was insufficient. As it turned out last night, the horse was still warming himself up in the first heat of the breeze.

The other horse, Aylward warms up differently due to a mouth problem. I'll describe how that one went tormorrow.

Art:
Scheduled for riderless breeze with Acesmash--both horses escaped the paddock right before the start and were last seen in the near dark galloping toward the pond 1/3 mile-- two kids running away with the cookie jar. Too dark to round 'em up. We'll recommence tonight. There was 7 min walk under tack for Art earlier.