So you have properly brushed your horse preparing him for his workout. 

What next?

            GUess what...You're not done preparing him physically for his exercise.


Allow him the chance to stretch his body out as well as take in his surroundings.


How many times have you gotten on, picked up your trot and felt a little 'hitch in the giddy-up?' 
It probably bummed you out leaving you to think your horse was lame. 

Maybe he just needs to stretch his body out a little bit.  These are big animals kept in 10x10 stalls.  They need to move their muscles...especially with age.  Just like a 30 year old man struggling to get out of bed each morning,  most of the time they are not lame...just a little stiff and achy.  Usually by the time they wash their face and dress things have limbered up.  It's the same with your horse.  Let him walk the kinks out.

And...Just like every thing else, I have more then one reason for what I do....so here goes the other reason...

There is nothing worse then picking up your trot and not having your mare's attention.  She's looking off into the field across the street.  Maybe shying at the jumps along the rail.  Perhaps she's pretty stressed out by the stroller sitting ring side. 

Give her a chance to checkout her surroundings.  Let her be a horse for a few minutes.

Horses are 'flight' animals.  So seeing something new or strange to them, does not prompt an aggressive 'let's go get it' reaction.  Instead they would prefer to run away. 

Avoid this battle.  Allow them the opportunity to view the arena from both directions before you ask them to frame up and pay attention only to you.

Now for me...we have a long walk from the barn to the riding arena, so I use some of that as my loosening walk.  Once I am mounted, I walk past the things I know my horse is most likely going to need time to investigate.  Then without any action at all....still dropped out on the buckle and both our bodies relaxed, I ask for a trot.  We trot around once (sometimes twice in the cold winter) ...we're at his pace...his head carriage.  While trotting, I very loosely ask for a change of direction and do the same thing in the opposite way around the rail.  Once we have had a chance to check every thing out and loosen up his muscles a bit.  

        I sit.  

                Whoa.  

                      Now I take up my reins...ask him to set his face and arch his back...he is in his frame and the work begins.  He knows this routine.  He knows now that he must give me his full attention as well as his best performance.  

                          A squeeze and a cluck and we are off and trotting nicely in the bridle, tracking up underneath and there is little to no discussion over other farm distractions.

Try it.