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In a recent episode of The Plaidcast, mental skills coach Tonya Johnston and rider Laena Romond offered a refreshing reminder about something riders often misunderstand: the warm-up ring does not tell you how your round is going to go. It’s not an omen. It’s not a verdict. And it’s definitely not a measure of your worth as a rider.
Warm-up, they explained, is simply information—a place to understand what your horse feels like that day, what you need to adjust, and how to prepare your mind and body for the round ahead.
Warm-Up Isn’t the Show
For many riders, the warm-up becomes the emotional center of the whole day. One mistake can derail confidence before the rider ever walks in the ring. Tonya sees this constantly. “Warm-up isn’t a prediction,” she says. “It’s not supposed to feel like your round. It’s just giving you information.”
That shift changes everything. Instead of searching for proof that the round will go well, warm-up becomes a place to gather data. What kind of energy does your horse have today? Are they relaxed? Fresh? Behind the leg? A little looky? The warm-up ring helps you answer those questions—not solve your entire ride before it happens.
Laena agrees. “Warm-up is just information,” she says. “It’s not the story. It’s just the beginning of it.”
Imperfect Warm-Ups Are Completely Normal
Tonya emphasizes that riders often expect warm-up to feel smooth, polished, and confidence-building. But that’s rarely how it works—especially in busy show environments where the ring is crowded, horses are fresh, and distractions pop up in every corner.
She reminds riders that warm-up is not designed to be perfect. In fact, imperfection is part of the process. “If something feels off in warm-up, that doesn’t mean anything about your round,” she explains. “It just means you now have information you didn’t have before.”
That might be noticing your horse is tight and needs more leg. Or seeing they’re too energetic and need a moment to breathe. Or realizing you need to take a breath and reset. None of that predicts the future. It prepares you for it.
Let Go of Warm-Up Anxiety
One of the biggest traps Tonya sees is riders attaching too much meaning to warm-up mistakes. A late distance or a chip suddenly becomes a catastrophe. The spiral begins: Why did that happen? What does it mean? Am I ready?
Tonya encourages riders to interrupt that pattern by shifting into neutral thinking. Rather than interpreting the mistake, simply ask: “What do I do now?”
This keeps riders anchored to action instead of emotion. Instead of telling yourself a story about what the mistake means, you calmly make the adjustment the moment calls for.
Laena relies on the same approach. She explains that confidence shouldn’t hinge on a single jump in warm-up. It comes from experience, preparation, and the ability to refocus. “You already know how to ride,” Tonya says. “Warm-up doesn’t change that.”
Use Warm-Up as a Guide, Not a Test
Warm-up shows you two things:
- What your horse feels like today
- What you need to support them effectively
Tonya encourages riders to keep the purpose of warm-up simple. If your horse is tense, you learn to help them relax. If they’re dull, you ask them to wake up. If the rhythm feels inconsistent, you practice finding it.
But you’re not trying to create a perfect jump in warm-up. You’re not proving readiness. You’re tuning the system. Laena puts it clearly: “You don’t need warm-up to be brilliant. You just need it to help you get where you need to be.” The warm-up ring is a rehearsal space, not the performance.
Warm-Up Doesn’t Carry Into the Ring—You Do
Riders often make the mistake of carrying warm-up stress straight to the in-gate. Tonya explains that the transition from warm-up to round should involve a mental reset—leaving behind whatever just happened and shifting into a new phase.
“You don’t have to bring warm-up with you,” she says. “You can let it stay where it is.”
This doesn’t mean ignoring the information warm-up gave you. It means separating the emotion around warm-up from the useful clues it offered. The emotion stays behind. The information comes with you. Warm-up may shape your plan, but it does not shape your ride.
Stay Present When You Enter the Ring
Tonya encourages riders to bring their attention firmly into the present moment when the round begins. Instead of replaying warm-up mistakes or chasing warm-up perfection, focus on what’s in front of you: the first line, the pace, your track, your horse’s balance.
Your mind should be exactly where your body is, not where it’s been. This mindset helps riders ride the horse they have in the moment, not the horse they imagined or worried about five minutes earlier. The round becomes its own experience.
Warm-Up Helps You Ride the Present, Not Predict It
When riders stop demanding that warm-up “prove” anything, they free themselves to ride more naturally and confidently. Warm-up becomes a tool, not a test. “You’re not looking for signs of the future,” she says. “You’re just gathering information so you can ride the present.”
Laena sums it up best: “Warm-up is just a few minutes. Your riding is built on years.”
That perspective changes everything. The warm-up ring doesn’t define you. It doesn’t define your round. It simply helps you understand what you need when it’s time to walk through the gate.
Hear more from Tonya Johnston on Plaidcast Episode 458 for additional insight into riding, mindset, and performance.
