Amy Tiltson - Petplan Equine Ambassador
About Amy:
Petplan Equine Ambassador Amy is based in Lancashire and competes in British Dressage. She has a love and passion for training Friesian horses and has competed in the Petplan Equine Area Festivals up to Advanced Medium level. Amy currently has two horses; Betty, her youngster and Rocco who is a very cheeky miniature.
“Going back to the complete basics,” begins Amy. “Think about what the warm-up is actually for. It is to warm up the horse’s body, muscles, tendons and ligaments, the entire musculoskeletal system. This prepares them and you for the work and minimises the risk of injury. There is a huge amount of research out there about reducing wear and tear on your horse by using a properly thought out warm up. So, it doesn’t matter where you are, or what you are warming up for it is a massive part of your time in the saddle and hugely important.”
“Whether you are at home or at a competition, it is important to use similar warm up patterns,” advises Amy. “Horses enjoy familiarity and having a set warm up pattern that works for you and your horse can be hugely beneficial. It’s an easy time for their brain whilst warming up their body – at a competition away from home this known pattern can act as a comfort blanket when all other factors have changed. This can be beneficial for both the horse and rider in calming any nerves.”