How do I warm up for a reining class at a show?

The show warm-up serves a specific and limited purpose: confirming that the horse's foundational responses are available that day, bringing the horse's body to a physical readiness for the work ahead, and settling the horse's mental state into a working focus without depleting the energy and willingness the class run requires. It is not a training session and should not become one. Begin at the walk to assess the horse: is it relaxed and forward, or tight and distracted? The quality of the walk tells the rider a great deal about where the horse's mental state is and how much warm-up it will need. Progress to trot work with transitions that check guide and responsiveness, then to the lope to check rate, stop responsiveness, and overall feel. Two or three quality stops, a spin each direction for a few revolutions, and an assessment of the lead change quality gives the rider the information needed to know what the horse has available that day without drilling the class away in the warm-up pen. The warm-up length should be calibrated to the individual horse: a horse that warms up quickly and settles after minimal work needs a shorter session than one that takes more time to settle and loosen. The most common warm-up mistake is doing too much — schooling heavily, drilling maneuvers, making corrections that leave the horse tired or resentful before the class begins. The horse should leave the warm-up pen forward, soft, and responsive — ready to work but with energy remaining for the class. A trainer present at the warm-up can assess the horse's state and direct the warm-up approach with the advantage of an outside perspective that the rider cannot have from the saddle.