Is It The Warm Up? My Trepidation About The Trot

I've written many times about my concern with Rogo's trot. It takes him forever to track up and get any impulsion and when we start trot work after walk he often literally braces back against my leg. His saddle fits, he's fine in other gaits and he is fine in trot by the end of a ride, so I don't think it's a saddle fitting or physical issue. He hasn't liked trotting since he was started on the longe line as a three year old. We had to reward him with carrots for taking two or three trot step in order to teach him to trot!

I posted on a Stephan Peters clinic video that helped, and I know Rogo has back tracked a bit in trot as we added things and now I have to build it up again, but I also feel sure there is more I could be doing to help him.

I've become very interested in the warm up. I notice Rogo is going much better at the end of every ride than even in the middle of the ride. By the end of an hour he is forward in every gait, responsive, soft, etc. and also really focused and concentrating on our work. One of our best rides ever was when we were riding outside in the moon light and stayed at it for an hour and a half. I didn't realize until I went back inside, but he worked hard and at the end of 90 minutes he was going sooo well, so laziness isn't the problem (research indicates the average warm up at a competition at all levels is 30 minutes - slightly less at lower levels and slightly more at higher levels).
On the other hand, at the beginning of a ride, he is slow to respond and doesn't want to trot, even if we walk and do walk exercises for 30 minutes. I know most horses have a better trot after they canter, but Rogo is very pronounced in this trait.

Cheryl (one of my teachers) says he has to get his trot correct in each ride before he canters, but I can't help thinking that not every horse is the same and maybe for him, after a long, lose walk, it's okay to canter.

TBDancer was kind enough to leave me this comment in a previous post:

"I have an OTTB and he warms up way better in canter. After a long slow walk on the buckle, we canter for awhile (doing circles, shallow weaves and then deeper ones on the same canter lead, speeding up, then coming back--all at canter both directions). Afterward, his trot is fantastic. No "sewing machine" trot, but some "hover" in the trot and lots of overtracking."

There were a couple of similar comments in recent weeks and of course I can't find them right now, but they got me thinking that maybe I'll try a warm up with canter after walk, just to see how it goes.
I notice that much of what's written about dressage from an instructional point of view focuses on the 'new work' part of the ride, and skims over the warm up, but the warm up is really the key to everything, especially for a horse like Rogo. He comes out relaxed (the first step on the training scale), so I'm thankful for that. Now, how do I help him turn on the engine without making him resentful?
I thought I'd start by googling dressage warm up, and I came up with some good articles and a video which I've provided links to below:

1. Jane Savoie's 9 Simple Tips To Help You Warm Up Your Dressage Horse

2. Betsy Steiner's Thirty Minute Dressage Warm-Up

What I found interesting about this one is that it said to warm up in either trot or canter after walk, which ever the horse finds easiest. I've always thought I 'had' to get a decent trot before cantering. It would sure be a lot easier to get a good trot if I cantered first, as he's more willing to canter than trot initially.

3.  Dressage Warm Up With Hubertus Schmidt

Both this one and the previous direct trot canter trot transitions on a 20 M circle. I'm going to incorporate this.

4. Dressage Warm Up With Debbie  McDonald and Brentina

5. Video: Dressage Warm Up With Mary Flood

 Comments on video:

But like everything else, this isn't the only way to warm up a horse. You MUST know your horse well. I have ridden many horses that the 10-20 min walk on loose rein or trail ride are the perfect warm up. But I have also ridden many who warmed up better in the canter. My last WB needed you to walk around the arena about 2x and then canter for about 10-15 mins. It you spent too much time walking his mind would get to him and you'd be in trouble. But the canter was his gait! You could canter around for 10min and then come back to the walking exercises, trotting, etc.

As you can see, there is a mixed opinion regarding cantering after walk in the warm up, but there are some very knowledgeable people who do it and suggest using whichever, trot or canter, is easiest for your horse at that stage. So, I'm in - it's canter after walk for me in our next warm up.

Ironically cantering after walk may be the way to go for people with a more forward horse too. In addition to the comment at the beginning I've noticed the comment from other OTTB owners.

Just a final note on this topic - I received a subscription to DressageClinic.com  for Christmas and I LOVE it (more in a future post), but I see these young horses coming out for their clinic lesson doing trots that look more medium than working and I think "wtf, is my horse trot challenged or what???". Sorry for the expletive, but it's descriptive in this case :)

Hope everyone is enjoying the holidays. I can't wait to try my new routine tomorrow!