That moment just before horse is on the aids...

Sorry but I dissagree plomme a horse should be working over its back and infront of the aids before you even think about going any faster. There is plenty that you can do in walk to create that connection. Quite often I've gone into a dressage arena or show class having only warmed up in walk due to having an explosive pony and an overcrowded warm up area resulting in me warming up in the lorry park
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I've never heard that before. It is the opposite of what my trainers have always done and taught - all the horses have been ridden that way whether they are training level or Grand Prix. With my own horse the single most important thing is the long, low canter. Perhaps it is a cultural difference in training?

Plomme that is not my goal, it is what I HAVE on a good day with my horse. I warm up extensively in walk with a long rein but still on a contact, and incorporate leg yield exercises follows by shallow lateral exercises such as shoulder fore, renvers and travers with only a little angle initially. I would not expect a horse to go straight into half pass and highly angled SI etc in the initial warmup period.
After this walk work on most occasions I am able to then trot off, still on a long rein with reasonably light contact, and have my horse over his back and connected. Same goes for shifting up to canter. Once I have this feel on both reins, I'll walk again for a short period then commence whatever work I am needing to do that ride, whether it is changes, steep laterals, half steps etc.
There are days when my horse who is a sensitive, anxious little soul, will be tense, anxious and behind the aids. On those days I will only focus on getting him 'through', then put him away.

By 'piddle around' I refer to the warmup of many who assume a warmup consists of wandering around on a loose rein, on the forehand and allowing the horse to drop the shoulder and so on, all for the sake of apparently warming the horse up.
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Yes -groan-

With the cold weather I have been lunging my boy every time before I ride. He turned four yesterday- big boy now!- but despite only a small amount of work.. possibly 30-40mins 5-6 days a week of light basic stuff, he has exploded from scabby three year old to a rather beefy 4yo with a neck like a trunk.

He is beautfully soft on the reins and legs, and really starting to learn what my seat is for!

However, if he gets one of his 'days' then everything is a distraction and he looks for a few excuses to break away. Once I have him though, he is amazing.

After the 15 minute lunge, I will walk him for a few rounds.. serpentines, circles, figures of eights.. change it up, keep him occupied. I hold the buckle at this point. Its very important to me that he stretches forward and finds his natural rhythm.

I can tell when we are both ready, pick up the reins. Recently I have had to start keeping him "with me" a bit more, shorter reins, slow the trot and really really think about every step. He likes to get his own head and ignore leg and mooch otherwise.

Then something will tick, and I can let him come long and over his back.

Naturally, I don't work him too long or hard.. but he is finally discovering that he can do all three gaits and transitions without throwing his head up and running like a donkey :P

The warm up phase is rather dependent on the horse. Some horses do need to piddle around on a long rein in a walk for about 15 minutes, but then they go to work. Others are different. My PSG horse starts in a very collected walk, does some trot and canter with an emphasis on transitions and keeping a high degree of collection. A warm up means different things for different horses and some horses can't be expected to be on an aid before moving to trot. Some horses don't do long and low (and actually the fraction that I've found who are helped by long and low is very small) and some have to piddle in the walk to warm up their muscles and immediately get out straight to work while others you can ease into the work. Some start better with laterals, or short work, or a big canter. But not every horse comes out of the stall on the aids and very few end up on the aids after a warm up. The purpose of the training is to refine the aids further and further. Even when I'm done my ride, the horse is not enough on the aids for my liking. Always be picky, specific and clear. GP horses are still a little off the aids sometimes. There is always room for improvement.
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I think it all depends on the horse you ride.

My finished Tennessee Walker needs nothing- you just jump on and he's right there, ready for anything and reads your mind instantaneously. But he's my boy.

Currently training my Belgian/Paint cross in Dressage, and those moments of complete unity are bliss... and far in between haha. But that's the fun of training. Anyways, the real purpose of training is to eventually get your horse to that state. A very green horse will take hours, maybe, and a finished one only 5 minutes :)