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Walk this way
WHETHER THE HORSE HAS EXPRESSIVE RHYTHMICAL PACES OR RESTRICTED ORDINARY ONES IT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS RIDERS, TRAINERS AND JUDGES TO PRESERVE AND NURTURE WHAT NATURE HAS GIVEN. IN THE FINAL PART OF OUR SERIES BY JANE KIDD, WE LOOK AT WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ACHIEVE THIS, LOOKING THIS TIME AT THE WALK.
Lead pic caption OG12A961
ABOVE: FORWARDNESS TO THE BIT IN A TEMPO THAT IS NEITHER SO HASTY IT CREATES TENSION NOR SO SLOW AND LAZY THAT THE ATHLETICISM OF THE HORSE IS SUPPRESSED IS THE WAY TO SHOW OFF TALENT. The walk is a ‘tender’ pace and to get the best out of it, will need to be treated differently from the trot and canter. In the previous two articles, bringing out the ultimate talent of a horse meant developing power and expression. These would damage the walk. Doing less, at the beginning only asking for minimal – if any – contact, as long as there is a forward tendency and then advancing gradually is essential. There are two important reasons for this: • There is no impulsion in the walk, no spring or moment of suspension to aid power. The
FEI recommends that we talk about activity and the desire to move forward in the walk. • The contact is very delicate and an uneven one or a strong one will have repercussions through the horse’s body and lead to irregularity and restricting freedom.
As for the other two paces fundamental needs are the scales of training (other than impulsion), the nurturing of back movement to be supple and swinging, and forwardness in a tempo that brings out the best in the quality and does not lead to either sluggishness or rushing and stiffening.
COMMONPLACE PROBLEMS
Walks with restricted or irregular steps are often seen in the arena and once these creep into a horse’s way of going it is difficult to get rid of them.
It is rare for a horse to have an irregular walk by nature although limited freedom is more usual. The development of defects is almost always due to poor training. For the judges the quality of the walk is one of the best indicators of how well the horse has been trained.
ACHIEVING THE GOALS
It is important that the goals for any pace, become a clear image, together with the feel in the saddle for the rider/trainer. To develop
ABOVE: PARAS DEVELOP GREAT FEEL AND PRODUCE HIGH QUALITY WALKS. THIS BRINGS BENEFITS AS THE WALK IS IMPORTANT IN MOST OF THEIR TESTS.
these involves some theory, watching horses with good walks and if the opportunity arises, riding them.
THE THEORY
This is the sequence of the steps when the four legs move separately to produce four beats that have an equal interval between each of them. Sometimes two feet are on the ground and at other times three. The sequence is right fore, left hind, left front, right hind.
Another important goal is that the steps of the front leg pair are of equal length, as are the hind leg pair and are not long/short in front or behind.
THE IMAGE
The important image is of a body in which the movement flows through it, that the musculature is supple, the joints flexible and ultimately in extensions is like a big cat moving and eating up the ground.
Jo Hinnemann’s image is helpful: “When the hind leg moves forward it should drive the front leg forward, so to speak, almost touching it”.
The check on regularity is to be able to see a stage when a foreleg and hindleg on the same side form a V. If this V becomes or moves towards parallel fore and hind this is the visual indication that the intervals between the four beats are no longer equal and the walk has become irregular. F
LEFT: A USEFUL VISUAL CHECK ON THE REGULARITY OF THE WALK IS THAT THE FORELEG AND HIND LEG FORM A V. IT IS CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED BY THIS HORSE.
COMMON REASONS FOR NOT ACHIEVING THE GOALS:
• Not finding the optimum tempo.
Rushing and creating tension or so slow the body is not activated • Insufficient attention paid to suppleness, especially in the back, as this restricts the throughness and flow of movement • A contact that has a backward tendency restricting freedom and a contact that does not follow the nodding of the head to allow the alternate muscle movement through the back • Lack of straightness that leads to uneven contact in the hands, tilting and uneven movement • Collection achieved by holding the horse back and if the horse has neither the training or strength to maintain suppleness and activity.
Note that each of the above is linked to a scale of training
BELOW: IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THE SCALE OF TRAINING FOR STRAIGHTNESS IS FOLLOWED AND THAT THERE IS AN EVEN CONTACT IN BOTH REINS. ANY TILTING OR ONE REIN STRONGER THAN THE OTHER LEADS TO IRREGULARITY.
VARIATIONS IN THE WALK
Free walk on a long rein: the horse has complete freedom to lower and stretch out its head and neck while the rider maintains a very light contact. The horse marches positively forwards without haste, the hind feet touching the ground in front of the footprints of the forefeet. Medium walk: a light contact allowing the natural movement of the head and neck. The steps are unconstrained and regular with the hind feet overtracking those of the front feet. The horse is relaxed, moving forward with determined steps. Collected walk: the steps are shorter than in the medium and are achieved by maintaining or even increasing activity as the joints flex, the strides higher, and the weight transferred towards the hind quarters. Extended walk: the horse is allowed to stretch forward and lengthen its frame and strides as far as is possible whilst maintaining a contact and control of the poll. The nose must be clearly in front of the vertical.
BELOW: STRETCHING ACTIVELY TOWARDS THE BIT, WHETHER IT IS IN A FREE WALK ON A LONG REIN OR MORE EFFECTIVELY IN THE TROT AND CANTER, DEVELOPS THE STRENGTH AND SUPPLENESS OF THOSE CRUCIAL BACK MUSCLES.
TRAINING
Primary requirements are not to ask for more than is there by nature and being aware of any hazards in the way of going or external conditions that might damage this.
Horses that are weak and unbalanced often find it difficult to march positively forward towards the bit. Any fiddling with the front end is detrimental and the goal is a very light forward tending contact following the natural head movement.
If the hands do not move with the natural head nodding, then the impulse from the hindquarters over the back and neck cannot come through and the back will stiffen. The movement of the back is crucial for freedom of the strides and for the momentum to transfer through the whole body. A restricted, even irregular walk is the result of holding an immovable contact.
Momentum is generated by the hindquarters. Unresponsive horses benefit from transitions, mainly trot/walk or interesting surroundings (hacking, pole work), working with another horse, a stronger aid with the leg or a tap with the whip and then a reward with voice or pat if they respond. Kicking every stride deadens responsiveness.
Suppling of the back, and as a result regularity, is helped by lateral work. Turns on the forehand and leg yield can be done in the early stages and as a horse advances shoulder in, half pass and travers and all without letting the tempo slow. As the horse gets stronger and more consistently walking forward to the bit, keep the horse in this frame of mind when hacking or relaxing. In a training session practice the various test walks for short periods especially the longer rein walks. As the horse gets closer to medium level work, collection is introduced. It is in collection when many horses lose their regularity, so the introduction of it needs to be thoughtful. Following the goals for collection start to ask for it by riding forwards with the same tempo and activity into shorter and higher steps but only a few strides.
Whenever the horse tightens and loses regularity go into lateral or longer steps to promote suppleness. Developing collection is a slow process with steady progression. T
ABOVE: LEG YIELD IS ONE OF THE MOST USEFUL EXERCISES AS IT ENCOURAGES THE CRUCIAL SUPPLENESS OF THE BACK. IT IS RELATIVELY EASY TO KEEP THE FORWARDNESS AND TEMPO IN THE WALK AND CAN BE USED FROM AN EARLY STAGE. RIGHT: SHOULDER IN IS ANOTHER USEFUL TRAINING EXERCISE AND IF DONE CORRECTLY PROMOTES SUPPLENESS AND STRAIGHTNESS. IT ALSO AIDS COLLECTION AND CAN BE PARTICULARLY USEFUL WHEN TRAINING THE COLLECTED VARIATION OF THE WALK.
